The University of Hawaiʻi–West Oʻahu will expand its academic offerings for the fall 2018 semester with the addition of two new degree concentrations and a new certificate program to meet student and community needs.
The university, ranked as the fastest-growing public baccalaureate college by the Chronicle of Higher Education, will add a bachelor of arts in public administration with a concentration in community health and a bachelor of arts in humanities with a concentration in mathematics. It will also debut a certificate in music.
New community health option
The new community health concentration is geared to the educational needs of community health workers, health education specialists, working healthcare professionals and distance learners interested in health education-related careers. The concentration will also address a need for healthcare workers who can help improve health in communities by getting people to adopt healthy behaviors and implementing community programs for health organizations.
The community health concentration may be suitable for those interested in future careers in nursing, medicine, research and biomedical related fields.
Mathematics concentration includes liberal arts foundation
The bachelor of arts in humanities with a concentration in mathematics is designed for students interested in careers requiring a strong foundation in mathematics, or someone needing a mathematics background for graduate school studies. It includes a foundation in the liberal arts to produce well-rounded graduates capable of bridging technical ability with communications and other skills.
Music certificate focuses on “doing” music
The certificate in Music will give Leeward and Central Oʻahu students another choice for college-level music education while amplifying campus offerings, contributing to the region’s cultural heritage and enhancing students’ music-making skills.
The new certificate aims to encourage students’ musical creativity and expose them to standard technological tools used in the music industry while helping students better understand music’s role in the world. UH West Oʻahu’s classes have been created with many of the region’s self-taught music students in mind, where the program focuses on the “doing of music” in the early stages of study to make the teaching of theory more impactful.
UH West Oʻahu will have 35 degree concentrations and 7 certificate programs with the additions.
Read more about the new degrees at E Kamakani Hou.
—By Greg Wiles
