Humanities subjects at Otago cover two main areas of learning: the Arts and the Social Sciences. Together they comprise those subjects that explore the processes and systems of the human world, and the ways in which men and women interpret and represent their experience of it. Professional programmes in Law, Social Work, Teaching and Theology are an integral part of these studies.

The Division of Humanities is distinguished by excellence in teaching and research. All teaching is research-informed, and annual student surveys have confirmed that student satisfaction with the quality of Otago Humanities courses and teaching is very high. The recently released results for the government’s Performance Based Research Fund (PBRF) confirmed the Division as one of the top research institutions in New Zealand in the arts, social sciences, and humanities.