Academics
Fields of Study: Humanities, Social Sciences, Engineering, and Sciences
The University of Auckland offers a wide array of disciplines. They are particularly strong in marketing, sports subjects, education, archaeology, anatomy & physiology, psychology, civil engineering, English literature, anthropology, linguistics, architecture and performing arts.
Unique study opportunities
- Visit the Leigh Marine Laboratory while taking exciting courses including the spring course, Fisheries and Aquaculture and the fall course, Dynamics of Marine Systems.
- Immerse yourself in Maori culture by learning the language in the course, Introduction to Spoken Maori.
- Examine the changing ideas about New Zealand and New Zealand culture from colonial times to the present by taking the spring course, New Zealand Cultural History.
- Explore New Zealand’s home-grown popular music, from the 1950s to the present day by taking the fall course, Rock to Reggae: Tracking Popular Music in New Zealand.
Language
Language of Instruction: EnglishLanguage Study: Optional
Foreign language study is available. Check the university course catalog.
Courses and credit
Requirements While Abroad
To successfully complete this program:
- Take a full-time course of study: 24 quarter/16 semester UC units each semester, which is equal to 60 Auckland points
- A 15 point Auckland course= 6 quarter/4 semester UC units
- Since most Auckland courses are worth 15 points, most UCEAP students will take 4 courses
- You may take one course per semester for pass/no pass credit
Course Numbers and Division
Courses that begin with a 1 will earn lower division UC credit. Courses that begin with a 2 or 3 will earn upper division UC credit.
RESTRICTIONS
UCEAP does not allow students to take courses that begin with a 4 or higher at Auckland.
Courses offered in medicine, surgery, pharmacy, nursing, and optometry are not available to exchange students.
Courses in psychology and law are limited.
INTERNSHIPS
If you will be studying abroad during your senior year and are a communications or media major, you can apply for the arts internship programme. Not only do you earn academic credit for the internship, but Auckland has a list of internships that you can apply for.
Catalogs and resources
- University of Auckland Course Catalog: Browse undergraduate course offerings.
- Semester 1 is spring term; semester 2 is fall term.
- University of Auckland Course Outlines: Auckland refers to syllabi as outlines.
- UCEAP Course Catalog: See a list of some courses students have taken on this program. This is not a current representation of course offerings on this program. Reference the above links to review recent course offerings.
- Campus Credit Abroad: Learn the types of credit (major, minor, general education, elective) students from your campus received at this location. If the course you want to take is not listed here, that does not mean you can't earn major, minor, general education or elective credit for it, as the database is not fully updated and does not list all courses, even if a UCEAP student has taken it before and has earned major credit for it. Let this database help you if it's able to, but don't let it detour you. It's ultimately up to your major advisor to determine the type of UC credit you'll earn for your classes abroad.
Academic Culture
To help you acclimate to New Zealand campus life and culture, there are a few key differences and similarities with UC to be aware of:
- The New Zealand semester is longer and has a slower pace than the UC semester or quarter.
- Students address local lecturers and tutors informally by their first name.
- Similar to UC, the main forms of teaching are lectures (50-500+ students), tutorials (10-25 students), seminars (30+ students; half lecture, half tutorial), and labs/practicals.
- All lectures are recorded—beware of waiting until the last minute to watch them. In New Zealand, students are expected to be independent and show initiative. Instructors won't chase you up if you miss classes or assignments.
- Assignments tend to require heavy research and critical analysis.
- You’ll need to use New Zealand English for assignments.
Grades
You will earn direct UC credit and grades for all coursework. New Zealand university grades are criterion-referenced rather than norm-referenced (curved). This means that your performance on an assignment will be prepared to a predefined standard, not to the performance of your classmates. Your lecturer will advise you of this standard via grading rubric.
Grades for the fall semester are typically available in December. Grades for the spring semester are typically available in July. Requests for early grades cannot be accommodated.