Course details

Summary

‌Biology means the study of living things. Biologists investigate animals, plants and microbes in many different ways and on a huge range of scales from molecules and cells to individual organisms, populations and ecosystems.

During the past few decades the study of biology has undergone rapid change and has had a significant impact on the way we live. We are now able to produce antibiotics and vaccines, grow disease resistant crops, transplant organs and manipulate genes. Biologists today are actively researching solutions to vital concerns such as increasing world food supply, improving and protecting our environment and conquering disease.

We need to know how micro-organisms, plants and animals work and how they interact on land and in the sea and freshwaters. Of increasing importance to us is global climate change and how this affects the living world.

The full suite of molecular biology and biochemistry equipment includes:

• a real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction machine (or DNA amplifier)
• an automatic DNA sequencer
• a confocal microscope
• tissue culture and image processing facilities
• controlled plant growth chambers
• an experimental garden and glasshouse complex
• and an extensive computer network.

The UC Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is a research-only degree carried out under expert supervision and using world-class facilities.

A PhD involves extensive, sustained and original research and study in your chosen subject, with the results being presented in a thesis that will contribute to intellectual knowledge of the field. It is a mark of intellectual ability, self-discipline and commitment. A PhD prepares you for a number of careers, including as an academic.

The minimum period of enrolment for a full-time candidate is two years and the maximum period four years; most PhD students take between three and three-and-a-half years.

Career opportunities

Our graduates have gone on to positions as teachers, technicians, researchers, managers and diverse other careers in agriculture, horticulture, veterinary and medical science, freshwater and marine fisheries, aquaculture, oceanography, entomology, soil biology, and food, brewing and pharmaceutical industries.

Government agencies frequently target Biological Sciences graduates. Regular employers of our graduates include Crown Research Institutes, government ministries concerned with conservation, the environment, agriculture, forestry and health, and regional and local councils.

A Biological Sciences degree indicates you have the ability to access, understand, analyse and communicate complex information. This is attractive to many employers.

Entry criteria

Enrolment in a PhD requires completion of a research-focused honours or master's degree at first-class or second-class division 1 level (or equivalent qualifications). Applicants with qualifications from outside New Zealand must have been granted admission to the University.

Other English language requirements: TOEFL PBT with a minimum score of 575 and TWE with a minimum score of 4.5; CCEL EAP Level 2 with a minimum B+ grade; CAE or CPE score of 176 with a minimum of 169 in reading, writing, listening and speaking; Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE with an overall score of 64 and no PTE communicative skills score below 58.