Academics
Fields of Study: Humanities, Social Sciences, Sciences
At the University of Otago you’ll study alongside local and international students. A comprehensive range of coursework is available in the areas of the humanities, business, sciences, and health sciences. Many UCEAP participants who attend the University of Otago are majors in psychology, chemistry, the liberal arts, and the biological sciences.
Unique study opportunities
- Explore service and leadership opportunities through Otago's Social Impact Studio.
- Take many of the pre-med, pre-health, or pre-psych courses that are often impacted at UC.
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: Three courses for a total of 21 quarter/14 semester UC units each semester.
- You may take one course per semester for pass/no pass credit.
Current Program Courses
Before you enroll in courses, review the calendar, restrictions, and prerequisites for all courses to ensure success.
Course Numbers and Division
Class codes are made up of letters (representing the discipline area) and numbers (representing the year level). First-year level New Zealand courses (where the numerical portion of the code begins with ‘1’) will be assigned lower-division UC credit, while second- and third-year level courses (where the numerical portion of the code begins with ‘2’ or ‘3’) will be assigned upper-division UC credit.
Graduate courses are not open to UCEAP undergraduates.
Catalogs and resources
- University of Otago: Information for Exchange Students
- University of Otago Course Catalog: Browse undergraduate course offerings in semester 1 (spring) and semester 2 (fall).
- Social Impact Studio: Explore service and leadership opportunities.
- New Zealand Universities Comparison Chart: Compare the University of Otago with other New Zealand immersion programs available through UCEAP.
- UCEAP Course Catalog: See a list of 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.
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 August. Requests for early grades cannot be accommodated.