Master’s and PhD

The Department of Paediatrics and Child Health (Dunedin) offers postgraduate programmes for students seeking masters' and PhD degrees. Applicants do not need to be medical graduates; we encourage both medical and non-medical graduates to undertake master's or PhD research.

We have both medical and non-medical academic staff, including many joint-clinical (both academic and clinical), who may supervise projects carried out by graduates from fields other than medicine.

Prospective students interested in studying with us can consult our list of academic staff as potential supervisors, the research groups they are involved with, and discover what our current postgraduates are studying:

• Academic staff
• Research groups
• Current postgraduate students

Career opportunities

Our graduates work in:

• Academic research management
• Health-related advisory roles with the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Social Development, and University of Otago
• Postdoctoral fellowships within the University of Otago or at other tertiary institutions
• Senior positions in genetic counselling
• University clinical teaching

Get advice on boosting your employability at the Career Development Centre

Admission

University admission

University regulations govern admission to master's and PhD study. Acceptance into the supervisor's area of study is usually on a case-by-case basis, with the suitability of undergraduate training addressed as a priority. Each student has a primary and, in most cases, a secondary supervisor. Secondary supervisors may be members of staff in other departments.

• Research Master's (thesis) admission and study
• PhD admission and study

Funding

Scholarships

There are a variety of scholarships you can apply for when you study with us:

• Search the University of Otago scholarships database
• Freemasons Child Health Research Fellowships

The following institution advertises available scholarships and fellowships:

Royal Australian College of Physicians

Additional funding

We allocate funds to support PhD, master's, and BMedSc students with the direct costs of their research. In addition, there is specific funding students can get to support conference travel or fee payments.

Conference and travel support

Every PhD student in the University of Otago is offered funding towards the cost of presenting their research at a relevant international conference. The Division of Health Sciences will accept applications for this scheme at any time of the year. Applications must be received at least three months prior to date of travel.

• Learn more about the Division of Health Sciences PhD travel grants
• Explore other travel and conference scholarships and funding

Department funding

Our current research staff and students may be entitled to a yearly amount of department funding. There is an internal application process and the PCH Research Operations Committee will evaluate your application and be responsible for approvals. For more information, contact the Research Administrator (below).

Publishing bursaries

Postgraduate Publishing Bursaries are available upon completion of PhD or Master's as support for candidates to complete papers arising from their research.

Applications may be submitted at any time, provided that they are received no later than one month following submission of the thesis.

Find out more about Postgraduate Publishing Bursaries

Contact

To find out more about postgraduate study in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health (Dunedin), please contact:

Mel O'Brien
Research Administrator 
Tel +64 3 556 6024
Email pch.research@otago.ac.nz