University of Hawaii Manoa MSW Program

The Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health at the University of Hawaii at Manoa is essential to social work education in the Pacific region. This 87-year-old institution started as a training program in 1936. We trained employees from local social work agencies who had college degrees but needed professional preparation. The school grew substantially and earned full accreditation as a two-year Graduate School of Social Work from the American Association of Schools of Social Work in January 1950.

The school’s journey includes several pivotal changes. The Board of Regents named the School after Myron B. Thompson, a distinguished alumnus and community leader, in 2008. The school expanded in July 2016 to include the Department of Social Work, the Office of Public Health Studies, and the Center on Aging. The name changed to the Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health in December 2020.

Academic excellence shines through the Thompson School’s rankings. The Department of Social Work ranked in the top 17% nationally among social work graduate programs, securing the #51 spot out of 298 programs. The MSW program has become UH Mānoa’s largest graduate program, with more than 200 MSW students enrolling each year.

The Thompson School’s steadfast dedication to serving diverse populations sets it apart. Students learn about the multicultural environment, with focused attention on Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and Asian cultures in Hawaii, the Pacific region, and worldwide. These elements reflect the school’s core values of diversity, well-being, and social justice.

The school shapes more than just education. The Thompson School has trained over 5,000 students since its original accreditation 85 years ago. Most graduates stay to work in Hawaii and nearby areas. This impact matters even more because rural areas of Hawaii don’t deal very well with medical needs, including a shortage of social workers.

The Department of Social Work follows a clear path: “to provide educational excellence that advances social work with its focus on social justice for diverse populations”. The department creates, shares, and applies knowledge with special focus on Native Hawaiian, other Pacific Islander, and Asian populations in Hawaii and the region.

The school tackled regional workforce challenges innovatively over the last several years. From 1988 until 2007, the Department offered a ‘traveling option’ of the MSW program. This later became an online program that graduates 30-40 students yearly. The school also partnered with the University of Guam in 2010 to make easier the entry of their BSW students into the online MSW program.

Programs offered

The University of Hawaii at Manoa’s Master of Social Work (MSW) degree welcomes students through full-time and part-time study options. Students need to complete 57 credit hours of coursework within four years. The program has four semesters of field education (practicum) and requires advanced research through a non-thesis plan.

Students start with foundation courses that provide basic social work practice knowledge. These courses give students the essential skills they need before moving to specialized areas. The program offers four distinct concentrations after completing the foundation courses:

• Behavioral Mental Health – Students learn assessment, treatment planning, service delivery, and culturally resonant practice skills
• Child and Family – Students work with multicultural communities to address poverty, child abuse, domestic violence, and mental health issues
• Gerontology – Students develop evidence-based practice skills to help older adults and their families
• Health – Students learn to enhance the wellbeing of individuals, families, groups, and communities in healthcare settings

The program offers an Advanced Standing option to qualified professionals. This path serves graduates from Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) programs with Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) accreditation. These students need fewer credits than traditional entry students.

The university makes the MSW program available to neighbor islands (Hawaiʻi, Molokaʻi, Kauaʻi, Maui, and Lanaʻi) through distance education. Students learn together in cohorts through a mostly asynchronous format with some real-time elements. The program uses interactive television, online platforms, hybrid formats, and occasional face-to-face meetings at local sites.

Field education plays a vital role in the MSW experience. Traditional standing students complete 900 hours across four semesters, while advanced standing students complete 450 hours. Students can increase their expertise by choosing electives in marriage and family therapy, substance abuse, criminal justice, Native Hawaiian cultural practices, and other areas.

The program’s curriculum reflects modern social work practice and addresses Pacific/Asian needs. Graduates gain skills in direct service provision, social policy development, and research-informed practice that promotes social and economic justice.

About the online program

The Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health has given distance education opportunities to residents on neighbor islands (Hawaii Island, Kauai, Lanai, Maui, Molokai) to complete their MSW degrees since 1988. The program changed from a traveling degree format to a technology-based delivery system in 2007, and has graduated over 250 students since then.

Many people think this is a fully online program, but that’s not the case. Online instruction serves as just one of several distance education delivery methods, which makes it available only in specific locations. Students attend classes on weeknights (Hawaii Standard Time) through Zoom and other computer-based technologies.

Students must attend an “E Komo Mai” orientation at the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus in Honolulu. This usually happens during the first weekend in August before the fall semester starts. Students get vital training, advising, and educational content during orientation. They also need to visit the Oahu campus once every year for live meetings.

The DE program has a clear structure:

• Students move through the program in cohort groups of up to 30 participants
• A three-year part-time schedule (57 credits) has four semesters of field education
• Learning happens through interactive television, online platforms, hybrid formats, and face-to-face meetings at local sites

The DE option serves residents of Hawaii, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Marianas right now. The school is learning about ways to bring the program to American Samoa, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

One of the program’s best features makes all specializations (behavioral mental health, child and family, health, and gerontology) available through the DE option. Students should plan to adjust their work schedules to fit field education and course requirements.

Qualified applicants with BSW degrees can choose an Advanced Standing (30 credit) option. This path works for BSW graduates from CSWE-accredited programs who earned their degrees within seven years of admission. They must have managed to keep a 3.0 overall GPA and earned B- or higher in all social work classes. The advanced standing program lets students choose between one-year or two-year plans instead of the standard three-year schedule.

Students can usually keep their jobs while studying, but the program just needs flexibility and dedication to both coursework and field education.

Accreditation

Accreditation plays a vital role in measuring educational quality and professional relevance of social work programs. The University of Hawaii at Manoa is 44 years old and holds institutional accreditation from the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

Program-specific accreditation matters even more to MSW students. The Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health’s Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) and Master of Social Work (MSW) programs have full accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). This national accrediting body for professional schools of social work will give a degree that meets professional practice standards.

The Department of Social Work’s track record shows its dedication to high-quality education. Both BSW and MSW programs got full eight-year reaccreditation from the Council on Social Work Education in July 2018. This longer accreditation period reflects how well the program meets educational standards.

Students get the same CSWE-accredited qualification whether they study on campus or online. The accreditation covers all approved program locations and delivery methods.

The Thompson School has shown its commitment to excellence beyond basic requirements. The bachelor’s program got approval for an undergraduate distance education option during reaccreditation, starting fall 2018 semester.

Programs need a full picture of their performance through self-study reports that cover all qualifying criteria to keep their accreditation. This review process helps programs improve and stay current with social work standards.

Hawaii has only two schools offering CSWE-accredited MSW programs – Hawaii Pacific University and the University of Hawaii at Manoa. This makes a big difference between legitimate programs and non-accredited ones. Most states require this accreditation for licensure and employers recognize it nationwide.

Admission Requirements

The University of Hawaii Manoa MSW program looks for candidates who can excel in graduate social work education. The admission team reviews your academic background, work experience, and personal qualities that make a great social worker.

You need a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university to apply. Degrees from recognized foreign institutions work too. Your academic record should be strong with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in undergraduate studies. The same GPA applies if you’ve finished 12 or more semester credit hours after your bachelor’s degree.

A liberal arts foundation makes your application stronger. The program wants to see your coursework in logic/analytical thinking, behavioral science, social science, culture, and biological science with human content. You’ll need to complete any missing liberal arts courses in your first semester.

All MSW applicants must submit their applications by February 1st at 11:59 pm Eastern time. This deadline applies to both campus-based and Distance Education programs. You’ll hear back about admission between early March and mid-May. Keep in mind that new MSW students can only start in the fall semester.

Your application package must include:

• A completed Graduate Admissions Application and a non-refundable $100 fee
• One transcript from each post-secondary institution attended
• Three letters of recommendation

International students need to prove their English proficiency through either:

• TOEFL (minimum score of 560 paper-based or 83 internet-based)
• IELTS (minimum overall band score of 6.5)

Advanced Standing applicants must have earned their BSW from a CSWE-accredited program in the last seven years. They also need to submit three letters of recommendation.

Your social work experience, personal qualities, and drive for professional practice make your application stand out. The program values candidates who show promise in graduate-level social work education and can make meaningful contributions to the field.

Tuition

Money matters significantly as you plan your MSW education at University of Hawaii at Manoa. The program needs 57 credits to complete, or 30 credits if you qualify for Advanced Standing. Understanding how much everything costs will help you plan your graduate studies better.

Graduate tuition at UH Manoa follows a specific structure based on how many credits you take during the 2025-2026 academic year. Students who take fewer than 12 credits each semester pay $650 per credit as Hawaii residents or $1,402 as non-residents, plus $451 in mandatory fees. Students enrolled in 12 or more credits pay a flat rate of $7,800 (resident) or $16,824 (non-resident) per semester, along with the same $451 fee structure.

UH Manoa considers students taking 8 or more credits as full-time graduates. MSW students typically choose from these common paths:

• Two-year completion with 12-15 credits per semester (one year for Advanced Standing)
• Three-year plan with 9-12 credits each semester
• Four-year plan taking 6-9 credits per semester

The total cost varies significantly between residents and non-residents. A full-time resident student’s 8-credit semester costs about $10,400, while non-residents pay around $22,432. Students from Pacific Island Jurisdictions or those in the Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) might qualify for reduced rates of about $15,600 for 8 credits.

Tuition rates might change according to State law and Board of Regents requirements. Students with assistantships or scholarships must pay any remaining balance. The student activity fees apply regardless of tuition waivers.

UH Manoa’s student body receives substantial financial support. About 72% of undergraduates receive some type of grant aid. Graduate students can access various scholarships that reduce their costs. The Financial Aid Services office provides current information about available financial assistance options.

Your enrollment status determines your tuition category. Post-baccalaureate unclassified students pay graduate-level tuition whatever courses they take. The same tuition and fees apply to audited courses as credit-enrolled classes.

Additional Information

The University of Hawaii Manoa MSW program goes beyond regular coursework with great supplementary chances. After you complete your degree and pass the ASWB Masters examination, you can get the Licensed Social Worker (LSW) credential in Hawaii. The program shows strong results with a 62% graduation rate that ranks in the top 45% nationwide. Students stick with the program too – a 79% retention rate puts it in the top 40%.

New students can reduce their required credits through waiver exams. During Orientation Week, you can test out of foundation courses like SW 630, SW 640, SW 650, SW 659, and SW 660. Advanced Standing students should know that passing the SW 650 exam won’t reduce their 30-credit requirement.

Social work students have access to several scholarship options. The Mānoa Achievement Scholarships help many students succeed. Neighbor island commuters can apply for the Hoa Hana Scholarship. Concentration-year students focused on gerontology or health might qualify for the Gordon & June Ito Foundation Social Work Scholarship. Each year, one UH Mānoa student receives $1,000 from the NASW Student Community Service Scholarship.

The Department gives students detailed resources. Both MSW and PhD programs keep updated student handbooks, advising forms, and approved elective lists that support academic success. Field education instructors can access templates, supervision resources, and observation tools to boost their teaching.