Postgraduate Study in History
Understand the past, shape the future.
Understanding the past provides a compass that helps you navigate the present and shape the future. Regardless of geographic area or time period, studying history provides an unrivalled basis for making sense of an increasingly complex and unstable world.
The analytical and communication skills that history teaches are also keys for entry to a wide range of rewarding careers. Many of these – such as research, teaching, journalism, public policy, diplomacy, and the heritage and museum sectors – are also among those least likely to be overtaken by historical change themselves, in the form of automation or artificial intelligence.
Why study History?
Above all, History investigates human societies across time and space – few things are more fascinating. Studying History is about questioning the past imaginatively. Historians take nothing for granted: they search behind the façade of the present to uncover multiple 'truths' about the past.
Yet History is also firmly grounded in the realities of daily life, and studying History helps prepare you for almost any conceivable career. In the rapidly changing world of the 21st century, it is more important than ever to understand human diversity and the complexity of social structures, and to understand why they change. Because of its broad-ranging nature, no discipline is better suited to this task than History.
The historian's skills of research, analysis, synthesis and communication are also essential in the modern job market. History graduates work in a range of exciting fields that are as diverse as history itself.
Are you just starting uni?
Learn about studying History as an undergraduate at Otago.
Choose a study option
Whether you are advancing your career with our specialised graduate qualifications or pursuing in-depth research and expertise through our postgraduate programmes, Otago is here to support your aspirations.
Postgraduate qualifications
Honours, Master’s, PhDs, and other advanced degrees for graduates. Just one additional year of study will earn you a valuable postgraduate degree. Or perhaps you want the depth of a full year of research-only time during a Master’s or to step up to a PhD.
Bachelor of Arts with Honours (BA(Hons))
A four-year degree focusing on advanced study and culminating in a research project in the final year
Postgraduate Diploma in Arts Subjects (PGDipArts)
A two-semester programme of structured coursework, and in some cases supervised research, extending the knowledge and skills gained from the bachelor’s degree
Master of Arts (Coursework) (MA(Coursework))
A coursework degree with an optional research dissertation component, usually completed in 12 to 18 months of full-time study, or part-time over a longer period
Master of Arts (Thesis) (MA(Thesis))
A one- or two-year degree entailing a major research project, culminating in a thesis
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Engage in original research leading to a doctoral thesis, supported by comprehensive academic and social networks
Graduate Qualifications
Our graduate qualifications are crafted to transition students from foundational studies to advanced, specialised knowledge.
Ready to apply?
Take your expertise to the next level with advanced study.
Programme details
Compare programmes for this subject.
The Postgraduate Diploma in Arts Subjects (PGDipArts) programme in History is the same as the programme for the degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honours (BA(Hons)).
| Dissertation / Studio Project Requirements |
|---|
| HIST 590 Research Dissertation |
| Two of: |
| HUMS 501 Writing and Revision for Graduate Research |
| HUMS 502 Research Methods in the Humanities |
| HUMS 503 Key Debates in the Humanities |
| And further: |
| 400-level HIST papers worth 60 points |
| Papers-Only Requirements |
| At least two of: |
| HUMS 501 Writing and Revision for Graduate Research |
| HUMS 502 Research Methods in the Humanities |
| HUMS 503 Key Debates in the Humanities |
| And further: |
| 400-level HIST papers worth 90 points |
| And: |
| One other relevant 400-level paper (which may include MAOR 407) approved by the Head of Programme, History |
| Note: Students are able to take one of HUMS 501-503 not already taken as an optional paper in this pathway. |
| Thesis |
|---|
Note: Students who have not completed a Bachelor of Arts (BA(Hons)) in History or a Postgraduate Diploma in Arts Subjects (PGDipArts) in History must complete the required papers for the BA(Hons) in History prior to undertaking the thesis. |
Papers
View a list of all related papers below.
HIST papers
| Paper Code | Year | Title | Points | Teaching period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HIST102 | 2025 | The Global Twentieth Century | 18 points | Semester 1 |
| HIST107 | 2025 | New Zealand in the World from the 18th Century | 18 points | Semester 1 |
| HIST108 | 2025 | From Medieval to Modern Europe | 18 points | Semester 2 |
| HIST123 | 2025 | Revolutions | 18 points | Semester 2 |
| HIST206 | 2025 | An Introduction to Pacific History | 18 points | Semester 1 |
| HIST215 | 2025 | Heretics, Witches, and Inquisitors | 18 points | Not offered in 2025, expected to be offered in 2026 |
| HIST216 | 2025 | Tyrants and Traitors: Britain and France, 1100-1800 | 18 points | Semester 2 |
| HIST218 | 2025 | Modern Irish History Since 1798 | 18 points | Not offered in 2025 |
| HIST223 | 2025 | Empires and Globalisations | 18 points | Not offered in 2025, expected to be offered in 2026 |
| HIST225 | 2025 | Totalitarian Regimes: Europe 1922-1945 | 18 points | Not offered in 2025, expected to be offered in 2026 |
| HIST229 | 2025 | Darwin versus God? Science and Society, 1789-1914 | 18 points | Semester 2 |
| HIST230 | 2025 | Special Topic | 18 points | Not offered in 2025 |
| HIST231 | 2025 | Special Topic | 18 points | Not offered in 2025 |
| HIST232 | 2025 | Special Topic | 18 points | Not offered in 2025 |
| HIST234 | 2025 | Crime, Shame and Scandal in New Zealand | 18 points | Semester 2 |
| HIST241 | 2025 | War and the Modern World | 18 points | Not offered in 2025, expected to be offered in 2026 |
| HIST242 | 2025 | Histories of Crime and Punishment | 18 points | Not offered in 2025 |
| HIST244 | 2025 | New Zealand Society and Religion | 18 points | Semester 1 |
| HIST245 | 2025 | Global Migrations: From Slavery to Refugees | 18 points | Semester 1 |
| HIST246 | 2025 | Activist Histories: Contesting Settler Colonialism | 18 points | Not offered in 2025, expected to be offered in 2027 |
| HIST303 | 2025 | Modern India | 18 points | Semester 1 |
| HIST308 | 2025 | New Zealand Society and Religion | 18 points | Semester 1 |
| HIST318 | 2025 | Australia since 1788: Boundaries of Belonging | 18 points | Not offered in 2025, expected to be offered in 2026 |
| HIST325 | 2025 | Modern Italy | 18 points | Semester 1 |
| HIST327 | 2025 | Interpreting Māori Lives: Rebels, Radicals and Reformers | 18 points | Not offered in 2025 |
| HIST328 | 2025 | Irish and Scottish Migrations in the 19th and 20th Centuries | 18 points | Semester 2 |
| HIST331 | 2025 | Special Topic | 18 points | Not offered in 2025 |
| HIST333 | 2025 | Special Topic | 18 points | Not offered in 2025 |
| HIST341 | 2025 | Patriotism: From Joan of Arc to Kamikaze | 18 points | Not offered in 2025, expected to be offered in 2026 |
| HIST347 | 2025 | Empires Strike Back: A Global History of Decolonization | 18 points | Semester 2 |
| HIST348 | 2025 | Origins of Modern Scotland | 18 points | Not offered in 2025 |
| HIST353 | 2025 | Practising History | 18 points | Semester 2 |
| HIST430 | 2025 | Special Topic | 30 points | Not offered in 2025 |
| HIST452 | 2025 | Rethinking History | 30 points | Semester 1 |
| HIST481 | 2025 | Historiography Project | 30 points | Semester 1 |
| HIST490 | 2025 | Dissertation | 60 points | Full Year (24 February 2025 - 7 November 2025) |
| HIST590 | 2025 | Research Dissertation | 60 points | 1st Non standard period (28 February 2025 - 20 February 2026), 2nd Non standard period (11 July 2025 - 3 July 2026) |
Contacts
History Programme
Email history@otago.ac.nz
Web otago.ac.nz/history
This information must be read subject to the statement on our Copyright & Disclaimer page.
Regulations on this page are taken from the 2025 Calendar and supplementary material.
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