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Postgraduate subject

Cultural Studies

Mātai Ahurea

09 November 2023

Develop advanced skills in critical thinking while studying a range of cultural forms.

HOW TO APPLY

Overview


Cultural Studies

Introduction

Postgraduate students in Cultural Studies develop advanced skills in reading, writing, and critical thinking, while pursuing their own interests in a range of topics exploring the plurality of culture.

Postgraduate study in Cultural Studies also develops skills in analysis and communication that are highly desirable in the workplace.

Cultural Studies

What will my study involve?

  • UC offers the only Cultural Studies degree programmes in Aotearoa New Zealand.
  • Cultural Studies is a ‘virtual’ programme: our core courses are taught from within the Department of English, and other courses draw from the expertise of academics from more than a dozen departments across the faculty. This offers you considerable freedom and flexibility in your studies, while ensuring that our degrees have a robust foundation in Cultural Studies theories and methods.
  • As an interdisciplinary programme, we are able to supervise research projects across many fields, which means we can support students with diverse interests and backgrounds. Our students learn and research at the intersection of fascinating areas, including but not limited to, gender and sexuality, intersectional politics, Human-Animal and Critical Animal Studies, literature and film, ecocriticism, cultural identity, and more.

Cultural Studies

Courses

Bachelor of Arts with Honours students take two courses of their choice from within the programme, complete a course in Arts methodologies (ARTS401), and develop their own 10,000-word research essay (CULT402) on a topic of their choosing. In some cases, students may undertake an internship (PACE495).

You may also take Cultural Studies Honours courses as part of a Postgraduate Certificate in Arts or Postgraduate Diploma in Arts.

Students taking a 180-point Master of Arts take a course in Arts methodologies and three other courses from the programme (which may include an internship), followed by a supervised dissertation of 20,000 words in a topic of choice.

Alternatively, a Master of Arts (Thesis) is available to students who have already completed an honours degree with excellent grades. MA(Thesis) students complete a supervised 40,000-word thesis in a topic of choice.

At PhD level, doctoral students undertake extended research on a topic of choice, with the support of supervisors who are recognised experts in their fields.

Cultural Studies

Career opportunities

Our graduates are valued for their intellectual flexibility and creativity and get jobs in the public and private sectors, in non-governmental and not-for profit realms, and as self-employed freelancers.

Career pathways will depend on your degree focus. Some graduates work in areas like education, publishing, and writing. Theatre, film, and television are also possibilities, as is the GLAM sector (galleries, libraries, archives, and museums).

Our graduates are also present in equity and advocacy, environmental services, urban development, foreign affairs and diplomacy, arts entrepreneurship, therapeutic practice, local and national politics, policy and governance, public relations and communications, advertising, technology and digital services, and community engagement.

Find out more about what you can do with a degree in Cultural Studies.

Related brochures


Postgraduate Prospectus 2025

Whakatairanga Tāura

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International Prospectus 2024/2025

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