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Allow us to introduce ourselves...

1. Excellent career prospects

Politics graduates find employment in a wide range of places, including in many New Zealand Government Departments, such as the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), Ministry of Justice, Immigration New Zealand and Parliamentary Service. Our graduates also work for the United Nations and associated agencies, NGOs and the not-for-profit sector, consultancy firms, research institutes, and in health, media and education.

Meet some of our wonderful graduates!

2. A large, diverse student community

Every year, more than 360 students begin the study of Politics at Otago through one of the four 100-level papers encompassing the major streams in Politics:

3. Big choice of papers

The Politics Programme offers around 30 papers papers every year covering a wide range of topics such as Theories of Justice, Politics and the Media in New Zealand, Contemporary Issues in International Relations, Theories of Justice, and Politics of the Middle East.

4. Interesting degree combinations

Over 325 students were majoring in Politics at Otago in 2019, with 20% taking a double major (popular subjects to combine with Politics are Communication Studies, Economics, Geography, History, and Philosophy), 20% completing a BA(Politics)/LLB double degree, and even a handful of students doing a BA/LLB double degree-double major! Otago is also the only university in New Zealand where students interested in Politics can major in Politics, Philosophy and Economics.

5. Smart cookies

Politics at Otago has produced a number of Rhodes Scholars who go on to study at prestigious international universities, such as Ben Abraham and Iona Mylek, both recent BA(Hons) graduates, who went on to study at the University of Oxford.

6. Excellence recognised

Politics prizes for undergrads include top 300-level student and top 300-level Māori student. There are also postgraduate prizes for best Master of Politics dissertation and best Master of Arts thesis.

7. Making the world a better place

Politics students are actively engaged in political and community initiatives beyond the lecture theatre, taking up opportunities with the organisations such as Youth Parliament, UN Youth, and Ignite Consultants, as well as standing for election themselves with OUSA, community boards and other organisations.

8. One big, happy family

Politics has a vibrant student society – POLSA, which was established in 2017 and is a great way to meet other politics students from your first day on campus.

9. Diverse postgraduate study options

Politics offers postgraduate opportunities including the Master of Politics and Master of International Studies for those that wish to take advanced papers and complete a research dissertation, and the Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy for those interested in completing a longer research thesis.

10. Global expertise

Politics staff are experts in the politics of over many countries and regions, including: Africa, North America, China and Japan, South-east Asia, New Zealand, the South Pacific, Russia and Eurasia, Europe, the United Kingdom, Indonesia and the Global South, the Gulf States, Syria and Iraq. Our staff are regularly approached by local, national and international media seeking comment on political issues.

11. Global tongues

Politics staff engage with many languages in their research, including Afrikaans, Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia, Chinese (Mandarin), Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Japanese, Māori, Russian, and more.

12. Even smarter cookies

Politics staff teach from and about a range of political perspectives: German, French, British thought in the Enlightenment, contemporary Anglo-American and Continental political theory, environmentalism, realism, constructivism, institutionalism, nationalism, critical theory, and Marxism.

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