What is a 1st bachelors degree

Starting university can be a confusing time for school leavers, especially when they are unsure of the next path to take. Understanding the different levels of university degrees is a good start to help students feel confident when making these decisions and make the most of their time at university.

Associates Degrees

The first level of university degrees is the Associates degree, often requiring a student to have their high-school certificate (or equivalent). Associates degrees are offered at technical schools or community colleges and are typically two years in duration. If students wish to gain an entry-level position for a wide range of jobs including graphic design, air traffic control, nursing and the police, this is a great degree option to provide students with adequate training. Transferable associate degrees are also available for students who wish to continue their education at university after covering the foundation educational requirements. Two of the most common Associate degrees students attain are Associate of Arts and Associate of Science.

Bachelor's Degrees

The second level of university degrees is a Bachelor’s degree, which also requires students to have a high-school certificate to apply. This is the most commonly chosen undergraduate program for school leavers and often require three to four years full time for completion. Students completing a Bachelor’s degree are given the opportunity to select one or two areas to major in for their studies, with common choices including finance, biology and communications. Upon graduating, students have qualifications to work in entry-level and often management-level positions. Alternatively, students may choose to continue their studies in other graduate programs. A common example of Bachelor’s degree is a Bachelor of Arts.

Master’s Degrees

The third level of university degrees is a Master’s degree. This is a graduate program which gives students the opportunity to specialize in a chosen area of study, which often involve developing a thesis or undertaking major projects. A Master’s degree requires students to complete an additional 1-2 years of study and will often involve some pre-requisites for a student to be eligible to apply. This includes the successful completion of an undergraduate degree, alongside achieving a threshold grade point average (or equivalent) and may even require students to sit an admission exam. Successful Master’s graduates have qualifications to work in advanced jobs in executive positions. A common example of a Master’s degree is a Master of Science.

Doctoral Degrees

The most advanced degree is the Doctoral degree, commonly referred to as a Ph. D. To apply, students must have a bachelor’s degree and in some cases a master’s, alongside other entry requirements such as sitting standardized tests and providing letters of recommendation. Doctoral degrees take several years to complete and involve a major research project. There are differences in Doctoral degrees depending on the field of study, for example medical programs will include the completion of practical clinical hours. Those graduating with a Ph. D with have qualification to work as experts in research. A common of a Doctoral degree is a Doctor of Medicine.

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For a full list of terms, see the Glossary of terms.

Undergraduate

The first degree you study towards at university is called an undergraduate qualification eg, bachelor's degrees, certificates, and diplomas. An undergraduate student is someone who is studying for their first degree, certificate, or diploma after secondary school.

Graduate and postgraduate

A graduate is a person who has completed and been awarded a degree from a university (sometimes known as an alumnus).

Postgraduate qualifications are for students who have already completed an undergraduate qualification (ie, graduates) and involve more advanced study in the area of your undergraduate qualification. They include honours degrees, master’s degrees, postgraduate certificates and diplomas, and doctorates (such as a PhD).

Graduate qualifications normally involve study in an area other than the area of your first qualification. They allow you to change subject areas, and some prepare you for employment in a certain field eg, teaching. They include graduate certificates and diplomas.

Domestic student

You are domestic student if you have any of the following:

  • New Zealand citizenship (this includes New Zealand citizens born in the Cook Islands, Niue, or Tokelau, and New Zealand citizens by descent)
  • Australian Citizenship (only eligible for domestic fees only if residing in Aotearoa New Zealand for the period of your study)
  • New Zealand Residence Class Visa (only eligible for domestic fees only if residing in Aotearoa New Zealand for the period of your study)
  • Australian Permanent Residence (only eligible for domestic fees only if residing in Aotearoa New Zealand for the period of your study)

Please note: if you hold a New Zealand Residence Class Visa, or have Australian citizenship or Australian Permanent Residence but you are residing outside Aoteroa New Zealand while studying at UC, you will be charged international fees.

International Student

You are an international student if you are a citizen or a residence class visa holder of a country other than Aotearoa New Zealand or Australia.

Qualifications

A qualification (or degree) is an award you receive after completing a programme of study. There are several types of qualifications varying in level of study and length of time.

UC's preparatory programmes are pre-university qualifications that prepare you for university study, especially for those that still need to meet University Entrance requirements. After completing a preparatory programme, you can enrol at UC into an undergraduate qualification.

After completing an undergraduate qualification (bachelor's degrees, undergraduate certificates and diplomas), you can carry on to a postgraduate qualification (postgraduate certificates and diplomas, honours degrees, master's degrees, PhDs and doctoral degrees), or change study direction with a graduate qualification (graduate certificates and diplomas).

Explore your qualification options:

Subjects

Subjects are areas you can study in your degree. Some subjects you can continue from secondary school such as Music, Geography, English, while some you can start new at UC eg, Social Work, Linguistics, Marketing. 

Other subjects eg, Counselling, Fire Engineering, and Secondary Teacher Education are only available at graduate or postgraduate levels since they require background skills and experience.

Browse undergraduate subjects and graduate/postgraduate subjects to explore your study options and get an idea of everything that is on offer.

Major

A major is the subject you choose to develop expertise in and study all the way to the final year of your bachelor’s degree. For example, a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Psychology. 

You can sometimes choose two subjects that you’re interested in (double major). These can be completed in the same time as a single major without the extra workload.

Minor

A minor is another subject you choose to focus on within a bachelor's degree, but you will only study this up to your second year. 

For example, a Bachelor of Science majoring in Physics with a minor in Astronomy. 

Specialisation

Specialisations combine different subjects together into a central theme. They allow you to specialise in multiple subjects all the way into your final year. These are offered within the Bachelor of Arts.

Courses

Courses (sometimes known as 'classes' or 'papers') are specific topics within a subject, for example an American history course within the History subject. This involves lectures, assignments, and other forms of study. Degrees are made up of multiple courses. 

Some courses are compulsory or core (ie, must be taken by all students in that degree), and some are optional or electives (ie, you can choose your courses from a list of approved options in that degree).

Course codes and course occurrences

Each course has a code of four letters and three numbers. The letters show the subject, and the numbers show the level (or year you usually study this in your degree).

For example, MATH101 is a Mathematics course at 100-level (usually first year), ENGL201 is an English course at 200-level (usually second year), and ECON310 is an Economics course at 300-level (usually third year).

Courses can be offered through Semester 1 (S1) from February–June, Semester 2 (S2) from July–November, over the whole year (W), over the summer months (SU) from November–January, or can be started anytime during the year (A).

Find out more about Course codes.

Points

Each course has a points value (similar to credits from NCEA) that reflects the workload for the course. All courses have a point value of 15, or multiples of 15 (eg, 30, 45 etc).

When you pass a course, the points are credited towards your degree. You will need to complete a certain number of points overall to successfully finish your study. 

Courses will also have an EFTS value, or Equivalent Full-Time Student, that indicates the overall workload of that course.

15 points = 

0.1250 EFTS
30 points = 

0.2500 EFTS45 points = 0.3750 EFTS

60 points = 0.5000 EFTS

90 points = 0.7500 EFTS

120 points = 1.0000 EFTS

Semester

The academic year is split into two periods of study known as semesters. One semester is the equivalent of two terms at secondary school. 

Semester One begins in February, and Semester Two begins in July.

Find out more about key academic dates.