Course details

Summary

The Postgraduate Diploma in Science (PGDipSci) is a one-year programme which builds on an undergraduate science degree. The diploma encompasses both papers and a research topic, and can be taken full-time or part-time. It provides entry to the Master of Science (MSc) degree by thesis only.

Botany covers all aspects of the life of plants. It therefore includes their structure and development, physiology and biochemistry, health and disease, relationships with other organisms and the environment (ecology), as well as the traditional aspects of plant identification and classification.

The main emphasis at Otago is on the general biology, ecology and physiology of higher plants and marine algae, although other groups (conifers, ferns, mosses and fungi) are also included in the papers offered.

Papers

BTNY 480 Research Project

BTNY 461 Plant Physiology and Biotechnology

BTNY 465 Plant and Environment

BTNY 467 New Zealand Plant Ecology and Evolution

BTNY 470 Special Topics

Note: With approval from the Head of Department another 400-level paper may be substituted for one of BTNY 461-470.

Entry criteria

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

Every applicant shall have fulfilled one of the following conditions: have been admitted to the degree of Bachelor of Science majoring in the subject or subjects of study proposed; have been admitted with the status of one who is entitled to proceed to the diploma; have a qualification acceptable to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor and produce evidence satisfactory to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of ability to proceed to the diploma.

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.