Communication Studies

Entry requirements

A postgraduate diploma can usually be taken at any time after the completion of your bachelor's degree.

If your first language is not English you need to meet our English language requirements as follows: IELTS score of 6.5 in the academic module (with no individual band below 6.0); we also accept a number of other English language tests. Due to COVID-19, we currently accept Duolingo English Test (DET), IELTS Indicator Test, and TOEFL iBT Special home Edition.

Don’t meet the English language requirements? The University of Otago Language Centre "English for Otago" programme offers a pathway for Undergraduate and Postgraduate students to meet the English language requirements for undergraduate and postgraduate study.

Months of entry

February, July

Course content

The Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (PGDipArts) requires two semesters of full-time study. It entails a structured programme of postgraduate coursework and, in some instances, a piece of supervised research that counts for one or two of the required papers. The normal admission requirement is a completed Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in the major of the proposed programme.

Graduates are employed in administration, business, education, government, industry and journalism where their advanced knowledge of an academic area, ability to solve problems, research and writing skills are valued. It is also a recognised qualification for admission as a candidate for the Master of Arts (MA) and, if a dissertation is included, the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

Communication Studies may be defined as the study of the processes and effects of interpersonal and mass communication involving the production, reception, and human processing of aural, verbal and visual messages in their cultural contexts.

The interdisciplinary programme has been developed in response to the recognised need for graduates who understand the processes, effects, and cultural implications of communication in the Information Age.

The revolution in information and communications technology has wrought profound changes in the way we experience the world and conduct our social, political and commercial affairs. It has produced more powerful systems of mass communication than have ever been seen before, which manipulate the ways in which we impart and receive information, and influence the ways in which we construct our individual and collective identities. It has resulted in a globalized economy with new pressures for increased understanding of intercultural communication, as well as the implications of modern technology and media for commercial and political interactions. Above all, it has introduced new interfaces with technology that affect every one of us in our daily lives.

Level of Award of the Diploma

The diploma may be awarded with distinction or with credit.

Diploma in a Second Subject

A student who has obtained the diploma in one subject may become a candidate for the diploma in any other subject.

Information for international students

Otago offers students an unrivalled campus experience and a vibrant, social student culture. The majority of Otago’s 21,000 students live, work and play in Dunedin - New Zealand’s only true university city. Otago is home to over 3,000 students, from over 100 countries.

Fees and funding