Economics – Postgraduate Diploma in Arts

With Massey's Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (Economics) you’ll build on your undergraduate interests and further investigate topics in economics that have taken your interest.

Where you can study

Auckland campus
Distance and online
Manawatū campus (Palmerston North)

International students

International students are not New Zealand citizens or residents.

Definition of New Zealand citizens and residents

Open to international students on campus in New Zealand, or studying online outside New Zealand
Note: Not all courses are available each semester.

Specialise in Economics for your Postgraduate Diploma in Arts at Massey

With a Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (Economics) at Massey, you’ll build on your undergraduate degree. You’ll further investigate topics in economics that have taken your interest.

On our economics qualification you’ll investigate:

  • how businesses decide what to produce
  • how many people to employ
  • how people decide what to consume
  • big-picture world economics.

This qualification will help you in your own decision-making, and in better understanding developments in the economy and society in general. It offers ways of thinking about the world that let you make the best of what you have, and improve on it.

Investigate your interests further

Massey’s Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (Economics) gives you flexibility in the subjects you study. You could explore topics such as international trade in agri-food products, or natural resource and environmental economics, for example.

Be sought-after by employers

Massey's economics qualifications have been acknowledged by employers for its quality and content. Our graduates are sought-after by major public and private sector employers. When you complete your postgraduate diploma, you could join our graduates working in prestigious organisations in New Zealand and around the world.

A Postgraduate Diploma in Arts in Economics is a good fit if you:

  • are interested in going onto a Master of Arts (Economics)
  • wish to advance your interests in contemporary economic theory
  • want to investigate a particular aspect of economics.

Planning information

Completing an endorsement is compulsory. A Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (Economics) requires 120 credits.

If you study full-time, you’ll take 120 credits per year or 60 credits per semester.

Official regulations

To understand what you need to study and must complete to graduate read the official rules and regulations for this qualification.

You should read these together with all other relevant Statutes and Regulations of the University including the General Regulations for Postgraduate Degrees, Postgraduate Diplomas, and Postgraduate Certificates.

Returning students

For returning students, there may be changes to the majors and minors available and the courses you need to take. Go to the section called ‘Transitional Provisions’ in the Regulations to find out more.

In some cases the qualification or specialisation you enrolled in may be no longer be taking new enrolments, so may not appear on these web pages. To find information on the regulations for these qualifications go to the Massey University Calendar.

Please contact us through the Get advice button on this page if you have any questions.

Courses you can enrol in

Course planning key

Prerequisites
Courses that need to be completed before moving onto a course at the next level. For example, a lot of 200-level courses have 100-level prerequisite courses.
Corequisites
Courses that must be completed at the same time as another course are known as corequisite courses.
Restrictions
Some courses are restricted against each other because their content is similar. This means you can only choose one of the offered courses to study and credit to your qualification.

Subject courses

Course code: 125785 Research and Analytics in Economics and Finance 30 credits

This course provides foundations for econometrics and data analytics from which students can understand and perform quality empirical research in economics and financial contexts.

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Course code: 178703 The Theory and Practice of Economics 30 credits

This course is a survey of developments in macroeconomic and microeconomic theory with extension into contemporary issues and practice.

Restrictions: '178.200 & 178.201', or their equivalent(s)

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Course code: 178712 International Monetary Economics 30 credits

This course is concerned with the monetary and macroeconomic relationships between countries. It deals with such issues as balance-of-payments problems and policies, the functioning of foreign exchange rate markets, the determination and causes of exchange-rate movements, the international monetary system, and derivative instruments including swaps, options and futures.

Prerequisites: 178703 or 125700 or 125330 or Appraisal Required

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Course code: 178718 Health Economics 30 credits

Subject areas to be covered include microeconomics for healthcare, the economics of politics and bureaus, demand for healthcare, the supply and organisation of healthcare, hospital behaviour, moral hazard, cost-benefit analysis in health, private versus public provision of healthcare and contemporary policy issues.

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Course code: 178719 Climate Change Economics and Policy 30 credits

An analysis of the economics of climate change and evaluation of the mitigation options used by policy makers globally.

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Course code: 178732 Advanced Econometrics 30 credits

This course introduces students to advanced methods used in econometrics and forecasting. Topics include time-series analysis; testing and model selection; simultaneous equations; nonstationarity; vector autoregressive models; causality and exogeneity; binary choice models and panel data analysis.

Prerequisites: 125785 or any 300-level Econometrics course

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Course code: 178755 Economic Growth, International and Development Economics 30 credits

A critical assessment of topics from economic growth, international economics and the nature and measurement of development. There is an emphasis on the empirical and policy implications of development strategies including the relationship between managing development, role of the State, international economy, globalisation, trade theory and policy, global crises, and macroeconomic policy.

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Entry requirements

Admission to Massey

All students must meet university entrance requirements to be admitted to the University.

Specific requirements

To enter the Postgraduate Diploma in Arts you will have been awarded or qualified for the Bachelor of Arts degree, with a major in the intended postgraduate subject, or equivalent.

You will need to have achieved a grade average in your bachelor degree that demonstrates an adequate level of preparation for the postgraduate qualification. This normally means that a B- grade average or above is required.

You will need to provide copies of all official academic transcripts for studies taken at all universities other than Massey University.

English language requirements

To study this qualification you must meet Massey University's English language standards.

English language skills

If you need help with your English language skills before you start university, see our English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses.

Fees and scholarships

Fees, student loans and free fees scheme

Your tuition fees may be different depending on the courses you choose. Your exact fees will show once you have chosen your courses.

There will also be some compulsory non-tuition fees and for some courses, there may also be charges for things such as study resources, software, trips and contact workshops.

Already know which courses you're going to choose?

You can view fees for the courses that make up your qualification on the course details pages.

Student loans (StudyLink) and Fees Free scheme

You may be eligible for a student loan to help towards paying your fees.

The New Zealand Government offers fees-free tertiary study for eligible domestic students. Find out more about the scheme and your eligibility on the Fees Free website. To use the site's eligibility checking tool, you will need your National Student Number.

Current and returning Massey students can find their National Student Number in the student portal.

Scholarship and award opportunities

Search our scholarships and awards

Fees disclaimer

This information is for estimation purposes only. Actual fees payable will be finalised on confirmation of enrolment. Unless otherwise stated, all fees shown are quoted in New Zealand dollars and include Goods and Services Tax, if any. Before relying on any information on these pages you should also read the University's Disclaimer Notice.

Careers and job opportunities

The skills and knowledge of trained economists are highly valued by the public and private sector, large and small firms, large international agencies, schools and universities, economic policy-makers and social organisations.

You might work as any of the following:

  • agricultural economist
  • business analyst
  • economic consultant
  • energy research officer
  • environmental economist
  • health economist
  • international economist
  • microeconomics analyst.

Treasury, the Reserve Bank and the World Bank all recruit economics graduates. But your degree can also be the gateway to employment in many other areas, such as management, planning, politics, education, finance and banking, journalism or the media.

International students

New Zealand is a great place to study. Massey University’s reputation is supported by our international rankings, accreditations and associations. We are rated five star plus by the QS World University Rankings.

Massey University has small class sizes, and our lecturers and staff are friendly and approachable.

As an international student, there are entry requirements that will apply to you. We recommend that you apply at least three months before your anticipated start date so your application can be processed in time. There are additional steps you will need to take. These include obtaining a visa and travel bookings if your study is to be in New Zealand.

Accreditations and rankings

QS Ranking - Economics and Econometrics

Massey University is ranked by QS (Quacquarelli Symonds) as one of the top 350 universities for economics and econometrics.

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ShanghaiRanking – Business Administration

Massey University is ranked #2 in New Zealand for business administration by ShanghaiRanking.

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