Postgraduate Certificate in Health Sciences

The Postgraduate Certificate in Health Sciences (PGCertHealSc) is designed to enable health professionals to specialise in specific areas of practice at a postgraduate level, studying on a part-time basis. In general, this qualification is intended for health professionals who have completed three years of tertiary study and already have experience in the field.

The Certificate may lead into the Postgraduate Diploma in Health Sciences (PGDipHealSc), or Master of Health Sciences (MHealSc) degree.

Information for new applicants

The Postgraduate Certificate in Health Sciences (PGCertHealSc) is a postgraduate certificate comprising compulsory papers to the value of 60 points (usually two 30 point papers) from a schedule of "endorsed" options listed below.

You can obtain information about each endorsement by clicking on the links below.

The Postgraduate Certificate in Health Sciences is taught from three campuses (Dunedin, Christchurch and Wellington).

The Certificate may be credited towards the Postgraduate Diploma Health Sciences, though admission to the Diploma will depend upon performance.

Please seek advice from a course adviser prior to submitting your application.

Division of Health Sciences website

Postgraduate entrance requirements

Entrance requirements for postgraduate study vary by programme with most requiring a minimum bachelor-level qualification in the same field, and some having additional requirements such as relevant work experience and/or professional registration in New Zealand.

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

If you hold an honours degree or postgraduate diploma you may be able to eligible for master’s study by thesis only. In some cases if you hold a bachelor’s degree you may apply for a coursework master’s degree or for master’s study by coursework and thesis.

To study a PhD you usually require the completion of a master’s degree, or a first-class or upper second-class honours degree in the same area of study, or a related discipline, as your intended area of research.

Check the postgraduate students pages for specific information on the entrance requirements of the programme you are interested in.

IELTS (Academic module) (including IELTS Online) : Overall score of 6.5, no individual band below 6.0

TOEFL iBT : Overall score of 90 and a writing score of 21 The University of Otago TOEFL institution code is 9483 (Please note we do not accept MyBest TOEFL scores)

Pearson Test of English ( PTE ) Academic : Overall score of 58 with no communicative skills score below 50

Duolingo English Test : Overall score of 120 (with no Individual Subscore below 95)