Genetics

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 Science (PGDipSci) is a one-year programme which builds on an undergraduate science degree. The diploma encompasses both papers and a research topic, and can be taken full-time. It provides entry to the Master of Science (MSc) degree by thesis only.

Genetics combines the classical approaches of Mendelian genetics and cyto-genetics with the recently developed discipline of molecular genetics. Very much a practical science, it also has a complex and interesting theoretical foundation.

Papers

• GENE 480 Research Project
• GENE 411 Current Topics in Genetics
• GENE 412 Current Topics in Genetics

Two of:

• ANAT 456 Developmental Biology
• BIOC 462 Molecular Biology
• BIOC 463 Contemporary Technologies in Biochemistry
• BTNY 467 New Zealand Plant Ecology and Evolution
• MICR 461 Molecular Microbiology
• PLBI 401 Special Topics
• STAT 435 Data Analysis for Bioinformatics
• ZOOL 410 Evolutionary Genetics

Note: With approval from the Programme Director another 400-level paper may be substituted for one of the papers listed above

Structure of the Programme

• Every programme of study shall satisfy the requirements for the subject concerned as set out above.
• With the permission of the Heads of the Departments concerned, a candidate may substitute a paper of another subject for one of the required papers.
• Any required research report must be submitted no later than 1 November.

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