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Applying for admission to a postgraduate programmes at the University of Otago College of Education varies depending on the programme. Prior to making an application, students may wish to seek advice from the relevant contact person for the programme.

As part of your application, you will be asked to provide a variety of information. This may include a covering letter, outlining your proposed programme of study (including an indication of the papers you are considering and your area of research interest), and verified/witnessed copies of your previous tertiary study. Your application will not be assessed until all required information is provided. When your application has been assessed you will be notified of the outcome. If accepted to a programme, you will then complete a number of steps including choosing your papers. You will be told of the steps you need to take via your eVision portal.

If you want to talk to someone about what papers you should take, contact collegeofeducation.askotago@otago.ac.nz. You may be contacted directly if it is noticed there are any potential issues with the papers you have chosen.

Apply for admission to these course-taught qualifications:

To apply for any these programmes, use the yellow "apply now" button that appears on the following pages:

Special Permission note:

  • When you attempt to select a paper in eVision, the registration system checks your Otago academic record against that paper's pre-requisites. Nearly all of our papers have a pre-requisite 54 or 72 300-level EDUX or EDUC points in the university regulations. This is waived for students who have been admitted to our postgraduate programmes as the majority of our students have gained entry via a different study pathway and/or may have come from different tertiary institutions, so they don't meet these requirements.
  • In eVision, if the check against your academic record doesn't find that pre-requisite of Otago 300-level papers, the system will not allow you to select them and you will get a pop-up message saying that you do not have the pre-requisites and must request Special Permission to do them.
  • This is not a barrier to you selecting your papers. If you haven't been able to choose any papers or only some of them, you need to hit the “Submit selections” button (even if you haven't selected anything). Then on the next page hit the “Confirm papers” button (again, even if there aren't any). This should get you through to a page where there is an option to review your selection and ask for special permission for papers. You click on the special permission button, and then put in the paper codes of the papers you want to do.

Apply for admission to these thesis-based qualifications:

Master of Arts (MA) - thesis

Prospective MA thesis students should first make contact with the College of Education at collegeofeducation.askotago@otago.ac.nz. You will need to send your academic transcript and information about your proposed topic at this stage also. We will make an initial assessment of the information you provide, and determine our ability to provide appropriate supervision.

If you are studying by thesis only, you can apply at any time. If you are studying papers as well, application is required by 10 December annually. Once your application has been assessed by the university, you will be notified of the outcome.

If we believe we can support you to complete an MA thesis, we will inform you and provide further instructions to apply. Read more about the Master of Arts at the College of Education.

Doctor of Education (EdD)

The EdD is a research degree designed for senior educational professionals. Read more about the EdD at the College of Education.

Prospective EdD students need to apply by 31 March annually. Applications are not assessed until after applications close on this date. You are required to provide a CV, academic transcripts and information about your proposed topic at this stage also.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Entry to PhD study normally requires at least a BA(Hons) or PGDipArts, and students must be able to show they have advanced knowledge of the educational area in which they wish to study, experience in conducting research, and knowledge of research methods. It may be advisable to complete a Master's degree before commencing PhD thesis research.

Our PhD programme requires students to spend three years conducting and presenting an independent research project, with the support of supervisors. There is no required coursework. If you wish to complete your PhD through the University of Otago you should first gain the support of an academic department prior to completing the online application.

If you wish to study through the College of Education you need to send an expression of interest which will include a copy of your CV, academic transcripts and a short (2-5 pages) proposal to collegeofeducation.askotago@otago.ac.nz, along with information about why you wish to study with us and whether you intend to self-fund your study or are relying on getting a scholarship. This information will then be assessed, a process which includes consideration of whether or not we can provide appropriate supervision, and then you will be notified of the outcome. If we can support your application you will be provided with further instructions.

Need help or more information?

If you want to talk to someone about any of our postgraduate programmes, please contact collegeofeducation.askotago@otago.ac.nz.

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