Department
of Economics > Graduate Program & Overview
Graduate Program & Overview
We are now accepting applications for graduate study in Economics.
- Graduate application for East-West Center scholarship is NOVEMBER 1, 2009!
- All other applications are due January 15, 2010.
The graduate program of the Department of Economics is designed for students from across the globe who wish to acquire theoretical and quantitative skills for use in careers in government, academia, research, or business. The Department provides one of the world’s leading programs specializing in the economies of the Asia-Pacific region. Graduate students receive an outstanding and challenging education in economic theory, econometrics, and public policy applications. Our program offers M.A. and Ph.D. degrees and admits students to both programs. The department has a close working relationship with the East-West Center, a federal research and educational institution that specializes in the Asia-Pacific region and is located on the University of Hawaii campus.
Our location in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, our proximity to the East-West Center, and our multicultural graduate student body provide us with a natural comparative advantage in studying the structure and public policies of Asia-Pacific economies. Click through the links to the upper left to see complete information about our programs, including application procedures; academic preparation necessary for admission; tuition, fees, and financial support; graduate courses offered by the department; the graduate student body; and funding opportunities.
How to apply for Admission
Applications must be received by JANUARY 15 for the following fall semester.
Information and instructions for applicants are included in the application page. This provides links to the University's Online Application Form as well as to other required forms. We strongly encourage you to apply for all fellowships and other financial aid for which you qualify in order to support your graduate education. In particular, be sure to consider the following opportunities:
The University of Hawai'i at Manoa
The University of Hawai'i at Manoa (UHM) is the major research institution in the ten-campus State of Hawai'i system of higher education. Founded in 1907 as a land-grant college specializing in agriculture and the mechanical arts, the campus was moved to a 300-acre site in Honolulu's Manoa Valley soon afterwards. With the addition of the College of Arts and Sciences, it became the University of Hawai'i in 1920 and has since grown into a nationally and internationally respected institution of higher learning.
UHM enrolls 20,051 students, 31% at the graduate level, and offers course work leading to bachelor's degrees in 87 fields of study, master's degrees in 85, and doctorates in 51. It also grants degrees in law and medicine and administers certificate programs. Most of these educational opportunities reflect and emphasize the unique geographical, physical, and socio-cultural setting of Hawaiíi, as well as the countries and peoples of Asia, the Pacific Rim, and the islands of the Pacific.
The Department of Economics
The Department of Economics is one of 14 academic units in the College of Social Sciences, which in turn is one of four Colleges of Arts and Sciences. The department is housed on the fifth floor of Saunders Hall, a building shared by a number of social science departments and programs. As of September 2008, the department enrolls some 195 undergraduate majors and 59 graduate students.
Since introducing a graduate program in the 1960s, the department has awarded over 190 doctoral and 300 master's degrees. Ph.D. and M.A. alumni of the department have successful careers as faculty members at major universities, entrepreneurs, and government policy experts in a variety of settings and institutions, especially in Asia and the Pacific. Faculty research interests make possible graduate field specializations with regional emphasis in the Asia-Pacific region. Resident faculty and visitors regularly present seminars and have established fruitful associations with prominent economic research institutions in the United States, Asia, and the Pacific, including the Asian Development Bank, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the World Bank, and various universities throughout the world.
The East-West Center
The East-West Center is an internationally recognized education and research organization established by the U.S. Congress in 1960 to strengthen understanding and relations between the United States and the countries of the Asia-Pacific region. The Center helps promote the establishment of a stable, peaceful and prosperous Asia-Pacific community in which the United States is a natural, valued and leading partner.
The Center carries out its mission through programs of cooperative study, training and research. Professionals and students from the United States, Asia and the Pacific study and work together at the East-West Center to better understand issues of common and critical concern and explore mutually beneficial ways of addressing them.
As a national and regional resource, the Center offers:
- an interdisciplinary research program that examines issues of critical importance in U.S.-Asia-Pacific relations;
- dialogue and professional enrichment programs that focus on groups central to the communication of ideas: the media, political and policy leaders, and educators;
- educational programs to develop the human resources needed by the United States and the Asia-Pacific region in an era of increased interdependence.
Fellowships offered by the East-West Center are a major source of financial support for graduate students in economics. See pp. 20-21 of the graduate guide for more information on East-West Center Fellowship application procedures, or click here. To find out more about the East-West Center go to: http://www.EastWestCenter.org/
The Graduate Student Body
Graduate students in economics at UHM come from the State of Hawai'i, the mainland United States, Europe, and from many countries in the Pacific region, including Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Mongolia, Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, and Pacific Island countries. Some enter the program as mid-career government professionals carefully selected for their preparation, promise, and motivation; others begin the program directly after completing B.A. or M.A. degrees in economics or allied fields. The geographic and cultural diversity of the department's graduate students is a strong catalyst for ideas and research on the part of both students and faculty. As of September 2008, there are 47 Ph.D. students and 12 M.A. students enrolled. Approximately one-third are women.
Graduate students participate in a wide spectrum of activities throughout the Manoa campus. Economics graduate students elect their own representative to the campus-wide Graduate Student Organization (GSO). They communicate concerns and suggestions to the Department of Economics through the graduate chair who is also chair of the Department's Graduate Policy Committee. Graduate students in economics elect a representative who sits with faculty on this Committee. They also serve on several other department committees on a voluntary basis.
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