Disability is an everyday part of the human experience. Whether you are a student, professional, person with a disability or family member of someone with a disability, disability is bound to impact your life or your profession. Our courses are designed to approach disability from a diversity perspective. This means that disability is viewed as a natural part of a diverse society made up of many kinds of people with many kinds of human characteristics. Our courses will provide students with the knowledge, skills, and insights necessary to understand and navigate, respond to and appreciate, disability issues in modern society.

No, but it can be useful towards one. 

Our Program is a 15 credit sequence of 5 courses resulting in a graduate level Certificate. Our program is a great stepping stone or supplement to other graduate programs. Many Master’s and Doctoral students use our courses as cognates for other programs. Graduate and Undergraduate Disability Studies courses can also be taken as electives without enrollment in the Certificate Program. Applicants are encouraged to check with prospective graduate programs to see how the Certificate may be useful and may apply to their program.

We accept applications for the program year-round, although deadlines may apply for admission for the following semester. If you wish to apply for the Certificate, you must apply through the Graduate Division.

Yes. Regardless of when you are admitted to the Certificate Program, you can still take courses right away that will count towards your Certificate.

No, you are certainly welcome, but all our courses are currently entirely online. International and out-of-state students are advised to enroll in our courses via the UH Outreach College. This requires an additional application but will mean you will be eligible for in-state tuition for our online courses.

Costs are comparable to similar programs and are the same for students at any institution, regardless of whether they are at University of Hawai‘i or another institution.  Undergraduate and Graduate course fees are the same as those for other courses at the University of Hawai‘i.

Out-of-state and International students are advised to register for classes through the UH Outreach College. Please check the websites of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa and Outreach College for current application and course fees. Applicants to the Certificate Program must pay an application fee ($100 as of 9/2023) established by the Graduate Division. Tuition schedule may be found here.

The College of Education and the University of Hawai‘i do have some scholarships at STAR. View the resource for other opportunities: Scholarships, Grants, Fellowships. We do not directly offer scholarships via the Disability Studies program.