What can I study?
List of postgraduate programmes
For a list of the postgraduate programmes available at Massey see the Courses web pages.
Types of programmes available
Graduate diploma
A graduate diploma (normally one year of full-time study) enables you to specialise in a subject area after you’ve completed your undergraduate qualification. It’s also ideal if you want to prepare for a postgraduate qualification in an area that’s different from your undergraduate degree.
Honours degree
Honours degrees are postgraduate qualifications comprising an additional year of study beyond the bachelor's degree in the discipline. Entry to an Honours degree requires prior high academic performance in undergraduate degree study, and students selected for an Honours degree will enrol in the postgraduate degree after completing the undergraduate degree. Completion of the Honours degree may qualify the graduate for doctoral study if their achievement is at the appropriate level.
Postgraduate certificate
With a postgraduate certificate you can build on the knowledge and skills you’ve already achieved - whether through a degree or your equivalent practical or professional experience. You can also use it as a bridging programme for postgraduate study or research in an area that’s different from your prior training, experience or qualifications.
Postgraduate diploma
A postgraduate diploma leads you to a graduate-level qualification within a year, enabling you to build on the level you’ve achieved in your prior degree.
Master’s degree
By joining a Master’s programme, you can undertake advanced study on the main subject in your qualifying undergraduate degree.
Doctorate (PhD)
The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree is Massey’s most supervised, fully research-based degree. It can be acquired in most of the disciplines (including the creative arts).
A PhD is awarded for a thesis - an integrated and coherent report that demonstrates your ability to carry out independent research and analysis at an advanced level in a particular field.
Your thesis should make an original contribution to the knowledge of the subject with which it deals. It will be assessed by three independent examiners in a process that includes thesis assessment reports and an oral examination.
PhDs normally take at least three years of full-time study to complete. If you’d prefer to study part-time, you need to allow five to six years to complete the research and writing.
Named Doctorates
Massey University offers three named Doctoral degrees:
- Doctor of Business and Administration (DBA).
- Doctor of Clinical Psychology (DClinPsych).
- Doctor of Education (EdD).
These are specially designed degrees involving high-level study and research, ideal as professional development options for existing and prospective senior managers and leaders.
Named Doctorates basically comprise one-third course work/practicum and two-thirds supervised research. In all other respects, including the examination procedure, they’re equivalent to a PhD - especially in the standards of discipline, rigour and scholarship required.
Pathways to postgraduate study
Most of our postgraduate students enter courses with Bachelor degrees. However, if you’re looking to change the direction or focus of your study, you may need to start with a Graduate Diploma.
Master’s degrees can be one- or two-year programmes, depending on your entry route. They can also be mainly coursework; a combination of coursework and a research project or thesis; or a thesis only (reporting on substantive research work).
Doctoral degrees are awarded entirely for research reported in your thesis (PhDs) or for a combination of coursework and a thesis (Named Doctorates).
Typical postgraduate study pathways
1 Entry to the Bachelor (Hons) degree, the Master’s degree and the PhD are conditional upon performance levels (as determined by Grade Point Average - GPA - scores) in the pre-requisite qualification.
