[§305J-7]  Awarding degrees.  (a)  A person, partnership, corporation, company, society, or association with a physical presence in the State shall not award, bestow, confer, give, grant, convey, or sell to any other person a degree or honorary degree upon which is inscribed, in any language, the word "associate", "bachelor", "baccalaureate", "post-baccalaureate", "master", or "doctor", or any abbreviation thereof, or offer courses of instruction or credits purporting to lead to any such degree, unless the person, partnership, corporation, company, society, or association is:

     (1)  A private college or university, seminary, or religious training institution that is authorized pursuant to this chapter;

     (2)  A school or educational program conducted by a religious entity that is owned, controlled, operated, and maintained by a religious organization lawfully operating as a nonprofit religious corporation and that awards only religious degrees or certificates, including but not limited to a certificate of Talmudic studies, associate of Biblical studies, a bachelor of religious studies, a master of divinity, or a doctor of divinity;

     (3)  An unaccredited post-secondary educational institution governed under chapter 446E; or

     (4)  A part of the University of Hawaii system.

     (b)  Notwithstanding subsection (a), in order to award degrees in the State, all private colleges and universities, seminaries, and religious training institutions operating in the State on June 25, 2013 shall be authorized no later than July 1, 2014. [L 2013, c 180, pt of §2]

Revision Note

  "June 25, 2013" substituted for "the effective date of this chapter" pursuant to §23G-15.