Course details

Summary

The Master of Physiotherapy (MPhty endorsed) programme aims to advance the student’s clinical reasoning and patient management skills beyond that of the entry level practitioner and provide one of the prerequisites necessary to achieve specialization. The one-semester research components that may comprise the design and implementation of a small research project, a case series, a data-based clinical review, a systematic review, or a critical review under the supervision of a member of staff, will ensure that the student is research enabled and ready to embrace evidence based practice in the performance of their career.

Alternatively, students can undertake two papers from the approved schedule and a thesis to obtain a research master's (MPhty). The School of Physiotherapy has a strong postgraduate research programme currently supporting numerous masters’ research students working on topics that range from neurological disorders to anatomical studies. We aim to provide students with a high level of knowledge and experience in order to help them develop their own research skills whether using qualitative or quantitative methodologies for statistical analysis, lab-based studies or community work, prevalence studies or intervention trialing – our aim is to have students complete their master’s confident in their abilities to conduct research and assess relevant literature and practices, whether this leads to PhD study in the future or to more assured clinical practice.

Structure of the Programme

With the permission of the Dean of Physiotherapy a candidate may be permitted to substitute papers worth 30 points in a relevant subject for one of the PHTY papers prescribed for an endorsement in the Schedule.

A candidate whose qualification for entry to the programme is a Postgraduate Diploma in Physiotherapy may be exempted from all or some of the required papers for an endorsed option.

A candidate may not present a thesis or dissertation which has previously been accepted for another degree.

The programme of study, the topic of the thesis, dissertation, or research project, and the supervisors of the research must be approved by the Board of Studies in Physiotherapy.

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.

A candidate must achieve an average grade of at least B in the 500-level papers in order to proceed to the 600-level papers or thesis.

Entry criteria

Admission to the programme shall be subject to the approval of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Health Sciences) on the advice of the Board of Studies in Physiotherapy, which must be satisfied that the candidate has the ability and experience to proceed to the programme.
Every applicant shall

• have been admitted to the degree of Bachelor of Physiotherapy or hold an equivalent qualification in physiotherapy acceptable to the Board of Studies in Physiotherapy;
• obtain registration with the Physiotherapy Board of New Zealand and possess an Annual Practising Certificate where appropriate; and
• have had relevant full-time post-qualification clinical experience in physiotherapy, where the application is for an area of specialisation.

English Language Requirements: IELTS - Score of 6.5 in the academic module (with no individual band below 6.0); Internet-based TOEFL Score of 95 with a minimum writing score of 22.; Paper-based TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of 587 (TWE 4.5); Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) – Overall score of 176 (with no individual band below 169); Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE) – Overall score of 176 (with no individual band below 169); APIEL Advanced Placement International English Language Examination - Grade 4 or higher; Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic - Overall score of 64 with no communicative skills score below 57; University of Otago Foundation Studies Ltd: Completion of 'English for Postgraduate Academic Purposes' with a grade of C or higher.