The MA degree is normally a four-semester study program. Foreign Area Officer (FAO) candidates, typically, have only eighteen months, three regular semesters, to complete the Master’s degree. Developed through our extended experiences working with FAO candidates, the MA program is able to design a special educational schedule that addresses the specific needs of FAOs, modifies the curriculum to assure an even distribution of courses, and allows for a timely completion of degree work.

Some FAOs apply as much as one year early, yet this is not applicable to UHM as admission is valid only for the semester for which it is offered. We recognize that there is a long lead-time for change of station. If you must apply up to one year in advance, you have two choices:

(1) re-apply and pay the fees again, or
(2) accept admission and immediately apply for a leave of absence.

LOAs are good for only 1 year. Normally, they are granted. But there may be times when Graduate Division refuses. The best thing to do is contact us and we will help you to find a solution.

1. In order to overcome the time restriction and make up for the fourth semester, students may register up to 9 credit hours of Asian studies courses in Summer Sessions. FAO students are, thus, able to take 9 credit hours for each semester throughout their study. There are a limited number of special Asian studies research seminars and courses on international relations and security issues in Asia offered during Summer Sessions. Students are advised to take a full program of courses in the summer in order to compensate for the early completion of the MA in Asian studies.

2. Students are advised to select the Plan B: Non-thesis option, as the Plan A: Thesis option is for completion of the program in four-semesters of study. Students selecting the Plan A option will be advised to obtain approval for a fourth semester of study from their unit superior before the second semester of their program.

3. The MA degree is a language-intensive program requiring skills in speaking, listening, reading and writing. Students who have prior language training should strengthen their language skills in preparation for this degree program. Before entering the program, students must have reached at least one level below the language requirement of their chosen area of study in order to graduate on time.

Applicants are encouraged to consult our current students/recent alumni for further information.

David Gigliotti, East Asia/Korea Specialist – Pentagon

Marcus Ferrara, SEA/Thailand Specialist - Current Student

Pete Fowler, SEA/Malaysia Specialist - Pentagon

Newman Yang, East Asia/China Specialist - Hong Kong

Students applying to the master’s programs must submit the following materials:

To the Graduate Division (all students):
• Completed graduate application form. You may apply on-line.
• US citizens & permanent residents $50
• One official copy of transcript sent directly from all post-secondary educational institutions attended.

To the Asian Studies Program:
• Two letters of recommendation. download form
• Official GRE (Graduate Record Examination) score report, aptitude test only.
• A 10 page writing sample.
• SPAS Express Information Form. You may apply on-line here.

Contact Information
Michael Aung-Thwin
Chair, Asian Studies Program
School of Pacific & Asian Studies
University of Hawai`i at Mānoa
1890 East-West Road, Moore Hall 412
Honolulu, Hawai`i 96822
Telephone: (808)956-5962; Facsimile: (808)956-6345

Tuition Costs: FAOs are automatically given in-state tuition status. UH is a low-cost school.

Cost of Living in Hawai‘i
Hawai‘i has an extremely high cost of living…if you are not in the military. Prices in the commissary nearly mirror those in Monterey. On-post housing is available at Fort Shafter, but usually entails a six-month wait. Off-post rent is comparable to that in Monterey with some of Hawai‘i’s best residential areas within biking/walking distance from the University (Mānoa Valley, Saint Louis Heights, Kahala, and Waikiki). All dependent medical care is handled at Tripler Army Medical Center. The care is fast and first-rate, with no payment of a Tricare deductible. Hawai‘i can be expensive, but the Army provides more than enough compensation (BAH/COLA) to meet ones needs.

Space-A Travel
The availability of travel via Space-A in and out of Hawai‘i is plentiful. Daily flights occur to/from Travis AFB (SF area), McCord AFB (Seattle area), and Yokota AFB (Tokyo area). Weekly flights occur to/from North Island NAS (San Diego area), March AFB (LA area), Kelly AFB (San Antonio area), McGuire AFB (New Jersey), and Charleston AFB (South Carolina). Being stationed in Hawai‘i, dependents are authorized to travel unaccompanied Space-A anywhere within the Pacific Theater and to the end-destination for CONUS mission. As an Asia-focused FAO, this is an invaluable fringe benefit. It is extremely easy to travel to/from Japan during class breaks or PTDY during summer semester. From Japan, there are multiple flights each week to Korea and Singapore, which are extremely economical gateways to China, Southeast Asia, and India.

As a FAO concentrating on Asia, about one-fourth to one-third of your future job assignments will be in Hawai‘i (Pacific Command, JICPAC, US Army Pacific, Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies). Studying at the University of Hawai‘i gives you early access to all of these centers in the form of briefings, lectures, conferences, etc. The resources are there if you want them. It also provides you the opportunity to check out future job opportunities, specifically which jobs you might wish to compete for as well as which jobs you might wish to avoid.

The Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, located in Waikiki, is the preeminent security think tank and educational center in the Pacific.

The East-West Center, located on the campus of the University of Hawai‘i offers access to top researchers in Asia and the Pacific, visiting diplomats, scholars-in-residence from around the world, and ongoing conferences, talks and performances.

Honolulu Advertiser
Honolulu Star Bulletin
Honolulu Weekly
DOD Per Diem Website
University of Hawai‘i

UH/SPAS Recruiting Representative: Paul Rausch, (808) 956-2688, Facsimile: (808) 956-6345,
UH/SPAS Asian Studies Department: Chair, Dr. Michael Aung-Thwin, (808) 956-5962; Facsimile: (808) 956-6345,
UH/SPAS Graduate Advising & Admission Documents: Pattie Dunn, (808) 956-7814; Facsimile: (808) 956-6345

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