Introduction

Mānoa Overview

The University of Hawaii at Manoa is a premier research university of international standing. Manoa is the flagship of the University of Hawaii System, the state's sole public university system governed by a 12-member Board of Regents. A land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant institution, Manoa creates, refines, disseminates, and perpetuates human knowledge; offers a comprehensive array of undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees through the doctoral level; carries out advanced research; and extends services to the community.

Located in Manoa Valley on the island of Oahu, our university was founded in 1907 under the auspices of the Morrill Act as a land-grant college of agriculture and mechanic arts. With the addition of a College of Arts and Sciences in 1920, the college became the University of Hawaii, and in 1972, it became the University of Hawaii at Manoa to distinguish it from the other units in the growing UH system.

Today more than 20,400 students are enrolled in Manoa courses, on campus or via distance delivery. Classified as a Carnegie Doctoral (Research University/ Very High Research Activity) institution, Manoa offers 87 bachelor's degrees, 87 master's degrees, and 51 doctorates. We also offer first professional degrees in law, medicine, and architecture. Approximately 69 percent of Manoa students are undergraduates, 57 percent are of Asian or Pacific Islander ancestry, and 56 percent are women. Manoa's special distinction is found in its Hawaiian, Asian, and Pacific orientation and unique location.

The University of Hawaii was first accredited by the Western College Association in 1952. The Manoa campus is currently accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Twenty-eight professional programs are also accredited by appropriate agencies.