Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

Find a selection of frequently asked questions on AskAuckland

Please don't hesitate to contact us.

Student Centre
Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences
Phone: +64 9 923 2760
Fax: +64 9 308 2380
Email: fmhs@auckland.ac.nz

You have to be admitted to a programme to enrol in a course. If you're not sure that you want to complete a whole programme, or you just want to complete one course, then you could enrol in a course as a certificate of proficiency (COP).   Any course offered by the faculty can be taken as a COP, although you cannot later reassign them to a masters programme. However, even if you want to enrol in a COP you still need to apply for admission.

Courses are measured in points and full-time students usually enrol in 120 points a year (although a course load of 100 points per year or 50 points per semester is defined as full-time). Postgraduate courses are usually 15 points, although there are some courses that are 30, 60, 90 or 120 points.

For a 15 point course you should expect to study for 10 hours on average per week, including contact time for lectures.

A number of courses and programmes are also offered through Flexible or distance learning.

If you are returning to complete more courses on the same programme then you do not need to apply for admission again. To find out how to enrol in your courses, go to Enrolment

If you have completed a programme and want to continue studying towards another programme then you can apply to change programme through Student Services Online. You will then become an applicant for the new programme.

If you are a student with Māori or Pacific ancestry, PG Poutama STEPPS is a set of online tools designed specifically for you.  The online tools help you as you prepare for postgraduate study in the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences (FMHS) at the University of Auckland.

We understand it can be overwhelming knowing where to start if you have not studied at tertiary level or have had a long gap since studying. The online PG Poutama STEPPS tools are aimed to help you identify areas where you feel more or less prepared for postgraduate study.

You can start by taking the simple Reflective Questionnaire.

It takes 5-10 minutes to complete and will provide you with a personalised profile showing how prepared you feel for postgraduate study in key areas.

Or you can access the full PG Poutama STEPPS website and Preparation Tools by visiting our website PG Poutama STEPPS.

If you are interested in doctoral study then you should initially contact the doctoral adviser from the school or department that you would like to study in, and give them an outline of your academic record and intended area of research. They will then be able to advise you if the school can provide the necessary level of supervision and resources.

Find out about Applying for a doctorate, and doctoral advisers

The University of Auckland has certain legal obligations that it must fulfil including the need to verify your name, date of birth and citizenship. If you have completed tertiary study elsewhere, the University will also need to assess that study before you can be offered admission so you should submit an academic transcript (see below). The academic transcript will be used to confirm that you meet the entry requirements for our postgraduate programmes.

Although in some cases you may already have met similar requirements to become registered with a professional association, evidence of your registration is not sufficient to allow you to gain entry to the University of Auckland. You must still supply the required documents to gain admission to our programmes.

The requirement for documents is not designed to make the admission process difficult, but delays in processing your application can occur if you do not provide the correct documents promptly. If you have any questions about the need to supply documents, or if you are having difficulty supplying the necessary documents, please contact the administrator for the programme, or the faculty's Postgraduate Office as soon as possible.

An academic transcript is a formal document issued by an institution that lists the courses undertaken by a student at that institution, the grades attained in those courses, and the date and title of any qualifications conferred. Some people will not be able to get an academic transcript because they completed their professional qualification somewhere other than a tertiary institution. If you think you fall into this category, please contact us as soon as possible to discuss what you should supply instead. If you have completed your study at the University of Auckland, you can request an electronic copy of your academic transcript. Find out how to request an official transcript of your academic record.

Entry requirements for postgraduate programmes vary from programme to programme, although applicants applying for postgraduate study with the faculty must normally have either a recognised tertiary level qualification in their area of study or a recognised professional qualification and work experience. Some programmes also require the student to be currently registered with a professional association.

Information on entry requirements for specific programmes can be found in the information about that programme. The specific regulations surrounding entry to and completion of programmes can also be found in the University of Auckland Calendar.