Studying in New Zealand

NZ Qualifications

NZ Qualifications

International Students who want to study in New Zealand can have confidence that their NZ qualifications are an excellent standard and comparable to qualifications from other international universities.

The New Zealand Government have implemented a strong quality assurance programme that helps maintain the quality of the institutions and courses and are covered by the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA).

It is illegal in New Zealand for courses to be promoted as ‘degrees’ or ‘national qualifications’, or for education institutions to be promoted as ‘universities’ or ‘polytechnics’ unless they have been approved by the government authority.

New Zealand’s immigration laws prevent any international student from studying at a private education institution that has not been NZQA approved.

National Qualifications Framework

The National Qualifications framework is an established set of standards across over 800 different NZ qualifications and is of an acceptable standard irrespective of which university or college a student studies at. The
standard is recognised national in New Zealand and internationally in Australia, United Kingdom, Europe, South Africa and USA.

KiwiQuals web site

The KiwiQuals web site allows prospective international students to find and compare the different NZ qualifications available. All National NZ qualifications offered by universities, polytechnics, colleges etc are listed on the New Zealand Register of Quality Assured Qualifications.

It is a great tool for seeing what courses are available and is a must for any international students thinking of studying in New Zealand.

Types of NZ University Qualifications

Here are the main types of qualifications available from New Zealand Universities

• Undergraduate degrees – or bachelor degrees in New Zealand Universities are made up of a prescribed number of papers or courses, most degrees last three years. The students must attend a certain number of lectures, tutorials or practical’s per week. Students are graded based on the results from exams, assignments and practical work. Most courses have a final written exam at the end of the academic year which is October or November.
• Postgraduate – Students who have been awarded a bachelor degree can continue to study for a masters, Postgraduate Diploma, or Doctorate. Postgraduate qualifications are seen as more difficult as it builds upon the previous degree, and involves more seminars and personal research.
• Graduate and Postgraduate Diplomas – are normally a one year full time course on a specific subject e.g. Diploma in Marketing
• Masters – Masters degrees are one or two years’ full time courses which build on the knowledge developed from the bachelors degree. Many Masters include a thesis – which is a major piece of research on a specific topic. Hence a Masters is seen as a greater challenge.
• Doctorate – Doctorates are normally two year full time courses and the student must have a first or a good second class honours bachelor degree in order to be considered for admission on the Doctorate. The main Doctorate offered by New Zealand Universities is the PhD which requires the student to prepare a substantial thesis using original research into an approved topic which is marked by a panel of judges.