University of Canterbury

Studying at the University of Canterbury gives students from all over the world the opportunity to gain a world class education and a pathway to a global career. Several UC programmes have professional accreditation in the UK, including all those taught by the Faculty of Engineering. Education graduates are able to receive registration in the UK, provided they first attain full qualified teacher status in New Zealand. The Bachelor of Speech and Language Therapy is also fully accredited in the UK.

Studying at UC also opens up opportunities to stay in New Zealand and work after graduating. Graduating with an undergraduate or postgraduate degree from UC makes students eligible to apply for up to three years of post study work rights in New Zealand and many international students spend time after graduating developing and building on their education by working in New Zealand.

Students come to the University from all over the world and quickly find campus life engaging, with world quality research, teaching facilities and a welcoming, inclusive community that involves over 160 clubs and societies. The University of Canterbury Students’ Association (UCSA) provides student support, events and entertainment.

Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island and the most affordable in the country. It is a major city like no other and is becoming one of the most sustainable and navigable cities in New Zealand. Pedestrians, bicycles, e-scooters, outdoor malls, art installations, green spaces, and public transport now take primacy over the typical car-centric cities of the world. Christchurch has surf beaches on its eastern side and is close to the thermal pools at Hamner Springs, wineries, and the ski fields of the Southern Alps.

Christchurch is the second largest business centre in New Zealand and is the national centre of Information and Communications Technology (ICT). As Christchurch moves forward it needs talented, entrepreneurial and creative international students and graduates. Joining the UC family provides opportunities to become a member of a vibrant student body and an exciting community full of prospects.

In 2017, UC launched an exciting range of postgraduate programmes, to which the response has been fantastic. Taught masters, postgraduate and graduate diplomas are offered in academic areas from across the University’s five colleges. The new courses, which include the Master of Financial Engineering, the Master of Applied Data Science, and the Master of International Relations and Diplomacy, are professionally focused master’s degrees, most of which can be completed in around 12 months full-time study. Many of the new programmes have an internship or project embedded as an integral part of the course and in some cases enable a change of career direction as they may not require applicants to have an academic background in the same field of study. These courses are a select sample of the many study options on offer at UC and are designed to address some of New Zealand’s and Christchurch’s short and long term skills shortages.