Postgraduate Certificate in Arts

Summary

Explore your area of interest in more detail with advanced learning and research by studying for a Postgraduate Certificate in Arts (PGCertArts).

Available from 2027

The Postgraduate Certificate in Arts (PGCertArts) will be offered from 2027.

Explore your area of interest in more detail by studying for a Postgraduate Certificate in Arts (PGCertArts). Improve your career prospects by refining your research, writing, and analytical skills while expanding your knowledge.

In the PGCertArts, you’ll take courses worth a total of 60 points. It will take you one trimester of full-time study to complete, or two trimesters if you study part time.

At the postgraduate level, your learning is more self-directed. You'll be in smaller classes and will be able to build closer relationships with academic staff and other students.

Study with a globally ranked faculty

Our Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences ranks 102nd in the world for Arts and Humanities in the latest QS World University Rankings.

This annual global rankings publication rates the world's universities and the subjects they teach.

Who can study for this qualification

The PGCertArts suits people with a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Arts (Hons) who want to extend their study in their main area of focus.

You'll need at least a B average in your Bachelor's degree for the subject you want to study. For some subjects you’ll need at least a B+ average to study at this level.

What you’ll learn

You’ll understand complex subject matter through advanced coursework.

As a graduate, you’ll also develop skills that can be applied to your chosen career, such as:

• critical and conceptual analysis
• communication—including written, verbal, non-verbal, visual, and intercultural
• consequential thinking
• cultural knowledge and skills
• data and information analysis
• human behaviour and motivation
• interpretation and meaning
• problem solving
• research design and methodology
• strategic thinking and planning.

How you’ll learn

Most courses in the PGCertArts are small seminars, taught face-to-face. A few courses may involve online teaching. Often there are fewer lectures than at undergraduate level, and classes are typically small and supportive.

Much of your time will be spent carrying out focused, self-directed study along with guided individual research.

Our postgraduate programmes are designed to fit around your schedule. You can study full time, or part time if you’re a domestic student.

Study in New Zealand’s beating heart. We’re just a walk away from the centre of politics, national archives, museums, and libraries—as well as foreign embassies and the public service. Make the most of our links with many local and national organisations to develop your own connections in the capital. Wellington is New Zealand’s creative and cultural capital. Discover its treasure trove of theatre, film, music, art, heritage and, of course, cafés, and make the city your own.

Your future career

A PGCertArts builds cultural awareness, analytical thinking, and the ability to work across cultures—skills that are valued in any field.

You’ll be qualified to work in professional positions across the public, nonprofit, and private sectors, especially in roles that involve the use of knowledge in your chosen subject.

For example, you could work in:

• arts and cultural institutions
• environmental and resource management
• government and policy development
• media, communications, and cultural advocacy
• international development and human rights.

Graduates are employed in every industry, including:

• local and central government
• community organisations and NGOs
• technology and development
• media and advertising
• consulting.

Other postgraduate study options

The PGCertArts is part of a tiered family of qualifications that are staircased so that courses completed for each qualification can count towards the next step. You can enrol in one of the shorter qualifications initially, and build on your learning in your own time.

• the 120-point Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (PGDipArts)
• the 180-point Master of Arts (Coursework).

If you'd like to focus on research, you can choose the 120-point Bachelor of Arts (Hons) followed by the 120-point, thesis-based Master of Arts.

Financial support

You can get support to stay on top of your finances by downloading our money management resources or by meeting...