How degrees work

Find out more about how undergraduate degrees are structured.

Conjoint degrees

A conjoint degree allows you to complete two undergraduate degrees in a shorter amount of time than it would take to complete them separately.

Any two undergraduate degrees can be studied together in a conjoint programme. You do fewer courses per degree, so most can be completed within 4–6 years of full-time study.

You’ll apply for two degrees in your first year and move to a conjoint degree in your second year. You’ll need to maintain at least a B-minus grade average each year to stay in the programme.

If you’re finding it difficult to maintain this average, we’ll encourage you to finish one degree first—with our flexible degree options, you should be able to fit your different subject choices into one degree. Once you've completed your first degree, you can then choose to carry on with your second degree, or consider a postgraduate qualification.

Double majors

A major usually takes up about a third of the courses in your degree, so you may choose to do a double major and focus on two different subjects. This requires the same number of points as a degree with only one major and should not take any extra time.

With some of our degrees, you can take a second major from a different degree—for example, you can do a Bachelor of Science with a double major in Marine Biology and Spanish. The benefit of including a second major from a different degree is that you can study subjects from two different areas without needing to complete a conjoint programme.

Degrees that allow a second, ‘outside’ major

If you are doing one of the following degrees, you may be able to choose a second major from a different undergraduate degree:

Available major subjects

If you are taking one of the degrees listed above, you may be able to choose a second, ‘outside’ major from the list below:

Arts
  • Art History
  • Asian Studies
  • Chinese
  • Classical Studies
  • Criminology
  • Cultural Anthropology
  • Data Science
  • Development Studies
  • Economics
  • Education
  • Education for the Environment
  • English Literature
  • Environmental Humanities
  • Educational Psychology
  • Film
  • French
  • Geography
  • German
  • Greek
  • History
  • International Relations
  • Japanese
  • Latin
  • Language Sciences
  • Kaitiakitanga
  • Māori Studies
  • Mathematics
  • Media Studies
  • Modern Language Studies
  • Music
  • Pacific Studies
  • Philosophy
  • Political Science
  • Psychological Science
  • Public Policy
  • Sāmoan Studies / Matā’upu tau Sāmoa
  • Sociology
  • Spanish
  • Study of Religion
  • Te Reo Māori
  • Theatre

Biomedical Science
  • Human Genetics
  • Molecular Pathology
  • Molecular Pharmacology and Medicinal Chemistry

Commerce
  • Accounting
  • Actuarial Science
  • Commercial Law
  • Data Science
  • Economics
  • Finance
  • Human Resource Management and Employment Relations
  • Information Systems
  • International Business
  • Management
  • Marketing
  • Public Policy
  • Sustainability and Ethics in Business
  • Taxation
  • Tourism Management

Communication
  • Language Sciences
  • Media Studies
  • Intercultural Communication
  • Literary and Creative Communication
  • Marketing Communication
  • Political Communication

Design Innovation
  • Animation and Visual Effects
  • Communication Design
  • Design for Social Innovation
  • Fashion Design Technology
  • Game Design
  • Industrial Design
  • Interaction Design
  • Media Design

Environment and Society
  • Climate Science
  • Cultural Anthropology
  • Design for Social Innovation
  • Development Studies
  • Earth Science
  • Education for the Environment
  • Environmental Design
  • Environmental Humanities
  • Environmental Science
  • Environmental Studies
  • Geography
  • Sustainability and Ethics in Business

Health
  • Digital Health
  • Health Policy and Innovation
  • Health Promotion
  • Health Psychology
  • Physical Activity and Hauora

Popular Music
  • Audio Production and Recording
  • Electronic Music
  • Popular Music Studies
  • Songwriting (from 2026)

Psychology
  • Brain Sciences and Mental Health
  • Cognitive Science
  • Criminal Justice and Psychology
  • Educational Psychology
  • Health Psychology
  • Māori Psychology
  • Mental Health: Principles and Applications
  • Psychological Science
  • Work and Organisational Psychology

Science
  • Actuarial Science
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Biology
  • Biotechnology
  • Cell and Molecular Bioscience
  • Chemistry
  • Climate Science
  • Computer Science
  • Data Science
  • Development Studies
  • Earth Science
  • Ecology and Biodiversity
  • Electronic and Computer Systems
  • Environmental Science
  • Environmental Studies
  • Geography
  • Information Systems
  • Marine Biology
  • Mathematics
  • Physics
  • Psychological Science
  • Science Communication
  • Space Science
  • Statistics

Choosing two majors in your first year is a good way to keep your study options open and flexible. You can continue with your double major in your second year, or you can change your programme of study and focus on just one subject—perhaps with the other as a minor.

If the subjects you want to major in are not listed, or you want to discuss the best structure for your programme of study, contact a Future Student Adviser.

Minors

A minor is an optional part of a degree, made up of a collection of courses in a particular subject. The workload for a minor is lighter than for a major—fewer courses to do, fewer points required. This makes a minor a good way to build a second or third area of focus into your degree.

These degrees let you include a minor:

Any major in these degrees can also be taken as a minor. You might also be able to study majors from other undergraduate degrees as a minor—for example, a Bachelor of Arts with a major in History and a minor in Environmental Studies.

Some subjects are not available as majors, but you can take them as a minor. Other subjects have special requirements and course options as minors.

If you want to discuss the best structure for your programme of study, contact a Future Student Adviser.