otago university phd

Higher Doctorate Degrees

Graduates of the University of Otago, or people who have a formal academic appointment or association with the University, may apply for a Higher Doctorate in the appropriate field.  The application first involves submission of a curriculum vitae, and an abstract explaining the proposed work to be examined.

The application is considered by the appropriate Pro-Vice-Chancellor, who decides whether the submission should continue.  If so, the applicant collates and generates a digital copy of the work to be examined and pays an examination fee.

Higher Doctorates awarded by the University of Otago are:

Doctor of Commerce (DCom)

Doctor of Dental Science (DDSc)

Doctor of Laws (LLD)

Doctor of Literature (LittD)

Doctor of Medicine (MD)

Doctor of Music (MusD)

Doctor of Science (DSc)

Regulations for the Higher Doctorate Degrees

Eligibility.

• A degree shall be awarded for published original contributions of special excellence in the appropriate discipline. An individual shall only ever be entitled to be awarded one Higher Doctorate from the University of Otago – applications for multiple Higher Doctorates are not permitted.
• Every candidate for a Higher Doctoral degree must have held a degree for at least five years before applying for admission to the degree.
• A candidate for the degree shall normally be a graduate of the University of Otago, or shall have completed a substantial proportion of the work to be presented while working in an academic or research unit of the University.

Application

• a curriculum vitae;
• an abstract and/or brief description of the work including a list of the published original contributions upon which the application is based; and
• a statutory declaration identifying the submitted work as original and stating that it has not previously been accepted for another qualification at any university or equivalent institution. Where co-authored work is submitted those parts which are a candidate’s own work should be identified, whereupon the University will review and advise if a case for the award of the degree exists.
• Where the case for an award exists, every candidate shall submit a digital copy of the work 2 upon which the application is based together with a narrative summary of the body of work of 5000-10000 words, which clearly describes the impact of the work or contribution to the relevant discipline or area of practice, and the required entry fee.
• In exceptional circumstances, and with the prior approval of the Senate, unpublished material may be submitted as part of the work.
• Additional work, published or unpublished, may be submitted as appendices in support of the application.

Notes: (1) The application shall be forwarded to the Dean, Graduate Research School. (2)  Permanently bound copies are acceptable if the work is already in that format.

Examination

• The submitted work shall be assessed by three examiners, appointed by the Senate on the recommendation of the appropriate Pro-Vice-Chancellor, at least one of whom shall be an overseas authority.
• Resubmission of work shall not be an outcome of the examination.
• Where the examiners cannot agree on a result, they should so report to the appropriate Pro-Vice-Chancellor, who shall nominate a referee to advise the Senate.
• Upon the successful completion of the examination process and award of the degree, a final digital copy of the work shall be deposited in the University’s online repository.

Notwithstanding anything in these regulations, the Senate shall have the discretion to vary any provision set down if, in its opinion, special or unusual circumstances warrant such variation.

Note: The Senate has delegated authority over the Higher Doctoral degrees to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Enterprise).

A Doctor of Commerce is awarded only to individuals who have published original contributions of special excellence in an area of business and related subjects, including private, public, or non-government sectors.

A Doctor of Dental Science recognises the results of substantial and original investigation of relevance to dentistry.

A Doctor of Laws is awarded only to individuals who have published original contributions of special excellence in the history, philosophy, exposition, or criticism of law.

A Doctor of Literature is awarded only to individuals who have achieved special excellence in their original contributions to linguistic, literary, social, or historical knowledge.

A Doctor of Medicine is awarded only to individuals who have achieved special excellence in their original contributions to medicine, or to health sciences.

To be eligible to apply for admission to the Otago Doctor of Medicine, the applicant must be a medical graduate of the University of Otago, or a medical graduate from another University who has completed a substantial proportion of the work to be presented while working in a department of the University.

A Doctor of Music shall be awarded on the basis of publicly performed or published original contributions of special excellence in musical composition, performance (including conducting), or scholarship.

Every candidate for a MusD shall submit three copies of a portfolio of the work, associated recordings, and supporting material upon which the application is based. The portfolio should include, but shall not be limited to, the following:

• In the case of a composer, manuscript or printed scores, details of performances of the works with supporting evidence such as posters and programmes for the concerts, media reviews of the performances, and recordings of musicians performing the works;
• In the case of a performer (instrumentalist, vocalist, or conductor), details of performances with supporting evidence such as posters and programmes for the concerts, media reviews of the performances, and recordings;
• In the case of a musicologist, copies of books and articles together with reviews from scholarly journals.

A Doctor of Science degree is awarded for published original contributions of special excellence, normally in the form of books or papers in scholarly journals, in some branch of science.

This information must be read subject to the statement on our Copyright & Disclaimer page.

Regulations on this page are taken from the 2024 Calendar and supplementary material.

• Knowledge Base
• KA-10000271

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

A Doctor of Philosophy ( PhD ) is a high-level degree available at the University of Otago. PhD degrees give you the freedom to undertake advanced research in a range of subject areas and specialties. Each have their own admission criteria.

To apply for PhD study at the University, you will first need to find a supervisor and a department, and then make a formal application.

Following acceptance, you will enrol for study. Enrolment is the administrative process which makes you a University of Otago student.

Enrolment for first year PhD study is part of the admission application and will be actioned after you have been admitted. You will need to re-enrol for each calendar year.

You must submit a thesis (of up to 100,000 words) prepared under supervision.

The degree takes a minimum of three years of equivalent full-time study to complete, with most students typically submitting their thesis between three and four years. Your progress will be regularly monitored and supported during your PhD .

Your thesis is marked by three examiners (usually one from overseas, one from within New Zealand, and one internal University of Otago examiner), followed by an oral examination.

Further information

Academic requirements for PhD admission Graduate Research School — PhD programme PhD application process PhD digital handbook

For information on how to appoint an external supervisor:

Guidelines for appointing external supervisors of PhD degree candidates ( PDF 46 KB )

AskOtago SharePoint: PhD application process

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University of Otago

The University of Otago is New Zealand’s first university and a vibrant international centre of learning. It was established in 1869 by Scottish settlers with a strong conviction in the transforming power of education. Today the University has about 20,000 students, from all over New Zealand and from nearly 100 countries around the world. Otago has many distinctive features. It is New Zealand’s most research-intensive university, and the highest ranked for the quality of its research. Otago academics have won the largest share of the prestigious Marsden Fund for five years in a row. In contrast to many other distinguished research universities, however, we also put a great emphasis on the quality of undergraduate teaching. Even first year students have the opportunity to be taught by academics who are world leaders in their field.

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