Master of Arts–MA 120 points Qualification regulations

1. (a) Before enrolment, a candidate for the MA degree shall have:

(i) satisfied the prerequisites listed in section 2 for the subject to be presented or been exempted from those prerequisites by the Associate Dean (Postgraduate Research) of the Wellington Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences; and

(ii) been accepted by the relevant head of school as capable of proceeding with the proposed course of study.

(b) In exceptional circumstances, requirement (a)(i) may be waived if the candidate has either:

(i) completed a BA(Hons) degree with Third Class Honours (or a BA or another degree of a New Zealand university); or

(ii) produced evidence to the satisfaction of the associate dean of extensive practical, professional, or scholarly experience of an appropriate kind.

2. The subjects for the MA and their prerequisites are as follows:

Group I

Subjects: Art History, Asian Studies, Chinese, Classical Studies, Criminology, Cultural Anthropology, Economics , Education, English, Environmental Humanities / He Aronui Aotūroa, Film, French, Geography, German, History, International Relations, Italian, Japanese, Linguistics, Māori Studies, Mathematics, Media Studies, Music, Pacific Studies, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Public Policy, Sociology, Spanish,  Study of Religion, Theatre.

Prerequisite: A BA(Hons) degree with First or Second Class Honours in the subject being presented. The associate dean may waive this requirement for a candidate with another Honours degree or a BA(Hons) degree with First or Second Class Honours in a related subject.

Group II

Subjects: Applied Linguistics, Classics, Creative Writing, Development Studies, Literary Translation Studies, Museum and Heritage Studies, New Zealand Studies, Social Policy, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.

Prerequisites: As shown below.

Applied Linguistics (ALIN)

(a) 60 points at 400 and/or 500 level in an approved area, or an approved postgraduate qualification; and

(b) At least two years of professional experience in language education or other aspects of applied linguistics.

(c) Requirement (b) may be waived by the programme director. Applicants with limited or no relevant experience will be considered on a case-by-case basis and may be expected to complete some bridging courses depending on the nature of their previous qualifications.

Classics (CLAS)

A BA(Hons) degree with First or Second Class Honours in Greek or Latin.

Creative Writing (CREA)

A university degree and satisfactory written and/or published evidence of appropriate literary ability in English.

Development Studies (DEVE)

Completion of the PGDipDevStud or equivalent as approved by the head of school.

Literary Translation Studies (LITR)

A BA(Hons) degree or equivalent and satisfactory written and/or published evidence of literary translation skills.

Museum and Heritage Studies (MHST)

An Honours degree with First or Second Class Honours.

New Zealand Studies (NZST)

A BA(Hons) degree with First or Second Class Honours.

Social Policy (SPOL)

A BA(Hons) degree with First or Second Class Honours in Sociology

Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TSOL)

(a) 60 points at 400 and/or 500 level in an approved area, or an approved postgraduate qualification, and

(b) At least two years of professional experience in language education or other aspects of applied linguistics.

(c) Requirement (b) may be waived by the programme director. Applicants with limited or no relevant experience will be considered on a case-by-case basis and may be expected to complete some bridging courses depending on the nature

3. The course of study for the MA shall be a thesis in the subject being presented as listed on the MA Schedule.

Note: Thesis requirements are set out in the Master’s Thesis Regulations.

4. The MA may be awarded with Distinction or Merit as described in the Assessment Handbook.