Shidler College of Business to offer new master's degree in financial engineering

Kapiolani Community College to offer new certificate program in hotel and restaurant operations

University of Hawaiʻi
Contact:
Dolly Omiya, (808) 956-6902
Shidler College of Business
Kristen Bonilla, (808) 956-5039
External Affairs & University Relations
Posted: May 30, 2008

The University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents (BOR) approved two new degree programs at its monthly meeting held this week in Kapoleiā€”a master‘s degree in financial engineering to be administered by the Shidler College of Business at UH Mānoa, and a certificate of achievement in hotel/restaurant operations at Kapiʻolani Community College.

The master‘s degree in financial engineering at the Shidler College of Business will prepare graduates who are equipped to address the needs of the local financial industry in the fields of banking, insurance, risk management and investments. The program, which will provide a more rigorous and quantitative education with a global focus, will help meet a rapidly growing demand for such professionals in Hawaiʻi and beyond. Currently, students interested in similar programs must attend universities outside of Hawaiʻi, and Hawaiʻi firms needing such professionals must recruit from mainland universities.

"We are pleased that we will be able to offer the only master‘s degree in financial engineering in Hawaiʻi," said Shidler College of Business Dean V. Vance Roley. "Graduates will be a welcome addition to our growing local financial services industry as well as in Asian financial centers."

The program will also provide faculty in the Shidler College of Business and other schools and colleges on the Mānoa campus with an opportunity to build their expertise in quantitative areas of finance. In doing so, their research will increase, thus building the research reputation of UH Mānoa and the Shidler College of Business.

Courses for the new master‘s degree program will begin in Fall 2009.

The BOR also approved a certificate of achievement in hotel/restaurant operations at Kapiʻolani Community College. The Hotel/Restaurant Operations program at the Kapiʻolani campus currently includes an established associate degree and a certificate of completion. The new certificate of achievement will add a new exit point for students and a broader range of courses, providing flexibility in their educational and career planning.

The existing certificate of completion program option is designed to help students acquire technical skills, qualifying them for entry-level employment after one semester‘s training, whereas the certificate of achievement is a two-semester program of study that will provide a comprehensive overview of hotel and restaurant operations, application of customer service skills, development of appropriate math and communication skills, an introduction to computer applications, and an appreciation of Hawaiian history, culture and language. Students will exit with the knowledge and job skills necessary to qualify for immediate employment in guest services positions in a hotel, resort or restaurant, or will be able to continue on to fulfill their associate degree requirements.