How does postgraduate study work in New Zealand?

Short answer first: after a bachelor's degree, New Zealand universities offer a postgraduate certificate of 60 points, a postgraduate diploma of 120, a master's of 120, 180 or 240 points, and a PhD of at least three years full-time. A research master's includes a thesis of at least 90 points; a taught master's is mostly courses. Entry on the pages read sits at a B average or above: Auckland asks a GPA of 5.0 for its 120-point Master of Arts, Otago a B+ for its thesis MA. StudyLink lends for postgraduate study but pays the allowance only for honours, and Auckland and Victoria charge international PhD students domestic fees.

This guide takes the postgraduate diploma, the taught and research master's and the PhD in turn, from the regulations and programme pages of Auckland, Victoria University of Wellington, Otago, Canterbury and Massey in September 2026. The honours year, the other route into research, has its own guide.

What counts as postgraduate study in New Zealand?

The line is drawn by the qualifications framework, not by the university. NZQA's New Zealand Qualifications and Credentials Framework has ten levels, with the bachelor's degree at level 7. StudyLink treats everything from level 8 up as postgraduate, so the level also decides what support you can get.

• Level 8 holds three qualifications. The bachelor's degree with honours, the postgraduate certificate and the postgraduate diploma.
• A postgraduate certificate is at least 60 credits. NZQA requires them at level 8 or above. Canterbury says one takes six months full-time or up to two years or more part-time, and the credit usually transfers to a diploma.
• A postgraduate diploma is at least 120 credits. NZQA requires at least 72 of them at level 8 or above. Victoria describes it as a year of full-time study, normally coursework only, which can count as the first year of some two-year research master's degrees.
• The master's is level 9 and the doctorate level 10. Both are covered in the sections below.
• A graduate diploma is not postgraduate. It sits at level 7. Massey University calls it a bridge toward postgraduate study in an area you have not studied before.

The words differ between universities. Massey counts credits; Auckland, Victoria, Otago and Canterbury count points, and Otago calls its units papers where the others say courses. StudyLink usually counts 15 points or 15 credits as the same 0.125 EFTS.

How does a taught master's differ from a research master's?

NZQA's rules for the master's degree set a minimum of 120 credits, with at least 40 at level 9, and say they typically run to 120, 180 or 240 credits or more. A master's predominantly by research includes a thesis or creative work worth at least 90 credits. The University of Auckland uses the same 90-point line: its research master's degrees include a thesis or research portfolio of at least 90 points, and its taught ones may include a dissertation or project below that.

The 180-point taught master's

This is the route straight from a bachelor's degree. Auckland's Master of Arts in its 180-point form has advanced taught courses and a 60-point dissertation, over one and a half years full-time or up to six years part-time. Otago's coursework MA is 180 points of 400 and 500-level papers, or 120 points of papers and a 60-point research dissertation, over 12 or 18 months full-time. Massey's Master of Science is 180 credits in one and a half years, with a taught Part One before a research Part Two. Victoria's master's by coursework is 180 points over one to one and a half years, and Victoria says it would lead to PhD study only in exceptional circumstances.

The research master's

The research master's usually follows a year of postgraduate study. At Victoria it is one year of full-time research, 120 points, after an honours degree or postgraduate diploma, or two years and 240 points with a year of coursework first; Victoria says it can lead to PhD study and that some students take longer than a year. Auckland's 120-point research MA is usually a 120-point thesis or research portfolio, and you need an approved thesis topic and supervisor to enrol. Otago runs its thesis MA as 240 points of papers and thesis from a bachelor's degree, or a 120-point thesis alone after postgraduate study.

If a PhD is a possibility, the research route keeps it open. NZQA says a master's with a research component of at least 40 credits at level 9, achieved to an appropriate standard, may be considered for doctoral admission.

What grades do you need to get in?

Each programme sets its own entry rule, and the table shows the floors published on the pages read. A GPA on Auckland's 0 to 9 scale and a letter average at Otago or Massey measure the same thing in different units; the guide to exams and grades explains the scales.

Two things sit behind the numbers. First, meeting a grade does not guarantee a place: Auckland's doctoral entry page says acceptance also depends on a supervisor being available and on your preliminary research proposal. Second, a diploma is the usual way up when your grades fall short. Auckland names its Postgraduate Diploma in Arts as the pathway to the 120-point MA for students under the GPA requirement, and Canterbury says a diploma can prove you are ready for research study.

What does it cost, and will StudyLink pay?

Fees are set per programme and year, so check the exact page. For a sense of scale, Auckland prints indicative 2026 fees for its Master of Arts of 9,392.40 to 11,620.80 New Zealand dollars a year for domestic students and 43,674 to 55,484 dollars for international students, including GST. On top of that comes a Student Services Fee of 9.44 dollars a point, about 1,132.80 dollars for a full-time year.

• International PhD students pay domestic fees at two of the universities checked. Auckland's doctoral fees page gives its 2026 PhD fee as 8,847.60 dollars a year for new international students too, if they live in New Zealand for the programme, with up to 12 months of research overseas allowed. Victoria says international PhD students pay only domestic fees.
• Other doctorates are not covered. Auckland's international fee for its named doctorates, such as the Doctor of Education, is 55,408.80 dollars for 2026.
• StudyLink pays no allowance for most postgraduate study. The Student Allowance covers a bachelor's degree with honours only, within the 200-week limit.
• The Student Loan does cover it. The lifetime limit is 7 EFTS, but StudyLink can add up to 1 EFTS for a postgraduate qualification begun before the limit, and up to 3 for a doctorate.

Living costs from the loan still need full-time study, and part-time students are usually limited to fees; the Student Allowance and Student Loan guide has the full rules and amounts.

How do the thesis and supervision work?

The most detailed master's thesis rules on the pages read are Victoria's Master's Thesis Regulations, and they show how compressed a one-year thesis is. Otago's thesis MA regulations set the same one-year expectation: the research should be what a diligent and competent student completes within a year of full-time study.

• The proposal is due within a month. Victoria asks for it within one month of registration, normally no longer than five pages or 2,500 words, covering the aim, methods, ethics and resources.
• The word limit is a ceiling. At Victoria a 120-point thesis must not exceed 40,000 words and a 90-point thesis 30,000, including bibliography, notes and essential appendices. The regulations add that the limits are not targets.
• The clock is short. Victoria sets a minimum of nine months and a maximum of 12 months of full-time registration before you submit, or 18 months to two years half-time.
• Progress is checked halfway. Victoria requires at least one supervisor, a record of formal supervisory meetings and a progress report halfway through the registration.
• Examiners come from outside the supervision. Victoria and Otago's thesis MA regulations both require at least two examiners, at least one external to the university. At Otago the supervisor cannot examine, and a thesis can be revised and resubmitted once, after which the result is an ungraded pass or fail.

What it means in practice: the supervisor matters as much as the topic. Canterbury asks doctoral applicants to identify a willing supervisor before applying, Auckland will not enrol a research MA student without an approved topic and supervisor, and Massey asks for a research supervision plan with the MSc application.

Where does a master's lead, and how does a PhD work?

NZQA's doctoral degree rules require at least 360 credits at level 10, normally three to four years of full-time study, and call for two external examiners, one from outside New Zealand. The universities build on that frame in their own ways.

• The first year is provisional. Otago's PhD regulations confirm admission after six to 12 months, on a supervisory agreement and a satisfactory progress report. At Victoria you spend the first six to twelve months writing a full proposal while provisionally registered.
• Progress is reported regularly. Victoria asks for reports in May and November, Canterbury sets milestones every six months, and Otago moves from six-monthly to annual reports once you are confirmed.
• The thesis has a cap of 100,000 words. Otago excludes appendices, footnotes and bibliographies from the count; Victoria's PhD page includes them.
• The examination ends in an oral. Otago sends the thesis to three examiners, one outside New Zealand, one elsewhere in New Zealand and one internal. Victoria also uses three examiners and an oral in person in Wellington; Canterbury uses two independent examiners before the oral.
• Three years is the minimum. Canterbury lets you start on the first day of any month and expects a full-time thesis within four years. Otago sets three to four full-time years, and no programme may exceed six years of full-time equivalent.

For international students there is one more reason the PhD route stands out: Immigration New Zealand sets no limit on work hours for PhD and research master's students, provided they keep studying full-time.

Can you study part-time around a job?

Many programmes allow it. Victoria says many of its master's programmes offer part-time study, usually over two to four years, AUT's page for adult learners puts postgraduate study at around one to four years part-time depending on the qualification, and Canterbury says part-time study for work, family or health reasons may be possible but is not automatic.

• Massey sets hard completion limits. Its general regulations allow two years for a postgraduate certificate, four for a diploma or a 120-credit master's, five for a 180-credit master's and six for a 240-credit master's.
• Speed decides distinction at Massey. A 180-credit master's earns Distinction or Merit only if completed within 18 months of full-time study or four years part-time, and failed courses count in the calculation.
• Otago caps its coursework MA. No more than 36 months part-time, and no programme may run past five calendar years.
• Full-time PhD candidates are told to limit paid work. Otago does not recommend more than ten hours of employment a week on average over 12 months, and may require part-time enrolment if work hampers progress. Victoria expects at least 30 hours of study a week full-time and 15 part-time.
• A student visa means full-time study. Immigration New Zealand issues student visas for full-time study. That is why Auckland limits its doctorates that must start part-time to New Zealand and Australian citizens and residents, and Canterbury closes its equivalents to international students.

A doctorate part-time is long: Victoria requires at least six years of enrolment, and Canterbury at least 4.5, with the thesis due within six. If you are weighing study against a full-time job and family, the guide for mature students covers entry routes and credit for earlier study.

How should you plan the first months of a research degree?

The regulations above put the pressure at the start: a proposal within a month for a Victoria master's thesis, a provisional year for an Otago or Victoria PhD. The routine below front-loads the work those deadlines need.

A weekly routine for thesis students

1. Agree with your supervisor on the questions for the proposal in the first meeting, and write the answers into a single running document the same week.
2. Keep a reading log: for every source, three lines on the claim, the method and how it bears on your question, with the full reference.
3. Write something every week from the first month, even a page of methods, so the proposal grows from drafts rather than from notes.
4. Bring a written agenda to each supervision meeting and send a short summary of what was agreed afterwards, so both of you hold the same record.
5. Once a month, test yourself on the core literature without notes; active recall explains the method.

Where Notibo fits

Postgraduate study runs on seminars, supervision meetings and a large reading load. Notibo records on a computer, or takes an audio file you upload, and returns a transcript and structured notes; it also turns PDF, PPTX and DOCX files, such as a journal article or seminar slides, into notes and flashcards. Record a seminar or a supervision meeting only when everyone in it agrees. Before uploading interviews with research participants, check what your ethics approval says about where that audio may go: Notibo stores files in the EU, on Supabase in Frankfurt, runs transcription and the AI notes on US processors under standard contractual clauses, and deletes the audio once the transcript and notes are saved, or after one day if processing fails. You get Pro free for 14 days, with 240 minutes of audio, and no card is asked for. After those 14 days the free plan gives you 30 minutes of audio a month; flashcards with spaced repetition from a recording come with Pro, at 9.99 euro a month or 88.99 euro a year.