College of Social Sciences
Sakamaki C-400
2530 Dole Street
Honolulu, HI 96822
Tel: (808) 956-8414
Fax: (808) 956-4700
Email: psych@hawaii.edu
Web: psychology.manoa.hawaii.edu
Faculty
*Graduate Faculty
*C. K. Baker, PhD (Chair)—community, intervention development and evaluation, domestic violence, teen dating violence
*J. Barile, PhD—community, neighborhood environments, health equity, quality of life and well-being
*P. A. Couvillon, PhD—behavioral neuroscience, animal learning, cognition
*K. Hayashi, PhD—quantitative psychology and psychometrics
*J. Latner, PhD—understanding and treatment of obesity and eating disorders
*A. Masuda, PhD—clinical, acceptance and commitment therapy, diversity, contextual behavioral science
*A. E. Maynard, PhD—developmental, cultural, siblings and socialization, cognitive change
*C. W. Mueller, PhD (emeritus)—child clinical, social, HIV, and health
*B. J. Nakamura, PhD—clinical, youth anxiety, dissemination of evidence-based practices
*A. Papa, PhD—risk and resilience factors related to adjustment after the experience of a significant loss
*K. Pauker, PhD—social intergroup relations, stereotyping, social perception
*J. Sasaki, PhD—social cognition and behavior
*S. C. Sinnett, PhD—cognitive, mechanisms of attention and perception
*L. K. Takahashi, PhD—behavioral neuroscience
*J. Vibell, PhD—cognitive/behavioral neuroscience; brain imaging; attention; multi-sensory perception
*Y. Xu, PhD—children’s social development and culture
Cooperating Graduate Faculty
D. Bhawuk, PhD—culture and community
S. Helm, PhD—community and culture psychology
J. K. Kaholokula, PhD—Native Hawaiian Health
V. Kameoka, PhD (emerita)—culture and mental health
A. Pack, PhD—human and animal cognition
L. A. Yamauchi, PhD—educational psychology
Affiliate Graduate Faculty
P. E. Nachtigall, PhD (Emeritus)—marine mammal behavior
Degrees and Certificate Offered: BA in psychology, BS in psychology (including minor), BA psychology/MEd educational psychology, MA in psychology, PhD in psychology, Certificate in Clinical Psychology (Respecialization)
The Academic Program
Psychology (PSY) can be defined as the science of mind and behavior. Some psychology majors are preparing to enter graduate school, where they will be trained to become professional psychologists and scholars. Others use psychology as a pre-professional major for other fields, such as law or medicine. The majority of psychology majors, however, are using psychology as a general interdisciplinary arts major. Psychology is qualified as a discipline for this purpose. An understanding of the spectrum of psychological knowledge, methods, and concepts facilitates and enhances productivity in virtually every area of human endeavor. The Department of Psychology provides exceptional training at the graduate and undergraduate levels across three broad program areas: 1) clinical studies; 2) cognition, neuroscience, and social; and 3) community, cultural, and developmental.
UH Mānoa is fortunate to have a psychology department composed of an unusually large number of internationally recognized figures in the field. Not only do students get to learn from these scholars in the classroom, but many receive direct training in cutting-edge research and the application of psychological knowledge.
Psychology majors work towards either a BA or BS degree, while many other students complete the minor in psychology. The psychology program covers three broad areas: 1) Clinical Studies; 2) Cognition, Neuroscience, and Social; and 3) Community, Cultural, and Developmental.
Undergraduate Study
Bachelor’s Degree
Pre-major BA and BS Degree Requirements
Students must complete the introductory psychology course (PSY 100), one course in methodology (PSY 212) and one course in statistics (PSY 225 or SOCS 225) with a minimum grade of C (not C-) and attend one major meeting. In addition, a minimum overall entry GPA of 2.5 in all PSY UH Mānoa course work (including PSY 100 and any transfer PSY courses) is required to declare psychology as a major.
BA Degree Requirements (minimum 36 credits, 15 earned at UH Mānoa)
In addition to the completion of PSY 100, 212 and 225 or SOCS 225, students must complete 27 credit hours with a minimum of 15 credits at the upper division (300+) level. This includes:
- 15 credits at the upper division level (300 level and above)
- One course from four of the five psychology foundation areas:
- Experimental (PSY X2X courses), e.g., PSY 220, 322, 324
- Behavioral Neuroscience (PSY X3X courses), e.g., PSY 230, 331, 333
- Developmental (PSY X4X courses), e.g., PSY 240, 341, 342
- Social or Personality (PSY X5X or PSY X6X courses), e.g., PSY 250, 260, 352
- Clinical or Community (PSY X7X or PSY X8X courses), e.g., PSY 270, 280, 371
- 3 credit hours in the advanced topic series (PSY 4X9, many 4X9 courses are designated as Writing Intensive), excluding PSY 499)
- 12 credit hours of PSY electives
A minimum exit GPA of 2.0 (cumulative GPA of psychology courses taken) must be maintained for graduation. PSY 100 is a prerequisite to all other courses except PSY 170 and may be counted toward the major and the diversification social sciences (DS) core requirement. No more than a combined total of 15 credits of practicum (PSY 407), teaching (PSY 408), and directed research (PSY 499) may be counted for the major; no more than 9 credit hours in PSY 499 may be counted. Only 3 credit hours in PSY 499 can be used to fulfill the requirement of 15 credit hours at the upper division level. Nevertheless, students intending to do graduate work are encouraged to enroll in PSY 499 and in PSY 408 or 478.
BS Degree Requirements (minimum 42 credits, 21 earned at UH Mānoa)
In addition to the completion of PSY 100, 212, and 225 or SOCS 225, students must complete 33 credit hours with a minimum of 21 credits at the upper division (300+) level. This includes:
- One course from three of the four psychology foundation areas:
- Experimental (PSY X2X courses), e.g., PSY 220, 322, 324
- Developmental (PSY X4X courses), e.g., PSY 240, 341, 342
- Social or Personality (PSY X5X or PSY X6X courses), e.g., PSY 250, 260, 352
- Clinical or Community (PSY X7X or PSY X8X courses), e.g. PSY 270, 280, 371
- 3 credit hours of PSY 331, 333, 336
- BIOL 171/171L
- BIOL 172/172L
- 6 credit hours in the advanced topic series (PSY 4X9, many 4X9 courses are designated as Writing Intensive), excluding PSY 499)
- 6 credit hours of PSY 499 (research experience)
- 3 credit hours of a 300+ psychology elective
A minimum exit GPA of 2.5 in psychology must be maintained for graduation. New majors should seek assistance from the Undergraduate Advising Office in Sakamaki D412 (psychadv@hawaii.edu) or consult with Scott C. Sinnett, Chair of Undergraduate Studies (ssinnett@hawaii.edu), as soon as possible for advising. Additional information can be found at psychology.manoa.hawaii.edu.
For information on a Bachelor Degree Program Sheet, go to programsheets/.
Minor
Students wishing to obtain a minor must complete 15 credit hours of PSY above the 100-level, including 3 credits of psychology courses at the 300+level or above. A minimum of 9 credits must be completed at UH Mānoa. A GPA of 2.0 or above must be maintained in all psychology courses. Course requirements include:
- PSY 212 (3 or 4 credits)
- One course from three of the five PSY foundation areas:
- Experimental (PSY X2X courses), e.g., PSY 220, 322, 324
- Behavioral Neuroscience (PSY X3X courses), e.g., PSY 230, 331, 333
- Developmental (PSY X4X courses), e.g., PSY 240, 341, 342
- Social or Personality (PSY X5X or PSY X6X courses), e.g., PSY 250, 260, 352
- Clinical or Community (PSY X7X or PSY X8X courses), e.g., PSY 270, 280, 371
- 3 credit hours of a 300+ psychology elective (excluding PSY 407, 408, 499 & 4X9)
4 + 1 BA Psychology and MEd in Educational Program (BAM)
Students may apply for a dual-credit program leading to a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master’s of Education in Educational Psychology. In their senior year, BAM students will be dual-enrolled in the two programs and will take 9 credits (PSY/EDEP 489, EDEP 601, EDEP 608) that will count for both the BA and MEd. Students can complete their MEd in their fifth year. Interested students may apply for the program after taking the gateway course PSY 301/EDEP 311 and receiving a B or better. For more information, contact the Department of Educational Psychology (coe.hawaii.edu/edep/programs/med/) or the psychology advising office at psychology.manoa.hawaii.edu/undergraduate-advising/.
Graduate Study
The graduate program in psychology is designed to provide students with a strong background in theory, research methodology, and psychological issues. Currently, there are 3 program areas in which students can receive specialized training: cognition, neuroscience, and social; community, cultural, and developmental; and clinical studies. Specific details concerning each of the program areas, their requirements, and faculty research interests may be obtained in one of four ways: (a) by writing to the Department of Psychology, University of Hawai‘i, 2530 Dole Street, Honolulu, HI 96822; (b) by faxing your request to (808) 956-4700; (c) by sending an email communication to the Chair of Graduate Studies (gradpsy@hawaii.edu); or (d) by accessing the department’s website at psychology.hawaii.edu.
Applications are considered only for the fall semester. Applicants should normally possess a bachelor’s degree, have a minimum of 24 credit hours of undergraduate work in psychology (including courses in basic psychology such as research methodology, statistics, learning, abnormal, social, developmental, personality, cognition, and physiological psychology), a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0, strong letters of recommendation from professors, competitive general GRE scores (past applicants admitted as graduate students in the department tend to score at or above the 1,200 level (old format GRE) or the 300 level (new format GRE) on the combined verbal and quantitative domains of the GRE), and preferably one to two years of research experience.
One can apply online at apply.hawaii.edu/ or obtain materials relevant to the application process at manoa.hawaii.edu/graduate/. Completed applications must be received by Graduate Division no later than December 1 each year, with the exception of GRE scores (which can arrive during the month of January).
Master’s Degree
The master’s degree program includes a thesis and at least 30 credit hours of courses specified by the department and specific program areas. Detailed descriptions of specific requirements for each program area are contained in the department webpage. The department does not offer a terminal master’s degree program in psychology. Only students interested in pursuing a PhD degree are considered for admission. Students with a BA degree are admitted to the master’s program and, upon successful completion, petition for entry into the doctoral program.
Doctoral Degree
Students must complete their master’s degree (from UH Mānoa or another accredited institution of higher learning) prior to entering the doctoral program in psychology at UH Mānoa. Specific course work and other relevant departmental and concentration specific classes are required for the doctoral degree. Students must pass comprehensive examinations before proceeding to the dissertation.
Certificate Program in Clinical Psychology (Respecialization)
The Clinical Studies Respecialization Program provides clinical training for individuals holding a PhD in a basic area of psychology from a regionally accredited university (or foreign equivalent). Individuals who are already licensed in psychology or who hold an applied degree (e.g., EdD, PsyD) are not appropriate for this program. Upon satisfactory completion of core clinical courses, practica, and internship, the Respecialization student receives a certificate from Graduate Division and is competitive for clinical research and teaching positions as well as eligible to sit for licensure in most states. The Clinical Studies Program is APA-approved and follows a scientist-practitioner, broadly-behavioral, dual specialty approach to training in which it is encouraged of all graduate and respecialization students to integrate the literatures of a basic area of psychology with related clinical phenomena.
For further details of this certificate, please see psychology.manoa.hawaii.edu/clinical-psychology/.