Study location

Find out about your options for where you’ll be based during your PhD or professional doctorate—on campus, at a collaborating institution, or at a distance.

Regardless of where you’re based, we strongly encourage you participate in the intellectual life of your School—and the University more generally—during your time as a doctoral student.

Professional doctorates

If you’re working towards a Doctor of Education, Doctor of Health, Doctor of Midwifery, or Doctor of Nursing, you’re likely to be a part-time student who is also working in the education or health sector.

You can work towards these doctorates as a distance student, and be on campus for block days of seminars, workshops, and guest lectures during Part 1 of your degree. Where possible, we encourage you come to seminars and other School events, potentially via live streams or other online tools.

PhD and DMA students

As a PhD or Doctor of Musical Arts student you are expected to work closely with your academic supervisors and regularly attend the University in person for the full duration of your candidature. The exception is if you are based off-site at a collaborating research institution.

Research away from Wellington

Your research may require you to be away from Wellington in order to collect data or conduct fieldwork. You must seek approval from your School before undertaking a significant period of research away from the University.

Find the 'Application to undertake research away from the University' form on the Faculty's forms and policies page.

Studying at a collaborating institution

In some circumstances you may be able to do research towards your doctorate at another institution, such as a Crown Research Institute, hospital, or industrial organisation, where that institution has research facilities which complement those at the University.

This kind of arrangement requires a formal agreement between the University and the collaborating institution. Your first step should be to discuss the possibility with your School.

Doctoral study at a distance

We strongly encourage you to be on-site for the duration of your doctoral studies. We will however consider applications for distance study if the mandatory requirements can be met.

We assess applications on a case-by-case basis. You will need the agreement of your prospective School and the Dean of the Wellington Faculty of Graduate Research in advance in order to enrol in a doctorate as a distance student.

Find the 'Student guidelines for distance study' and 'Agreement to enrol as a doctoral distance student' form on the Faculty's forms and policies page.

International students

As an international student in New Zealand on a study visa, you must be based in Wellington and study in person—unless you are based at a collaborating research institution in New Zealand.

International students are limited to a total absence of twelve months for approved research purposes such as data collection or other fieldwork. Returning home to write up your thesis is not considered to be an approved research purpose.