Course details

Summary

The Master of Science (MSc) is a two-year degree which encompasses both coursework and research. The first year involves mainly coursework and preliminary research preparation. Students will have the opportunity to contribute to existing fields of research, or to begin to develop new areas.

Clothing and many materials such as textiles and leather meet basic human needs, and are essential to performance, feelings of well-being in both the physical sense (e.g. for protection and warmth) and the social sense (e.g. belonging to a group). Clothing plays an important role in non-verbal communication indicating many personal and social characteristics of the wearer. Clothing and textile production and distribution are significant to the New Zealand and world economy, and clothing and textiles are one of the few product groups subject to control in international trade.

Papers in Clothing and Textile Sciences at the University of Otago aim to provide the terminology, theoretical bases and practical competencies to analyse structure, function and behaviour of clothing and various materials including textiles and leather. Clothing and Textile Sciences qualifications from Otago are internationally recognised and are accredited by The Textile Institute.

The two major areas of study in Clothing and Textile Sciences are physical and social.

In the physical area, discussion and experimentation focus on the inter-relationships among properties of fibres, yarns and materials and garment/product design, assembly processes, and performance; human body measurements in relation to garment fit, design, processes and performance; and evaluation and acceptability of apparel and materials.

In the social area, discussion and research focus on definition, classification and meaning of dress within a cultural and historical context; theoretical perspectives; the social, cultural, historical and economic functions of dress; and dress as material culture; and apparel manufacturing, marketing and distribution.

Papers and Thesis

CLTE 495 Master's Thesis Preparation

Four of:

CLTE 451 Physical Properties of Clothing and Textiles

CLTE 452 Social Aspects of Clothing sand Textiles

CLTE 453 Research Methods

CLTE 454 Clothing, Materials and Workplace Injury

CLTE 455 Topic in Advanced Clothing and Textile Sciences

CLTE 460 Cooperative Education Programme

Thesis: CLTE 5

Note: The papers are normally taken before undertaking the thesis.

Entry criteria

Admission to the programme shall be subject to the approval of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Sciences).

Every applicant must either: be a graduate with an average grade of at least B for the appropriate 300-level papers, or have alternative qualifications or experience acceptable to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Sciences).

An applicant seeking admission to the thesis-only option of the programme on the basis of the degree of Bachelor of Science with Honours or the Postgraduate Diploma in Science or equivalent must have achieved a grade of at least B+ for the research report, thesis preparation, or dissertation requirement of the qualification concerned.

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.