Doctoral Degree in New Zealand | study in NZ

get the doctoral Degree at New Zealand (doctorate, DSc or the DLitt, PhD/DPhil, EdD or the DMus)..

These definitions should be considered in conjunction with the accreditation and approval processes outlined in the NZQA (New Zealand Qualifications Framework) publication

Definition of Doctoral Degree
The Doctoral Degree is a research degree that is at a significantly higher level and of significantly higher status than a Masters Degree. It is normally the culmination of a structured sequence of instruction at educational institutions that begins at the bachelor level and reaches a stage beyond the masterate, when the student becomes an increasingly independent scholar and makes a substantial and original contribution to knowledge.

For the PhD/DPhil and the named doctorate, the development takes place under the guidance of recognised experts in the field of study and under circumstances that allow the student access to appropriate research resources.

The doctorate is awarded on the basis of an original and substantial contribution to knowledge as judged by independent experts applying contemporary international standards. The hallmark will be the candidate's capacity for substantial independent research or creative activity as attested (for the PhD/DPhil and the named doctorate) by his/her educational institution and/or as demonstrated by submitted work.

The major component of all doctorates is original research. The body of work that leads to the award of a doctorate will be one of the following:
a thesis (the PhD/DPhil)
creative work in the visual or performing arts (the PhD/DPhil)
a thesis or equivalent creative work in combination with coursework (the named doctorate)
a thesis in combination with a creative work in the visual or performing arts (the named doctorate)
published work (the higher doctorate).
Credit requirements
A Doctoral Degree requires at least 240 credits worth of advanced research at level 10.

The following types of Doctoral Degree are recognised.

Doctorate of Philosophy (PhD/DPhil)
A thesis constitutes the entire body of work on which the award of the qualification will be judged. Coursework may also be prescribed for the student, but this will only contribute to the preparation for research and acceptance into the doctoral programme. Students in the visual or performing arts may present a creative work in the place of the thesis.

Doctorate in a specified field or discipline - the named doctorate (e.g. EdD or the DMus)
For a doctorate in a specified field, coursework may contribute to the assessed programme of study, but research and its associated thesis must occupy at least two full-time academic years and contribute not less than two-thirds of the overall credit for the degree.

The coursework, which is to be at a standard in advance of that expected for a masterate paper, must be part of a coherent programme with the research work, and should normally cover no more than one full-time academic year.

A candidate for a named doctorate must gain a passing grade in both the coursework and the thesis or its creative work equivalent.

Higher Doctorate (e.g. the DSc or the DLitt)
Higher Doctorates are awarded for independent work of special excellence, as judged by leading international experts, which is completed before a person makes an application to enrol for the degree. Candidates will normally be expected to have completed at least ten years of independent work and to have published extensively.

Publication will normally be in scholarly books and/or in reputable international journals. Candidates in the visual or performing arts will have made equally outstanding contributions in their creative work.

Master Degree in New Zealand | study in NZ

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Masters Degrees are constituted in one discipline or coherent programme of study. They may be undertaken by taught courses or research, or by a combination of both.
Masters Degrees usually build on a Bachelor Degree, Bachelor Degree with Honours or a Postgraduate Diploma. They may also build on extensive professional experience of an appropriate kind. They are demonstrably in advance of undergraduate study, and require students to engage in scholarship and/or research.

Entry
Providers of courses leading to masters qualifications are responsible for establishing entry requirements. The minimum entry qualification for a 240-credit Masters Degree is a Bachelor Degree or equivalent. For a Masters Degree of fewer than 240 credits, normally the minimum entry qualification is a Bachelors Degree with Honours or a Postgraduate Diploma.

Admission as a candidate for a Masters Degree is based on the evaluation of documentary evidence (including the academic record) of the applicant's ability to undertake postgraduate study in a specialist field of enquiry or professional practice. The candidate must have attained, through formal study, professional or other experience, a high order of knowledge about the principal subject(s), and have demonstrated interest in, and an aptitude for, scholarship.

An applicant who holds either a Bachelor Degree with Honours or a Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma may be exempted from all or some of the taught courses.

Outcomes
A graduate of a Masters Degree programme is able to:
show evidence of advanced knowledge about a specialist field of enquiry or professional practice
demonstrate mastery of sophisticated theoretical subject matter
evaluate critically the findings and discussions in the literature
research, analyse and argue from evidence
work independently and apply knowledge to new situations
engage in rigorous intellectual analysis, criticism and problem-solving.
If a Masters Degree includes a substantial component of supervised research, then the results of that research will normally be embodied in a thesis, dissertation, substantial research paper or creative work.
The research should be completed to internationally recognised standards and demonstrate that the graduate has a capacity for independent thinking.

Credit requirements
The Masters Degree is at least 240 credits, except where it builds on 4 years of prior study at Bachelor Degree level or above, in which case it can be fewer than 240, but no fewer than 120, credits.
The Masters Degree must comprise a minimum of 40 credits at level 9 with the remainder at level 8.

Relationship with other qualifications
A person who holds a Masters Degree that includes a substantial component of research may be considered for admission to a programme of advanced study and /or original research leading to a Doctoral Degree.

Postgraduate Diploma in New Zealand | Study in NZ

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A Postgraduate Diploma is designed to extend and deepen a candidate's knowledge and skills by building on attainment in the principal subject(s) of the qualifying degree. It provides a candidate with a systematic and coherent survey of current thinking and research in a particular body of knowledge, and may include instruction in the relevant research methodologies.

Entry
A candidate for the Postgraduate Diploma in a specified subject or, where appropriate, a related area will normally have completed all requirements of the relevant Bachelor Degree. A provider may also admit to a programme leading to the Postgraduate Diploma a person who has completed all requirements of the Bachelor Degree with Honours in a related subject, or who is deemed to have acquired the relevant skills and knowledge through appropriate work or professional experience.

Outcomes
A graduate of a Postgraduate Diploma programme is able to:
engage in self-directed learning and advanced study
demonstrate intellectual independence, analytic rigour, and the ability to understand and evaluate new knowledge and ideas
demonstrate the ability to identify topics for original research, plan and conduct research, analyse results and communicate the findings to the satisfaction of subject experts.

Credit requirements
The Postgraduate Diploma requires a minimum of 120 credits from levels 7 and above, with a minimum of 72 credits from level 8.

Relationship with other qualifications
A Postgraduate Diploma may be awarded with distinction. It prepares a candidate for independent research and scholarship in the principal subject of the diploma. A person who holds a Postgraduate Diploma may be enrolled for a Masters Degree or a Doctoral Degree.