Study History at Otago

• Overview
• Contact details
• Qualifications
• Papers
• Programme requirements
• Minor subject requirements for undergraduate programmes

Overview

History moves like tectonic plates: mostly imperceptibly, but sometimes with astonishing ruptures.

What kinds of historical shifts lie behind a Brexit, a Trump, or a Treaty of Waitangi for that matter? What counts as historical truth in a world of ‘alternative facts’?

Studying history provides students with a deep feeling for the ways time has shaped today’s complex world, and the intellectual tools to tackle an enticingly wide range of professional and career challenges.

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Contact details

Email history@otago.ac.nz
Website otago.ac.nz/history

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Qualifications

• Bachelor of Arts (BA)
• Bachelor of Arts and Science (BASc)
• Bachelor of Arts with Honours (BA(Hons))
• Diploma for Graduates (DipGrad)
• Postgraduate Diploma in Arts Subjects (PGDipArts)
• Master of Arts (Coursework) (MA(Coursework))
• Master of Arts (Thesis) (MA(Thesis))
• Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Papers

See the full list of History (HIST) papers.

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Programme Requirements

Bachelor of Arts (BA) majoring in History

Level	Papers	Points
100-level	Two 100-level HIST papers Any 100-level ARTV paper may be substituted for one 100-level HIST paper.	36
200-level	Three 200-level HIST papers Any 200-level ARTV paper, CHIN 244 Writing China: Texts, Ideas and History, CHTH 206, The Reformation, ENVI 211 Environmental History of New Zealand, ENGL 215 The Anglo-Saxons: An Interdisciplinary Approach, or MAOR 207 Ngā Kōrero Nehe - Tribal Histories, may be substituted for one 200-level HIST paper.	54
300-level	Four 300-level HIST papers  Any 300-level ARTV paper, CHIN 344 Writing China: Texts, Ideas and History, or MAOR 307 Te Tūtakitanga o Ngā Ao e Rua, may be substituted for one 300-level HIST paper.	72
Plus	198 further points; must include 54 points at 200-level or above. Up to 90 points may be taken from outside Arts	198
Total		360

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Bachelor of Arts with Honours (BA(Hons)) in History

Papers
HIST 490  Dissertation HIST 452  Rethinking History Two further 400-level HIST papers One other relevant 400-level paper (which may include MAOR 407 Presenting Pacific Histories) may be substituted for one 400-level HIST paper, with approval from the Head of Programme, History.

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Postgraduate Diploma in Arts Subjects (PGDipArts) in History

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)).

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Master of Arts (Coursework) (MA(Coursework)) in History

Papers
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 two 400-level HIST papers one other relevant 400-level paper (which may include MAOR 407) approved by the Head of Programme, History

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Master of Arts (Thesis) (MA(Thesis)) in History

Thesis
Thesis: HIST 5 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.

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Minor Subject Requirements

History as a minor subject for a BA, MusB, BPA, BTheol, BSc, BAppSc, BCom, BHealSc, or BASc degree

Available as a minor subject for a Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Music (MusB), Bachelor of Performing Arts (BPA), Bachelor of Theology (BTheol), Bachelor of Science (BSc), Bachelor of Applied Science (BAppSc), Bachelor of Commerce (BCom), Bachelor of Health Science (BHealSc), or Bachelor of Arts and Science (BASc) degree

Level	Papers	Points
100-level	Two 100-level HIST papers	36
200-level	Two 200-level HIST papers	36
300-level	One 300-level HIST paper	18
Total		90

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This information must be read subject to the statement on our Copyright & Disclaimer page.

Regulations on this page are taken from the 2020 Calendar and supplementary material.