Victoria University of Wellington

Master of Science by coursework and thesis – MSc

Build on your Bachelor's degree with advanced scientific study at the Master's level and become a leader in your field.

Get a degree that's recognised worldwide and contribute to knowledge in your field. A Master of Science (MSc) will develop your technical, laboratory and academic writing skills to prepare you for a career in science.

The MSc will take you between two and two and half years of full-time study or up to four years part-time. In the first year of your MSc, you'll take several courses related to your specialist subject area. Next, you'll carry out in-depth supervised research for 12–15 months and write a thesis. During your studies, you might also author publications for peer-reviewed journals.

To do an MSc you'll need a Bachelor's degree in an appropriate field, with an average grade of B+ or higher in your subject area. You may also be able to qualify for entry if you have appropriate work or other experience.

Range of Master's programmes

Choose to complete this Master's programme or one of the specialist science Master's programmes. Most specialist programmes are 180 points and don't require a thesis.

If you have already done a BSc(Hons) you can apply to go directly into the 120-point MSc by thesis.

Workload

If you are studying full-time, you can expect a workload of 40–45 hours a week for much of the year. Part-time students doing two courses per trimester must do around 20–23 hours of work a week. Make sure you take this into account if you are working.