University of Hawaii at Manoa

What is the history of University of Hawaii at Manoa?

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa began in 1907 as the College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts of the Territory of Hawaiʻi. Its original focus on agriculture and practical education expanded as the institution developed into Hawaiʻi's principal public research university.

It became the College of Hawaiʻi in 1912 and the University of Hawaiʻi in 1920. Today, Mānoa is one campus within the University of Hawaiʻi system, not a name for the system as a whole. That distinction matters when checking admissions rules, degree offerings, tuition, and student services: information for another UH campus may not apply at Mānoa.

The university's history also helps explain its present academic mix. Programs in agriculture and the natural sciences remain alongside professional schools and fields shaped by Hawaiʻi's location, including ocean and earth sciences, Pacific and Asian studies, and Indigenous knowledge.

What are the faculties and departments at University of Hawaii at Manoa?

UH Mānoa offers bachelor's, graduate, and professional education across the arts, sciences, and applied fields. Its academic organization includes the Colleges of Arts, Languages & Letters; Natural Sciences; Social Sciences; Engineering; Education; and Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience, as well as schools devoted to business, nursing, ocean and earth science, public health, law, and medicine.

Students can find majors ranging from English, history, and psychology to computer science, civil engineering, nursing, accounting, and natural resources. The School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology is particularly relevant to applicants interested in marine, atmospheric, and geoscience research. The Hawaiʻinuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge provides an academic home for Hawaiian language and Indigenous studies.

Not every program follows the same admissions path. An applicant may be admitted to the university but still need prerequisites, a separate application, or a competitive selection process for a particular major or professional program. Prospective students should check the current Mānoa catalog for the degree requirements and entry rules of their intended program.

What is the location of University of Hawaii at Manoa?

UH Mānoa is in Honolulu, on Oʻahu, in the Mānoa area near the city's urban core. Its location gives students access to state government, health-care organizations, schools, cultural institutions, and employers, while making housing and commuting costs important parts of an enrollment decision.

Students commute by bus, car, bicycle, and other local transportation. Parking availability and permit costs deserve attention, particularly for students who plan to drive regularly. Daniel K. Inouye International Airport is the main airport serving Honolulu and is useful to consider for students traveling from another island or the mainland.

The campus's location also affects academic opportunities: fieldwork and community partnerships in Hawaiʻi can be especially relevant to programs studying the Pacific, the environment, public health, and local communities. Those opportunities depend on the individual course or program rather than simply on being enrolled at the university.

What is the mission and vision of University of Hawaii at Manoa?

UH Mānoa's stated mission centers on teaching, research, and service as a public university in Hawaiʻi. Its institutional priorities connect those activities to the people of Hawaiʻi, Native Hawaiian knowledge and aspirations, and the university's responsibilities in the Asia-Pacific region.

That mission is visible in the range of subjects the university teaches, from professional preparation to Hawaiian studies and ocean science. A mission statement describes institutional aims, however; it does not by itself establish what every student will experience in a classroom or receive from a particular program.