Topic

General Information

APPLYING FOR ADMISSION

Admission is competitive and selective. In addition to the requirements of the Office of Graduate Education, applicants to the MEd-CS must provide evidence of (1) adequate successful course work and/or experience related to the track selected and (2) student teaching, teaching, or experience designing and/or implementing curriculum in educational settings. Some tracks have additional requirements, so please check our website.

There are two parts to the application process: (1) UH Graduate Application through the Office of Graduate Education and (2) College of Education Application through Mākālei. For complete instructions, please go to our department website and select a program from the top menu. Each program has an “Apply now” link with application directions and a link to Mākālei submit your College application.

NOTIFICATION OF ACCEPTANCE

The Office of Graduate Education notifies each applicant of the acceptance/rejection decision regarding the application. Please see the Graduate Division website for more information.

AFTER ACCEPTANCE

  1. Students who are accepted must enroll in the semester they are admitted. Otherwise, they are regarded as “No Shows” and must reapply.
  2. Students must demonstrate progress toward completion of their programs and must maintain a B average for all completed UH courses counting toward the degree.

TRANSFER & DOUBLE COUNTING CREDITS

For information about credit acceptance policy for transfer and post-baccalaureate unclassified (PBU) credits, please see or visit UHM Graduate Division website.

For the UHM College of Education Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Secondary Education (PBCSE), a maximum of 12 credits from may be double counted for the MEd-CS program, within five years of graduating with their PBCSE degree. MEd-CS program will double count 6 credits of 400-level courses and 6 credits of 600-level courses.

LEAVES OF ABSENCE

A leave of absence for a period of time no longer than one calendar year may be granted to students in good standing (GPA of at least 3.0) (a) after completion of at least one semester of course work relevant to the degree as a classified graduate student at the University of Hawai‘i, (b) upon recommendation of the Curriculum Studies M.Ed. Graduate Chair and (c) with the approval of the Dean of the Office of Graduate Education. The date of return from a leave must be set at the time the leave is requested.

Students not returning from leave on time will be required to petition for readmission to the University in accordance with the established regulations. Students who are readmitted will be subject to the degree requirements in effect at the time of readmission.

Time spent during an approved leave is not counted against the seven-year limit for completion of degree programs. Students returning from an approved leave are automatically sent the appropriate forms from the Office of Graduate Education Records Office by the established readmission deadline so that registration materials will be prepared.

THE PROGRAM ADVISOR

Students will be assigned advisors by the CS Department Chair or the Program (Track) Coordinators.

GPA REQUIREMENTS

Students in the Curriculum Studies M.Ed. are required to maintain a minimum GPA of a B average for all UH courses applied to the degree. In addition, students must have a B average for all courses taken as a classified graduate student.

The B average is computed for: (1) all courses numbered 300-498 (excluding 399), and (2) all graduate courses numbered 600-798, except those required to fulfill undergraduate deficiencies which are disregarded by the Office of Graduate Education.

CONDITIONAL TO REGULAR STATUS

To be considered for regular status from conditional status, a student must first complete 12 credits as a “classified graduate” student with a B average in courses numbered 300 and above which are applicable toward their degrees.

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT

The minimum residence requirement is two semesters of full-time work or four six-week summer sessions or the equivalent in credits applicable to the students’ degree program (16 credits). For part-time students, each eight credits completed as a degree-seeking graduate student will be equivalent to one full-time semester of residence.

FINANCIAL RESOURCES

The Curriculum Studies Department has limited financial support available for its M.Ed. students. These include Achievement Scholarships and occasional Tuition Waivers, Graduate Assistantships, Graduate Level Student Assistant positions, and Graduate Travel awards.

Achievement Scholarships are publicized, and applications are due each Spring for the following year. Other resources are found on the UH and COE Website.

PROGRAM COMPLETION (also see MEd-CS Handbook 2: For Continuing and Graduating Students on our website)

All course work and the culminating project or paper (Plan B) or thesis (Plan A) must meet deadlines for completion posted by the Office of Graduate Education during the final semester of the program. Please ask your advisor, check our department bulletin board, or email csdept@hawaii.edu for deadlines early in the semester you plan to graduate. Please submit your Plan A or Plan B cover page and paper/project to the CS Department administrator.

An application for graduation must be filed with the Office of Graduate Education at the beginning of the semester in which the student expects to complete the degree requirements. Such application need only be made once.

Note: A student must be enrolled in the semester he/she plans to graduate. Should all coursework be completed, the student may enroll in at least one credit of EDCS 700 (Plan A) or in EDCS 699 for one credit (Plan B) to satisfy this requirement. Please call or email your advisor or the CS Department administrator (956-4401, csdept@hawaii.edu ) for the course registration number.