F.A.Q.

Do I need to go to an accredited program?
How much does it cost to go to grad school?
Should I apply to the graduate program at the same place I’m getting my undergraduate degree?
How can I get published when I don’t even have my Bachelors yet?
What can I do to get into grad school if my grades aren’t very good?
What are the requirements for getting into grad school?
What could improve my chances of getting into grad school?
Is it possible to switch fields?
What if I want to go to grad school, but am not sure which field to choose?
Can I get my grad degree from an institution outside the U.S.?

The short answer to both questions is yes. Accreditation is a process whereby peer institutions determine whether an institution meets basic standards of quality. If you attend an unaccredited program, the courses/credits you complete may not be accepted by other institutions and any degree you are awarded may not be accepted in the workforce.

Graduate institutions are usually regionally accredited. For example, the University of Hawaii at Manoa is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, or WASC. Some graduate programs are individually accredited by organizations specific to their discipline. For example, UHM’s Public Health program is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health.

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Tuition varies from school to school, and the cost of living varies from community to community, so you have to research to find accurate figures. In general, graduate tuition is more expensive than undergraduate, but graduate programs also tend to have more options available, including waivers, assistantships, and scholarships.

To find out what support is available, contact both the institution’s Graduate Division and the specific program to which you are applying. To find a cost estimate, contact the institution’s Financial Aid Office and ask for the “Cost of Attendance (COA)” or “Cost of Living (COL).” These figures are usually minimums that include tuition, fees, books, supplies, and living expenses (housing, food, etc.). Travel costs are usually not included.

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The answer to this varies from program to program. Some programs give preference to students from their undergraduate programs, basing their decisions on what they know about the student and his/her performance. Other programs prefer to admit students from outside their undergraduate programs, hoping to bring a diversity of knowledge, experience, and perspectives to their graduate studies. This same issue pertains to post-graduate employment: some programs hire their own graduate students; others choose not to.

If you plan to apply to a graduate program at your undergraduate institution, or if you hope to be hired by your graduate institution, you might want to do some research: read the program’s published materials and its mission statement; call the department head and ask about their preferences and which undergraduate institutions their current graduate students attended. Finally, notice where the program’s professors received their degrees.

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A Bachelors degree is not required in order to get published. Nonetheless, few undergraduates publish, which is why publishing can make you a more competitive applicant. Please note that you also do not have to be the sole author of an article, but can be included as a co-author with a professor or graduate student. If you have never published, consider the following:

• Term papers are intended to develop the skills you will need to publish. Submit your very best work every time, and if you receive a high grade, ask your instructor whether s/he would be willing to help you hone it to publication quality.
  
  
• Ask professors in your discipline about publication opportunities for undergraduates. Some disciplines have national student organizations that publish journals. If you are not yet ready to publish, consider volunteering to serve on the editorial board, where you will learn what makes a strong article.
  
  
• Present one of your papers at a regional or national conference -- presenting is as valuable as in-print publication. Some conferences also publish “conference proceedings” with all the papers (or abstracts of the papers) presented. Presenting also allows you to revise in response to feedback, and positive exposure increases the likelihood of your paper being accepted for more formal publication.
  
  
• When you seek out opportunities to volunteer for, intern with, or work on research projects, ask about the possibility of publishing. You may be able to write up the project for a student publication or, if you contribute significantly, you may be able to be one of the listed co-authors.
  
  
• Become active in your discipline’s academic community. Engaging in the activities of your discipline usually leads to opportunities for publication. Remember that publishing provides evidence of active engagement in the discipline, which is why it is so valued in assessing both students and professors.
  
  
• In natural science and technology fields, it is common for a professor to run a lab with a lot of assistants, both at the graduate and undergraduate level. If you can work in one of those labs and contribute something meaningful, you might have your name included as one of the co-authors. This is actually not uncommon in these fields.
  
  

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Admission to graduate programs is a competitive process, so the stronger your grades, the better your chances of getting in. However, programs do vary in how competitive they are. For example, to be eligible for admission into UHM’s Graduate Division, you must have a Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher in your last 60 credits, but competitive GPAs for specific UHM programs vary anywhere from 3.0 to 4.0.

In addition to your upper division work, it is important to note that many programs will focus on those courses you took that are most relevant to the program. For example, Microbiology will see how you did in your Microbiology courses over anything else. In social sciences, programs might focus on how you did in statistics or methods courses, since these are important for graduate school. If you did well in those courses (and if you didn’t, you might want to rethink your goals) you will be in a better position than your overall GPA suggests.

If your current GPA is not strong, you can work to raise it by trying the following:

• Postpone graduation for a semester while you work on raising your GPA.
  
  
• If you have already graduated, consider taking post-baccalaureate courses as an unclassified student.
  
  
• In either of the above two cases, you might want to focus on taking courses relevant to your graduate program and do well in them.
  
  
• Prepare carefully for the Graduate Records Exam (GRE) and earn exceptionally high scores.
  
  
• Take time off to gain practical experience in the field you hope to pursue in graduate school.
  
  
• Consult with an academic advisor to review possible strategies that might fit your particular situation.
  
  

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The section on this website called “The Application Process” reviews the basic requirements. It is important to note that requirements will differ not only from campus to campus but even from program to program at each campus. In all cases, grades are important, but there may be many other criteria and grades will always remain just one of them. Other common requirements may include standardized tests, letters of recommendation, a statement of objectives, an interview, a portfolio, or specific work experience.

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In most cases, admission will be competitive and the level of competition can vary from year to year. As noted above, different programs will have different admission criteria. There is no “magic formula” for determining who gets accepted and who gets denied. Graduate programs all try to get the best possible students among those who apply in any given year. What is most common to all programs for admissions are grades, test scores, references and your statement of objectives. The higher your grades, the higher your test scores, the better your statement of objectives and the stronger your letters of recommendation, the better your chances.

Let’s look at what you can do about each of them:

• Grades: By the time you are ready to apply, your grades are pretty much set. If you lack strong grades, see the FAQ above.
  
  
• Test Scores: Some say you cannot improve your test scores by doing extra studying, but this is not true. See the section called “Entrance Exams.”
  
  
• Letters of Recommendation: The best letters are written by people who know you well and have credibility in the program to which you are applying. While you should not try to “butter them up,” do make en effort to get to know faculty outside of the classroom, as suggested in “Preparing for Graduate School.”
  
  
• Statement of Objectives: There is no short answer for this; see the section on “Statement of Objectives.”
  
  
• Other factors will vary. It always helps to have done something within the field that shows your abilities, whether it is a portfolio of photographs, published research, or lab experience.
  
  

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It is possible to switch fields. A central question to ask yourself is whether or not the new field is of genuine interest to you or whether you think the new field would be a good career direction. If the answer is yes to either of these, the next thing you need to ask yourself is: “Am I prepared to make this switch?” In technical fields, someone who lacks a background in science and math would not be accepted for admission. In the areas of fine arts, you would need to have a portfolio of your work, even if you had not majored in Dance or Ceramics. If you lack the necessary preparation, you will need to take courses as a Post-Baccalaureate Unclassified student to be admissible.

In many cases, a field is not offered at the undergraduate level. For example, the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa offers a Master’s degree in Urban Planning, but there is no undergraduate major in that field, which means they will accept students from a variety of other fields, such as Economics, Engineering, or even Art. In these cases, it is best to find out from the field what kinds of majors are appropriate.

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There are two ways to look at this question. The first is that you have no idea what your interests are. In that case, see answer #1. If, on the other hand, you know what your interests are but are not sure what field is suitable, check out answer #2.

1. If you are not sure which field to choose, it is probably not a good idea to think about going to graduate school at all, at least for now. Graduate study requires a strong commitment of time and a high level of interest. It is this high level of interest that should serve as a compass pointing you in the right direction. If you don’t have that direction, it would be best to find a job and see if that eventually leads you to graduate school.
   
   
2. If you have a strong interest in, say, the environment, and you notice that there is no program in Hawai‘i called Environmental Studies, then the question is which field to choose? The best advice is to talk to faculty who share your interest. You can ask them what field their degree is in or whether they have any suggestions. You might find that there is a program at UHM that can serve your needs. For example, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Natural Resources and Environmental Management, or Urban and Regional Planning all might offer what you are looking for. For some fields, you might find that you will have to go to a school elsewhere in the country.
   
   

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Yes, but you need to be very careful about the stature of the program before you apply, especially if you plan to use the degree to forward your career in the U.S. Some professional areas will not recognize a foreign degree for licensing. In fact, some Hawai‘i agencies will not recognize degrees from other states unless the degree requirements satisfy the licensing requirements in Hawai‘i.

Other questions you should ask before you think about graduate degrees outside of the United States are:

• Why do you want a foreign degree?
• What is the language of instruction? If it is not English, how well do you read, write, and speak that language?
• Is the program reputable within the field?
• Is financial support available?
• What are the entrance requirements? (For example, does the school accept the GRE, or is there another exam you will need to take)?

Before you make your decision, you should discuss your plans with faculty in your major field and with an academic advisor.

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