About The School of Accountancy

The School of Accountancy (SOA) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (UH-Mānoa) is guided by its mission, excellent faculty and staff, the SOA Advisory Board, and SOA's role within the University. The accounting educational opportunities at the SOA are extensive, being the largest course offerings in Hawaii. The Accounting major is consistently among the largest majors at UH-Mānoa, graduating over 100 students per year.

SOA Mission

We are an academic community within the Shidler College of Business whose mission is to provide students with an accounting education relevant to a technologically advanced global economy, advance accounting knowledge through research, and instill in students a sense of moral, ethical, and professional obligations to society.

SOA Faculty and Staff

SOA's world-class faculty consists of a rich blend of scholarly academics and instructional practitioners. Most SOA faculty have received professional accounting credentials, such as the CPA. For 2020-2022, the SOA has thirteen full-time faculty consisting of seven Professors, two Associate Professors, two Assistant Professors, and two full-time Instructors. Four SOA faculty hold endowed chairs. Additionally, an SOA faculty has the PricewaterhouseCoopers – Los Angeles Faculty Fellowship Endowment. Talented lecturers, various guest speakers, and the Shidler College of Business Executive in Residence Program further enrich the student experience at the SOA.

Educational Offerings and Number of Students

SOA classes are offered year-round. The University of Hawaiʻi offers summer classes through the Mānoa Outreach College under the guidance of the SOA Director. The SOA serves the many University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa students at the undergraduate and graduate levels, introducing accounting principles and their uses.

The undergraduate accounting major provides students with a solid educational foundation and practical experience for entry in a wide range of accounting careers while also preparing students to pursue further graduate or advanced professional education.

The Master of Accounting program (MAcc) provides advanced education in taxation, financial accounting, and auditing necessary for students to pursue leading positions in public practice, business, government, and related fields. The SOA has offered the MAcc program since 1982. In recent years, the SOA graduated about 20 MAcc students per year.

The Ph.D. in Business Administration (with an accounting emphasis) prepares students for a career as an accounting academic in teaching and research. The SOA graduated its first Ph.D. student in 2004 and graduates about one student per year from this prestigious program.

About the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa

The University of Hawai'i at Mānoa (UH-Mānoa) is a premier research university of international standing. UH-Mānoa is the flagship of the University of Hawai'i (UH) System, the state's sole public university system. As a land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant institution, UH-Mānoa creates, refines, and disseminates knowledge; offers a comprehensive array of undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees; carries out robust and vital research programs; and has nationally ranked NCAA Division I athletics.

UH-Mānoa's unique distinction is in its Hawaii, Asia, and Pacific orientation due to its unique location. Together, these foster advantages in various areas, including international trade. The diversity of UH-Mānoa is also exemplified by its course offerings, with the university offering more Asia-Pacific languages than any other institution of higher education in the United States. UH-Mānoa is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), one of six regional accrediting associations in the United States. In addition, the campus offers many cultural, sports, and recreation opportunities, on- and off-campus internships and employment opportunities, and study abroad programs worldwide.

UH was founded in 1907 and renamed UH-Mānoa in 1972 to distinguish it from the other units in the growing UH system. Today more than 20,000 students are enrolled in UH-Mānoa courses, on-campus or via distance delivery. Approximately two-thirds of the UH-Mānoa enrollment are undergraduate students. Our students are multi-ethnic and multi-cultural, with a high concentration from Pacific Rim nations. About one-quarter of the students live on or near campus, while three-quarters commute.

Accounting education has occurred at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa since the College's founding in 1949. The Master of Accounting (MAcc) was later added and approved for commencement in 1979. The SOA was founded in 1982 when the Department of Accounting and Finance was divided into two separate entities. The College added a Ph.D. in Management/Business in 1999, including a focus on accounting research.

Location of the SOA

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is located in Mānoa Valley on the island of Oʻahu, a residential valley near the mountains about ten minutes from Waikiki. The campus is also about a ten-minute drive from either downtown Honolulu (about 4 miles via H-1) or Ala Moana Shopping Center. The SOA Office can be found in room C-306 in the Shidler (BusAd) building, near the intersection of University and Maile Way. For more information on SOA, please contact the SOA secretary, Marlene Sagapolutele, via email (marlenee@hawaii.edu) or call the SOA Office (808) 956-7332.