Department
of Economics > Graduate Program > Graduate Program Guide Online > About the Department
UH Graduate Economics:
An Overview
Introducing 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 17,000 students, one-fourth at the graduate level, and offers course work leading to bachelor's degrees in 88 fields of study, master's degrees in 87, and doctorates in 53. 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 June 2004, the department enrolls some 152 undergraduate majors and 63 graduate students.
Since introducing a graduate program in the 1960s, the department has awarded over 180 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 June 2003, there are 50 Ph.D. students and 13 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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