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Choosing a potential supervisor


Productive postgraduate research depends on developing a successful collaboration between student and supervisor. The supervisor, or the principal supervisor in the case of co-supervison, should be an academic staff member in the Department of Geography.

Finding a supervisor for your research is a critical task, and before making a commitment to a particular project, students should find out as much as they can. Browse through our staff research interests to find out who is most appropriate for your area of interest. It is often best to contact the academic staff member by email asking what their expectations of students are and their availability over the course of the research.

It is important at the outset to establish that financial or laboratory (if applicable) resources are available to complete the planned research. Generally, the greater the shared interest in the topic of the research, the more likely it is that both the student and supervisor will be stimulated to work together productively.

Our postgraduate students' profile pages are also a good place to look for information on the kinds of projects our post grads are working on.

Be sure to check the department's research framework for ideas on the kind of work we're currently undertaking.

Enrolment at Otago involves three phases

  1. applying to the University and/or for your programme
  2. completing your online course enrolment
  3. paying your fees

Before you start, you should decide

  • what you intend to study (e.g. programme, major subject or endorsement and papers)
  • when you intend to start (Summer School, first semester or second semester)

Are you applying for the first time at Otago?

Check the entry requirements for the programme you want to study and take note of the due dates. When you're ready click the 'Apply Now' button, which is only displayed while a programme is open for applications. This takes you to eVision where you can create your student portal.


Are you continuing your studies at Otago?

Course approval is now an online process. Students are no longer posted Forms for Course Approval. Log into eVision and follow the instructions to complete phase two and three of Enrolment.


Are you continuing your studies at Otago but want to apply for a new programme?

Course approval is now an online process. Log into eVision and click 'Apply for another programme' in the 'Programmes and papers' section.

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