The PhD in Transformative Education serves a range of professionals who work, or who seek to work, in schools, universities, non-profits, and other non-formal educational contexts. The program provides an excellent foundation for those students who wish to pursue an academic track and graduates have gone on to hold academic positions. It also serves those working in higher education administration that wish to pursue opportunities for advancement. Teachers, school leaders, analysts, and those working in community organizations, non-governmental organizations, informal education, adult education, and in state education agencies also find great value in this program to develop tools for professional practice and career advancement. Moreover, graduates from the program are prepared to work within and across these sectors.

Graduates of Foundations in Transformative Education use their degree for career advancement in multiple ways. Teachers pursue this doctoral degree to inform their practice at the community, school, and classroom levels, while others benefit professionally from this degree because it can enable career transitions to positions of leadership within school systems, universities, or in other education organizations. This degree is also valuable for preparing candidates for doctoral study in education and academic employment. Given the broadly applicable nature of the courses in this master’s program, there are many possibilities. This degree prepares you for teaching positions in K-12 education and community colleges, for advocacy positions and program officer positions with community organizations, for policy-related functions in schools and school systems, and for employment in various governmental and non-governmental agencies.

Admitted students are eligible to apply for Graduate Assistantships (GAs) available across the university. To qualify, students must be pursuing full-time doctoral work. GAs receive a 100% tuition exemption, a stipend, and health benefits. Effective August 1, 2026 (Mānoa), the stipend for a GA hired at Step 18 is $28,026 for 9 months and $31,524 for 11 months.

A GA is a renewable, part-time academic appointment. In addition to carrying out their assignments in their unit of hire, GAs also have roles as professionals, albeit of an apprentice nature, in the university community. While EDEF cannot guarantee a GA for each student upon admission. Students who wish to receive a GA are typically able to do so.

• Find more information on GAs
• Apply for GAs:

Tuition for the Graduate General & Post-Baccalaureate Unclassified program for the 2026-2027 academic year:

• Resident (tuition $650/credit + fees $467)
• Non-resident (tuition $1,402/credit + fees $467)

Note: 8 credits is full time, most courses are 3 credits

Find more information on tuition and fees

There are many resources available to help graduate students pay for college, including College of Education scholarships. There are also several scholarships listed generally through the STAR website (please note that this is only accessible to students with a valid UH ID number – must be admitted as a student prior to looking for scholarships on this site) and the Financial Support section of the Graduate Division website. For more information on financial aid and additional resources, please visit the UH Manoa Financial Aid Office (finaid@hawaii.edu).

It should also be noted that many full-time students are able to find graduate assistant positions across the university. These positions come with tuition remission, a stipend, and health insurance.

Financial Documentation Requirements for International Graduate Students

International applicants need to show proof of sufficient funding to cover all educational and living expenses, including expenses for any accompanying spouse or children. Upon admission to University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, only international applicants with proof of funding will receive visa documents.

International graduate applicants must submit a completed Confidential Financial Statement Form along with official supporting financial documents to prove they have sufficient funding to cover all educational and living expenses for at least their first year of study. [1, 2, 3]

Core Financial Requirements

• Proof of Funds: You must show enough financial resources to cover tuition, fees, books, housing, and personal living expenses based on a 9-month normative budget.[1, 2]
• Dependents: If an accompanying spouse or children will join you, you must add extra financial support for their living costs. [1]
• Visa Documents (Form I-20 / DS-2019): The Graduate Division issues these mandatory visa documents only after verifying your approved financial proof. [1, 2]
• Acceptable Documentation: Bank statements, scholarship letters, or official government sponsorship letters showing liquid funds equal to or exceeding the estimated annual cost of attendance.

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. Are incoming international PhD students eligible for these graduate assistantships, and is it reasonably common for first-year Global & International Education students to receive one? 

          Yes, though it is more common to secure a GAship once students are on campus. It can be difficult to secure such a position from a distance. 

2. For an F-1 international student with a full doctoral GA, does the 100% tuition exemption cover the full international tuition charge, leaving mainly student fees and personal living expenses? 

         Yes.

3. Are doctoral GA appointments in this area more commonly 9-month or 11-month appointments? 

         It depends on the position. 

4. Can an international student in the Global & International concentration normally maintain a full course of study for F-1 purposes through the program’s regular course schedule each semester? 

        Yes.

Courses are offered primarily in the fall and spring semesters. Most courses are offered in the evenings, usually from 4:30 to 7 P.M. It is also possible to take courses during the summer months.

Starting Fall 2027, students can complete all requirements for this doctoral concentration completely online. The department will admit a limited number of students to this modality. Interested applicants must indicate–both–in the graduate application and in their personal statement that they are interested in completing the program fully online. The personal statement must explain why it is necessary for the applicant to complete program requirements remotely (in addition to explaining why the applicant has chosen EDEF’s program and how it aligns with their prior experience and future goals). Priority will be given to students who are located outside of Hawaiʻi or who, within the State of Hawaiʻi, live on islands other than Oahu or have extenuating circumstances. Upon review of all applications, the department will reach out to students being considered for admission to the online modality. 

For international students, note that enrollment in this online graduate program does not provide access to a student visa. 

Various course formats are employed. Some classes are offered online with a mix of synchronous online classes and asynchronous coursework. Other classes are offered in a hybrid format (with a portion of students participating face-to-face in the classroom while other students participate remotely via video).

For more information about how this program can be completed remotely, review the information in this document:

Sample Coursework Sequences for Online Completion of EDEF Doctoral Concentrations.

If you have questions, reach out to: Professor Alex Means (meansaj@hawaii.edu).

Overall, students in this PhD concentration must complete 12 courses (at least 3 research methods and 9 EDEF classes), in addition to at least one credit of EDUC800 (dissertation writing). A full-time student taking 3 classes per semester (in the fall and spring) can complete the 12 courses in 2 years, or sooner if classes are taken during the summer. Apart from coursework, students need to complete an internship, write a qualifying paper (in year 2), and then satisfy the dissertation proposal, comprehensive exam, and final dissertation requirements. Students progress at different speeds, depending on their circumstances. Completion timelines have ranged from 3 to 7 years.

Matriculated PhD students in an EDEF concentration can potentially have up to 9 prior credits completed at the master’s level recognized, after advisor consultation and only with advisor approval. Guided by the concentration tracking sheet, the advisor’s role is to ensure that the student has the necessary theoretical, methodological, content, and contextual knowledge and skills to complete their doctoral research with a high degree of quality. Just because students have taken classes previously at the master’s level does not mean that these credits will be automatically recognized. The advisor will take into consideration the nature of the courses completed previously, the student’s performance in those classes, and the alignment of those classes with EDEF PhD concentration requirements. The advisor will discuss with the student whether the 9 credits recognized satisfy requirements for the doctoral concentration core classes, electives, or cognate courses. In order for the credits recognized to satisfy the research methods requirements, a waiver must be obtained from the Graduate Division.

Coursework (40 Credits)

Departmental Core (12 Credits)

Education in a Changing World (3 Credits)

• EDEF 669 Intro to Comparative and International Education
• EDEF 684 Education and World Order
• EDEF 686 Environmental Education
• EDEF 725 Education and Social Change

Politics, Law, and Leadership (3 Credits)

• EDEF 680 Race, Law, and Education
• EDEF 667 (C) Leadership and Governance in Education
• EDEF 676 The Politics of Education

Sociocultural Studies in Education (3 Credits)

• EDEF 683 Social and Cultural Contexts of Education
• EDEF 630 Cultural Diversity
• EDEF 762 Seminar on Social and Cultural Contexts of Education

Philosophical and Theoretical Foundations (3 Credits)

• EDEF 610 Foundations of Educational Theory
• EDEF 660 Philosophy of Education
• EDEF 764 Seminar in the Philosophy of Education

Seminar Requirement (3 Credits)

• EDEF 762 Seminar on Social and Cultural Contexts of Education
• EDEF 764 Seminar in the Philosophy of Education
• EDEF 767 Seminar on the Educational System
• EDEF 725 Education and Social Change

College PhD Core = 9 credits

• Multiple Perspectives
• Qualitative Methods
• Quantitative Methods
• Advanced Methods

Additional Coursework

• Area of Emphasis = 9-12 credits
• Field Study or Internship: EDUC 740 or EDUC 799 = 3 credits
• Dissertation credits: EDEF 800 = 1+ credits

Unique summer opportunities in Barcelona and Washington, D.C.

Students who participate in the summer Barcelona study abroad program can count the 6 credits from that program towards degree requirements.

Students also have the option of participating in an intensive, one-week summer course (EDEF671: Capacity Building in Human Resources: Global Education Partnerships) periodically offered in Washington, D.C. and focused on the contributions of various international organizations to global education.