Master of Arts (M.A.) in Hawaiian Language and Literature

Home > Graduate Education > Ka Haka ʻUla O Keʻelikōlani Post-Baccalaureate Credential Licensing Programs > Master of Arts (M.A.) in Hawaiian Language and Literature

Coordinator: Kalena Silva, kalena_s@leoki.uhh.hawaii.edu
Kanakaʻole Hall 269
University of Hawaii at Hilo
200 W. Kāwili Street
Hilo, Hawaiʻi 96720
808-974-7342

Faculty:
Charles Langlas, Ph.D.
Kalena Silva, Ph.D.
William H. Wilson, Ph.D.

Contact person: Charles Langlas, langlas@hawaii.edu

Program Mission

The mission of the M.A. program in Hawaiian Language and Literature is to prepare scholars to carry out research to enhance our knowledge of Hawaiian language and culture in order to ensure their preservation and revitalization. The program draws upon the tremendous wealth of Hawaiian literary resources from the 19th and 20th centuries and examines the contemporary use of Hawaiian language and culture.

Program Description

The M.A. in Hawaiian Language and Literature was UH Hilo’s first graduate program and the first focusing on a Native American language in the United States. The program is designed for students who have already achieved fluency in spoken Hawaiian and competency in reading modern and historical Hawaiian texts. Student cohorts are accepted every three years. Currently, the college offers only a Plan A degree, which requires a thesis.

Entrance Requirements

1. B.A. or B.S. degree from an accredited college or university
2. 30 upper division credits in HAW or HWST courses with no grade lower that a “B” and a minimum 3.5 grade point average
3. Three letters of recommendation
4. Interview and successful completion of an examination in Hawaiian language and culture conducted by the Hawaiian Studies faculty, held in the Spring semester prior to Fall admission;
5. Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores

Graduation Requirements

Complete all seven of the following requirements for a total of 36 semester hours:

1. Earn 12 semester hours from the following 4 courses: HAW 630, 631, 654; and HWST 663.
2. Earn 3 semester hours from HWST 661 or 662.
3. Earn 3 semester hours from HWST 664 or 665.
4. Earn 3 semester hours from either HAW 690 or HWST 699V (course must be approved by program chair). Students typically study for at least six weeks with another endangered language community outside Hawaiʻi.
5. Earn 9 semester hours in upper division and graduate Hawaiian Language or Hawaiian Studies courses from the following list, with not more than 6 hours at the 400 level:
   • HAW or HWST 400-498, 600-699V (except HAW 490)
   • KED 600-699V (except KED 641-644)
   • KANT 486
   • KIND 601-602
6. Earn 6 semester hours in HAW 700
7. Earn no grade lower than a “B”

Under certain circumstances a student may request a transfer from the Masters in Hawaiian Language and Literature to the Ph.D. in Hawaiian and Indigenous Language and Culture Revitalization after completing a minimum of 18 credits of graduate work.