Postgraduate Study in History
Understand the past, shape the future.
Understanding the past provides a compass that helps you navigate the present and shape the future. Regardless of geographic area or time period, studying history provides an unrivalled basis for making sense of an increasingly complex and unstable world.
The analytical and communication skills that history teaches are also keys for entry to a wide range of rewarding careers. Many of these – such as research, teaching, journalism, public policy, diplomacy, and the heritage and museum sectors – are also among those least likely to be overtaken by historical change themselves, in the form of automation or artificial intelligence.
Why study History?
Above all, History investigates human societies across time and space – few things are more fascinating. Studying History is about questioning the past imaginatively. Historians take nothing for granted: they search behind the façade of the present to uncover multiple 'truths' about the past.
Yet History is also firmly grounded in the realities of daily life, and studying History helps prepare you for almost any conceivable career. In the rapidly changing world of the 21st century, it is more important than ever to understand human diversity and the complexity of social structures, and to understand why they change. Because of its broad-ranging nature, no discipline is better suited to this task than History.
The historian's skills of research, analysis, synthesis and communication are also essential in the modern job market. History graduates work in a range of exciting fields that are as diverse as history itself.
Are you just starting uni?
Learn about studying History as an undergraduate at Otago.
Choose a study option
Whether you are advancing your career with our specialised graduate qualifications or pursuing in-depth research and expertise through our postgraduate programmes, Otago is here to support your aspirations.
Postgraduate qualifications
Honours, Master’s, PhDs, and other advanced degrees for graduates. Just one additional year of study will earn you a valuable postgraduate degree. Or perhaps you want the depth of a full year of research-only time during a Master’s or to step up to a PhD.
Bachelor of Arts with Honours (BA(Hons))
A four-year degree focusing on advanced study and culminating in a research project in the final year
Postgraduate Diploma in Arts Subjects (PGDipArts)
A two-semester programme of structured coursework, and in some cases supervised research, extending the knowledge and skills gained from the bachelor’s degree
Master of Arts (Coursework) (MA(Coursework))
A coursework degree with an optional research dissertation component, usually completed in 12 to 18 months of full-time study, or part-time over a longer period
Master of Arts (Thesis) (MA(Thesis))
A one- or two-year degree entailing a major research project, culminating in a thesis
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Engage in original research leading to a doctoral thesis, supported by comprehensive academic and social networks
Graduate Qualifications
Our graduate qualifications are crafted to transition students from foundational studies to advanced, specialised knowledge.
Ready to apply?
Take your expertise to the next level with advanced study.
Programme details
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Papers
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Contacts
History Programme
Email history@otago.ac.nz
Web otago.ac.nz/history
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Regulations on this page are taken from the 2025 Calendar and supplementary material.
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