A country the size of the UK yet with a population the same size as Singapore’s, New Zealand has remarkable riches in both its knowledge and its environment. Its eight universities have a strong research base and provide unique opportunities for both masters and doctorate study. Lynette Muter offers an introductory insight.
Imagine being miles away from the rest of the world, yet in an environment conducive to success, easily connected by internet, email, telephone and text messaging.While many potential students never consider New Zealand for postgraduate study, more and more international students do. They are choosing to study in an education system which is increasingly well recognised around the world.
London and New York are just two of the many international cities where graduates of New Zealand universities are working. They work in large multi-national companies or with foreign governments. Many New Zealand teaching and research staff are well-placed in international organisations and many graduates run their own businesses. Innovation and entrepreneurship are qualities that for which New Zealanders are known - and of which they are proud.
"There are eight government funded universities which are geographically spread across New Zealand's two main islands with five in the North Island and three in the South Island."
New Zealand is a small nation of four million people. It is English speaking with a law system and government based on British models. Although Maori are indigenous, people of European descent make up the largest proportion of the population and there is an increasing proportion of migrants from other nations making up the balance. The climate is temperate with a range of 10 to 28 degrees Celsius across the year and four distinct seasons. The country is about the same size as Great Britain with green rolling hills, mountains, beaches, trees, rivers and lakes. Many students comment on the clean, green nature of the New Zealand countryside.
The New Zealand education system is based on the British system with thirteen years of schooling, three year bachelor degrees, one or two year masters degrees and PhDs taking a minimum of three years research. Universities are regularly evaluated and audited by the Academic Audit Unit of the New Zealand Vice-Chancellors’ Committee. Each new qualification must be approved by the New Zealand Vice-Chancellors’ Committee on University Academic Programmes.
There are eight government funded universities which are geographically spread across New Zealand’s two main islands with five in the North Island and three in the South Island. Otago University is New Zealand’s oldest and most southern university. It is located in the city of Dunedin and is famous for its medical school. Auckland is the largest university in New Zealand and is located in Auckland, New Zealand’s largest and most metropolitan city. It boasts a large number of research centres. AUT is a relatively new technical university also located in Auckland, while Massey also has a campus in Auckland at Albany, north of the city.
The University of Waikato is located in the city of Hamilton, just south of Auckland. Its Management and Computer Science Schools are well-recognised both in New Zealand and internationally. Massey University’s main campus is located in the city of Palmerston North where its Veterinary Science and Science/Technology studies are well recognised. Victoria University is situated on the hill in the capital city Wellington and is known for its Law School and Political Studies. The second largest New Zealand city is Christchurch in the South Island where Canterbury University is well-known for its Engineering School, Music and Law. Lincoln University is close by and is known for its Agribusiness programmes.
Auckland, AUT and Victoria Universities are city campuses while Waikato, Massey, Canterbury and Lincoln are park-like self-contained campuses. Otago University is located in largely a university town.
The eight New Zealand universities cover a wide range of subjects at postgraduate level. While each university has its specialties the most popular subjects can be studied at any of the eight universities. Accounting, Finance, Management and Economics for instance are available at all universities. Most also offer an MBA. The University of Waikato’s MBA is AMBA accredited. Medicine is available at Auckland and Otago Universities while Health Science is also available at AUT. Veterinary Science is Massey’s specialty while agricultural subjects are offered at both Lincoln and Massey Universities.
Engineering in its traditional forms are well known subjects at Auckland and Canterbury while Waikato and AUT offer more modern engineering subjects such as Materials and Process Engineering, Biochemical Engineering and Software Engineering. Psychology is offered at most New Zealand universities while science in its various forms is again available at all New Zealand universities.
Academic staff in New Zealand universities are very mobile and many are international researchers or members of international organisations. Qualifications are recognised around the world as evidenced by many New Zealanders working at high levels in Great Britain, the United States and many other countries. New Zealand teachers are sought afterfor international schools around the world.
‘Postgraduate tuition fees range from approximately US$11,000 to US$20,000 per annum. Living costs are approximately US$6,000 to US$10,000 per year.’
Several foreign government representatives have visited New Zealand and chosen to send government funded scholarship students to study in one of the eight universities. It is common for these governments to place students right across the country. One of the reasons behind these foreign government decisions is that New Zealand is considered to have a quality education system which is value for money. A second reason given is that the New Zealand’s government has implemented a Code of Practice for the Pastoral Care of International Students which provides quality assurance in terms of support for students. A third reason mentioned is that studying in a country which is far away from the Northern Hemisphere is also attractive to foreign governments looking for a relatively safe destination for its scholarship students.
Postgraduate tuition fees range from approximately USD11,000 to US$20,000 per annum. Living costs are approximately US$6,000 to US$10,000 per year. Each university offers an international student orientation, accommodation placement services, pastoral care, academic counselling, excellent libraries, computer laboratories and other facilities. As at 31 March 2004, there were over 22,600 international students studying at university in New Zealand. These students have come from more than 100 countries around the world. Over 3,000 international students are studying at postgraduate level.
Entry into Postgraduate Diplomas and masters qualifications require that the applicant has achieved a bachelors degree with a high grade point average in a subject area that relates to the proposed subject area of further study. Generally a B average is required for Management and Commerce subjects, while higher averages are required for more specialised subject areas. Generally an English language level of 6.5 IELTS with at least 6.0 in each band is required for graduate studies. Some subject areas will require higher IELTS.
An option for students wanting to upgrade their skills and change direction from their previous area of study is the Graduate Diploma. This Diploma is available to enable engineers to become managers and accountants to become marketers. Postgraduate Diplomas follow on from Graduate Diplomas or Bachelors with Honours and lead into masters degrees. Graduate Diplomas and bachelors with Honours generally take one year of study while masters degrees take one or two years depending on the entry level. Masters degrees normally consist of both taught papers and a significant research component. Students are expected to show that they understand the subject and are capable of developing original thought in the subject area.
Doctorates, PhDs are generally wholly research degrees. A potential student is normally required to prepare a proposal for a substantial piece of original research before being allocated a supervisor and accepted for the qualification. A supervisor in the particular research interest area is required before a doctoral student can be accepted by any New Zealand university. Before accepting a student for a research degree, a supervisor will want to be assured that the student has the ability to complete the research component including the ability to write fluently in the English language.
New Zealand universities maintain a high level of research. This is evidenced in the large range of publications and books produced each year. Many articles are published in refereed journals which are produced annually and published internationally. Awards and distinctions are also regularly achieved by New Zealand researchers.
Each university has recently been evaluated under Performance Based Research Funding during which academic staff have been rated on their research outputs. Results are available on the Tertiary Education Commission website at www.tec.govt.nz. These results demonstrate the strengths of each New Zealand university.While research is not the only consideration for studying at postgraduate levels, it forms a substantial part of any postgraduate qualification in the New Zealand system.
Further information on the New Zealand universities can be found at www.nzvcc.ac.nz or www.mynzed.com or by contacting any of the New Zealand universities individually.
For a full range of programmes offered at New Zealand universities contact the New Zealand Vice-Chancellors Committee (www.nzvcc.ac.nz) and ask for a University Directory. This directory lists all subject areas and specifies at which levels they are available. Many universities have specialist areas of studies such as genetics, screen and media studies, music performance, fine arts, special education, gender studies and so on.