Postgraduate study
Learn about postgraduate study options for building on your degree or accelerating your professional development with the Wellington Faculty of Engineering.
Our postgraduate degrees enable you to explore the full breadth and depth of complex and fast moving disciplines in Engineering and Computer Science. You’ll be taught and mentored by leading academics committed to staying at the forefront of teaching and research.
Degree in another subject
If you haven’t completed a degree in a Computer Science- or Engineering-related subject, you could try one of these options:
Graduate Diploma in Science
If you have completed a degree in a different subject, you can effectively add a major in a major in Computer Science or Electronic and Computer Systems—and prepare for postgraduate study—by doing a Graduate Diploma in Science (GDipSc).
Master of Software Development
If you don’t have a degree in Engineering or Computer Science, the Master of Software Development (MSwDev) is your pathway into a career in the ICT industry. This one-year 180-point Master’s degree is taught by the Wellington ICT Graduate School.
Degree in engineering
You can build on a Bachelor of Engineering with Honours (BE(Hons)) in three ways:
Master of Engineering Practice
This three-trimester programme combines taught courses and an industry project or placement. You can focus on Mechatronics, Renewable Energy, Software Engineering, Electronics, or Networked Applications.
Master of Engineering by thesis
This Master’s degree involves a 120-point thesis, and can be completed in three semesters of full-time study or six semesters part time. Depending on the topic of your thesis, your degree may be endorsed in Electronic and Computer Systems Engineering, Network Engineering, or Software Engineering.
Master of Engineering by coursework and thesis
This Master’s degree combines 30 points of coursework and a 90-point thesis, and can be completed in three semesters of full-time study or six semesters part time. Depending on the topic of your thesis, your degree may be endorsed in Electronic and Computer Systems Engineering, Network Engineering, or Software Engineering.
Degree in a relevant area of science
There are many different options for building on a Bachelor of Science (BSc) with a major in a relevant area—such as Computer Graphics, Computer Science, Electronics and Computer Systems, or Renewable Energy Systems:
Master of Artificial Intelligence
This Master’s degree is the first of its kind to be offered in New Zealand. You’ll take 120 points of core and elective courses, and complete a 15-point research essay and a 45-point supervised research project.
Master of Computer Science
This flexible programme involves 120 points of courses and a 60-point project, completed over three trimesters. Focus on Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, or Software Engineering, or combine all three.
Bachelor of Science with Honours
An intensive one-year programme with 90 points of courses and a 30-point research project that builds on the BSc. Major in Artificial Intelligence, Computer Graphics, Computer Science, or Electronic and Computer Systems.
Master of Science by thesis
For this degree, you’ll research and write a 120-point thesis over 12 to 15 months. It is the equivalent of Part 2 of a Master of Science by coursework and thesis degree, so you’ll need to have already completed an Honours degree or Postgraduate Diploma in Science.
Master of Science by coursework and thesis
In this two-year degree, you’ll complete 120 points of courses in Part 1, followed by a Master’s thesis worth 120 points in Part 2. Major in in Artificial Intelligence, Computer Graphics, Computer Science, or Electronic and Computer Systems.
PhD
Once you have completed either an Honours degree or a Master’s by thesis in Engineering or Computer Science, you can enrol in a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) through the Wellington Faculty of Graduate Research. This degree involves a major piece of original research carried out under academic supervision, and will take at least three years of full-time study.
In the Faculty of Engineering, your PhD may be supervised by researchers in the School of Engineering and Computer Science, the Robinson Research Institute or the Computational Media Innovation Centre.
Postgraduate certificate and diploma
Complete a short postgraduate qualification for professional development or as preparation for further postgraduate study:
Postgraduate Certificate in Science
You’ll take courses worth 60 points over one trimester full-time, or up to three semesters if part time. Specialise in Computer Graphics, Computer Science, or Electronic and Computer Systems.
Postgraduate Diploma in Science
You’ll take courses worth 120 points over two trimesters full-time, or up to six semesters if part time. Major in Computer Graphics, Computer Science, or Electronic and Computer Systems.