Online Classes Ease College Commute

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In an effort to reach more students unable to physically make the trip to classrooms on the West side, UH West Oahu will soon offer via the Internet a political science concentration and a bachelor of arts degree in public administration with a concentration in health care (also known as health care administration).

“Offering the concentration online will make an education available to students on the Neighbor Islands or rural Oahu who would not otherwise have access to a bachelor’s degree,” said Monique Mironesco, assistant professor of political science at the college. “We are excited to be able to provide political education to students all over the state.”

The political science major prepares students for careers in business, local and national government, international relations, non-profit and non-governmental service organizations, journalism, law administrative, social work and teaching.

“Political science - with its dual concern for scholarship and practical action - has a particularly important role to play in service learning, public service and fostering workforce skills by empowering students with a deeper and broader understanding of the human condition,” said Louis Herman, a political science professor.

UHWO’s health care administration degree is the only program of its kind to offer material on the web.

“We are very excited to offer this program, the only undergraduate program in health care administration in the state of Hawaii,” said Joanne Itano, interim West Oahu vice chancellor of academic affairs. “As we prepare for the new campus in the city of Kapolei, we are expanding our current programs and developing new ones to meet the needs of the state of Hawaii.”

Kristina Guo, a health care administration associate professor, also feels that the programs are adequate for students and will prepare them for work in the field.

“Our program is designed to meet and fulfill the health care work force and career development needs for the state of Hawaii by preparing graduates with the skills needed to pursue and advance their careers in managerial positions in the health care field,” she said. The program offers certificates in disaster preparedness and emergency management and health care administration.

The degree programs begin next fall, and applications are being accepted now. Courses needed to obtain either degree - including philosophy, statistics, humanities and other social sciences - are not available online. Students who want to earn either degrees will have to physically appear on a University of Hawaii system campus to receive credit for the required courses.

For more information about the project, call 454-4700 or visit www.uhwo.hawaii.edu.