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University of Otago

Dunedin , South Island ,New Zealand

Master of Arts (Thesis) (MA(Thesis))

The Master of Arts (MA(Thesis)) prepares candidates for employment in education, regional and national government agencies, the private sector, and industry. The MA(Thesis) enables candidates to engage in a significant piece of independent research, providing specialist knowledge in their topic area and transferable analytical, research and writing skills. The degree is also an entry qualification for the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

The MA(Thesis) normally requires at least one year of full-time, or equivalent part-time, study and entails completion of a thesis. The normal admission requirement is a Bachelor of Arts with Honours (BA(Hons)) degree in one of at least 24 subjects, but admission on the basis of alternative qualifications and experience is possible. Some thesis candidates may be required to pass approved postgraduate papers before embarking on the thesis research, but will be advised of that before enrolment.

The thesis is a major piece of supervised research of up to 40,000 words.

The primary aim of the MA(Thesis) is to develop in a candidate skills needed to identify a significant topic, design and implement an extended piece of research, and present the findings in a form acceptable to an expert readership.

Subject areas
The degree may be awarded in any of the following subjects:

Anthropology
Childhood and Youth Studies* (thesis only)
Chinese
Classics
Communication Studies
Computer Science
Development Studies* (thesis only)
Economics
Education
English
Film and Media Studies
French
Gender Studies
Geography
German
History
Human Services* (thesis only)
Indigenous Development / He Kura Matanui
Information Science
Japanese
Linguistics
M?ori Studies
Mathematics
Music
Peace and Conflict Studies* (thesis only)
Philosophy
Politics* (thesis only)
Psychology
Religious Studies
Sociology
Spanish
Statistics
Theatre Studies

*Not available for the Papers and Thesis option.

Campus Information

Dunedin

The University of Otago main campus is located in Dunedin. The Dunedin campus includes: Central administration Four academic divisions: Business, Health Sciences, Humanities, Sciences

Intakes

  • Feb
  • July

Application Processing Time in Days: 30

Minimum English Language Requirements

English Level Description IELTS (1.0 -9.0) TOEFL IBT (0-120) TOEFL CBT (0-300) PTE (10-90)
Expert 9 120 297-300 86-90
Very Good 8.5 115-119 280-293 83-86
Very Good 8 110-114 270-280 79-83
Good 7.5 102-109 253-267 73-79
Good 7 94-101 240-253 65-73
Competent 6.5 79-93 213-233 58-65
Competent 6 60-78 170-210 50-58
Modest 5.5 46-59 133-210 43-50
Modest 5 35-45 107-133 36-43
Limited 4 32-34 97-103 30-36
Extremely Limited < 4 < 31 < 93 < 30

Job Opportunity Potential

We encourage all students – including International students – to make use of the career resources available on our website. From exploring your career options to specific job search strategies, you’ll find the information you need to establish your future career. You’ll also find information on this page specifically targeted at International students.

Get help with:

Career planning: Explore your career and study options
Job Applications: CV and cover letters, interview skills and applying for work
Gaining Experience: Get the ‘right’ skills, enhance your Otago experience… and volunteer.
Finding Employment: Job search strategies, career events and looking for work
Speak to a career adviser one-on-one if you need further assistance.

Enhance your employability
The graduate job market is competitive – good grades alone may not be enough to get your ideal job. You’ll also be expected to possess excellent English language skills, and be able to demonstrate a range of work-related skills and personal qualities relevant to the job. Develop the required skills through:

Work experience – gain part-time work, voluntary work, summer placements, or internships
Extracurricular activities – get involved in activities outside your course such as student societies and sporting clubs
Academic activities – show your capabilities by, for example, leading a group project or being a student representative for your course

PSW Opportunity

  • During study, all students on a student visa can work up to 20 hours per week during semester and full time during vacations.
  • After completing Level 7 Bachelor’s Degree or Higher Qualification, a student will get a three years open post-study work visa.
  • After completing Level 8 Post Graduate courses of 1 year, students get 1 year PSW.

Admission Requirement / Eligibility Criteria

A master’s degree is usually undertaken in the same area of study as the major subject
pursued for a bachelor’s degree, postgraduate diploma or honours degree. However,
some masters’ programmes require only that the candidate is a graduate and/or has
appropriate work experience.

IELTS

Score of 6.5 in the academic module (with no individual band below 6.0)

IELTS Indicator test

This is an online version of the regular IELTS test, made available due to COVID-19 testing centre restrictions.

Paper-based TOEFL

Score of 587 (TWE 4.5).

TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition

This is an online version of the regular TOEFL iBT test, made available due to COVID-19 testing centre restrictions.

Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CAE)

Minimum of 176 (with no individual band below 169)

Duolingo English Test (DET)

Score of 110

Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic

Overall score of 64 with no communicative skills score below 57