Quick Facts

The number of Māori students completing tertiary qualifications in 2002 (16,409) has increased by 92% since 2001. 73% of this increase is due to the increase at wananga. Māori graduates now make up 20.9% of all graduates and 22.9% of all domestic graduates.

BA, MA or what?
You will need to have completed an undergraduate degree and other graduate qualifications before you can enrol in a PhD or doctorate.

Each University is different
There are different ways of doing doctoral study. In some universities you will enrol in courses in your subject, and then write a thesis. In other universities, there is no coursework involved - your job is to plan, research and write the thesis. In New Zealand, the most usual way of doing a PhD is by thesis only, but some universities offer coursework as part of a doctoral qualification.

How long will it take?
It will take you about 3 years to carry out, analyse and write up your research for a full-length thesis, but some theses take much longer to write. Different universities have different rules about the minimum and maximum amount of time you are allowed to be enrolled.

Part-time or full-time
Most universities will allow you to enrol as a part-time student if you are not able to enrol as a full-time student. There are often rules about how many hours you are expected to work on your thesis, and how many hours you are allowed to be in paid employment.

However you proceed, make sure you check your departmental rules on these and other issues before you enrol!