Master of Arts (Thesis) (MA(Thesis)) in Sociology
MA
DURATION
1 year
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Key Summary
Master of Arts (Thesis) (MA(Thesis)) in Sociology
The MA by thesis
The thesis option normally requires at least one year of full-time study and entails completion of a thesis. The thesis is a major piece of supervised research of up to 40,000 words on a topic of current interest.
The primary aim of the MA by thesis Program is to develop in a candidate skills needed to identify a significant topic, design and implement an extended piece of research, and present the findings in a form acceptable to an expert readership.
Why study Sociology?
If you believe that Sociology has meaning, relevance and applicability beyond the University, you are already one step ahead in developing your sociological imagination. This term was coined by the American sociologist, C Wright Mills, who wanted us to see how our “private troubles” related to “public issues”.
For instance, instead of blaming people for their circumstances, with our sociological imagination we can begin to see how political arrangements, economic forces and the broader social order operate to create a world in which some people have the opportunities to advance, while others do not.
While the experience of being poor, unemployed or discriminated against is felt very deeply at the personal level, our sociological imagination encourages us to understand how the thoughts, feelings and actions of the individual relate to broader structural and historical realities.
Several scholarship options are available. Please check the university website for more information.
- The degree can be undertaken as a 240-point Program of study comprising papers and a thesis for students with a bachelor’s degree or as a 120-point thesis-only Program for students with appropriate postgraduate level study (see Section 1(c)).
- The degree may be awarded in any of the subjects listed in the MA(Thesis) Schedule. With the approval of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Humanities) the degree may be awarded in a subject not listed in the MA(Thesis) Schedule.
- The student’s course of study shall be approved by the Dean, Head of School, Program or Department. In the case of the 240-point Program, the Dean, Head of School, Program or Department will confirm that the combination of papers will provide adequate preparation for the thesis component.
- A candidate shall, before commencing the investigation to be described in the thesis, secure the approval of the Dean, Head of the School, or Head of Program or Department concerned for the topic, the supervisory team, and the proposed course of the investigation.
- A candidate may not present a thesis which has previously been accepted for another degree.
- A candidate taking the degree by papers and thesis must pass both the papers and the thesis components.
- For a thesis, the research should be of a kind that a diligent and competent student should complete within one year of full-time study.
Subject areas
The degree may be awarded in any of the following subjects:
- Anthropology
- Childhood and Youth Studies
- Chinese
- Classics
- Communication Studies
- Computer Science
- Development Studies
- Economics
- Education
- English
- Film and Media Studies
- French
- Gender Studies
- Geography
- German
- History
- Human Services
- Indigenous Development / He Kura Matanui
- Information Science
- Japanese
- Linguistics
- Māori Studies
- Mathematics
- Music
- Peace and Conflict Studies
- Philosophy
- Politics
- Psychology
- Religious Studies
- Sociology
- Spanish
- Statistics
- Theatre Studies
Level of Award of the Degree
The degree may be awarded with distinction or with credit.
Sociology graduates work in a variety of fields such as local and national politics, government departments, non-profit organisations, trade unions, social services, public health, journalism, social policy development, advertising and marketing, human resources and academia.
Application details
Applicants must apply online. They should also attach all the necessary supporting documents which includes scanned copies of their official high school or foundation transcripts (awards gained, marks, grades); scanned copies of the relevant official transcripts of previous university study; and provide proof of their identity this is usually achieved by providing a certified copy of the personal details page of their passport or a birth certificate (in English). Applicants may also be required to submit an Educational Credential Evaluators report (ECE). As soon as applicants have completed their online application, their proof of identity document must be posted to International Office, University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054, New Zealand. International student applications for semester 1/summer school study close: Oct-31; Semester 2 study close: Apr-30.