Victoria University of Wellington

Unique study opportunities

• Explore what New Zealand has to offer by taking science courses with field trips.
• Immerse yourself in Maori culture by learning the language in the spring course, Introduction to Maori Language. 
• Examines the relationships between media, society and politics in an era of technological change by taking the fall course, Media, Society and Politics.
• Learn about the relationship between education, society and change by taking the spring course, Education, Society and Culture.
• Take advantage of living in the capital city by taking the course, Introduction to New Zealand Government and Politics, which includes a visit to Parliament and the National Library. 

Language

Language 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 VUW points
  • A 15 point VUW course= 6 quarter/4 semester UC units
  • A 20 point VUW course= 8 quarter/5.3 semester UC units
  • Since most VUW courses are worth 15 or 20 points, most UCEAP students will take between 3-4 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 VUW. 

View VUW course restrictions for exchange students. 

Catalogs and resources

• Victoria University of Wellington Course Catalog: Browse undergraduate course offerings.
  • Trimester 1 is the spring term; trimester 2 is the fall term.
• 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.