Pacific Islands Studies, BA/MA

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The Department of Pacific Islands Studies offers a BA+MA Pathway that helps students earn a combined bachelor’s and a master’s degree within 5 years.

BA students who are admitted into the pathway are able to double-count 9 credits towards both a BA and an MA in Pacific Islands studies, including taking required 600-level PACS seminar courses in their senior year.

For more information about the BA+MA Pathway, see manoa.hawaii.edu/bam/.

5-Year Plan

This is a sample academic plan. Students should meet with an academic advisor prior to registration to formulate their own plan.

Year 1

Fall

HSL 101 Credits: 4
PACS 108 - Pacific Worlds: An Introduction to Pacific Islands Studies Credits: 3 (DS)
FW (or FQ) Credits: 3
FG (A/B/C) Credits: 3
Elective Credits: 3

Credits 16

Spring

HSL 102 Credits: 4
PACS 201 - Islands of Globalization Credits: 3
FQ (or FW) Credits: 3
FG (A/B/C) Credits: 3
DH Credits: 3

Credits 16

Total Credits 32

Year 2

Fall

HSL 201 Credits: 4
PACS 202 - Pacific Islands Movement and Migration Credits: 3
DB (or DP) Credits: 3
DA/DL Credits: 3
DY Credits: 1

Credits 14

Spring

HSL 202 Credits: 4
PACS 302 - Contemporary Issues in Oceania Credits: 3
DP (or DB) Credits: 3
DS Credits: 3
Elective Credits: 3

Credits 16

Total Credits 62

Year 3

Fall

PACS 301 - Pacific Communities in Hawaiʻi Credits: 3 ¹
PACS Elective (300+) Credits: 3
Elective 300+ Credits: 3
Elective 300+ Credits: 3
Elective Credits: 3

Credits 15

Spring

PACS 303 - Thinking Through Pacific Arts, Ritual, and Performance Credits: 3
PACS Concentration (300+) Credits: 3
Elective 300+ Credits: 3
Elective 300+ Credits: 3

Credits 12

Total Credits 89

Year 4

Fall

PACS 601 - Learning Oceania Credits: 3 ²
PACS 602 - Re/Presenting Oceania: Pacific and American Perspectives Credits: 3 ²
PACS Concentration (300+) Credits: 3
Elective 300+ Credits: 3
Elective Credits: 2

Credits 14

Spring

PACS 603 - Researching Oceania: Creative and Conventional Methods of Inquiry Credits: 3 ²
PACS 401 - Pacific Islander Collaborative Research Credits: 3
Elective 300+ Credits: 3
Elective 300+ Credits: 3

Credits 12

Total Credits 115

Grad Year 2

Fall

PACS 695 - Master’s Portfolio Project Credits: V
OR
PACS 700 - Thesis Research Credits: V
Grad Elective Credits: 3
Grad Elective Credits: 3
Grad Focus Credits: 3

Credits 12

Spring

PACS 695 - Master’s Portfolio Project Credits: V
OR
PACS 700 - Thesis Research Credits: V
Grad Elective Credits: 3
Grad Focus Credits: 3

Credits 9

Total Credits 136

Notes:

This is a plan to finish both a BA and MA in five years and assumes that students start their studies in a Fall semester.
During BA period, students must incorporate all focus requirements into this plan. Minimum 45 upper division (300+ course) credits are required.
During BA, students may progress more quickly through their foreign language sequence by taking a placement exam and/or summer courses.
Second language must be in one of the following: Chamorro, Hawaiian, Maori, Samoan, Tahitian, or Tongan.
Speakers of any indigenous Pacific Islands language may test out.
Under this program, students applying for the combined degree will have already satisfied the PACS MA language requirements as part of the BA portion of the combined pathway.
The pathway anticipates that, in general, student would apply to the Master’s program during their “second-semester Junior” semester and “first-semester Senior” semester, they would be admitted to the Master’s program via the pathway and would be allowed to begin taking double-counted 600-level courses.
The pathway indicates that students should be able to complete a Plan A Thesis in a one-year timeframe.
¹Course is the proposed gateway course for the pathway, which requires a grade of ‘B’ or better.
²Courses are those that are double-counted for both the BA and MA. All three double-counted courses are at the 600-level and are the core courses for the MA program allowing pathway students to ‘combine’ with that year’s MA cohort.
For the BA degree, these will serve as “elective” courses. For all three courses double-counted toward the MA, the student must earn grades of ‘B’ or better.
An overall GPA of 3.0 is also required.