Course details

Summary

Of all places in the world, none holds the fascination and awe of Antarctica. Not only is Antarctica the highest, coldest and most isolated continent, but it is so vast it affects the world's climate and ocean currents. If the ice sheets were to melt, as is currently predicted in many climate models, the sea would rise up to 70 metres above current levels. The Antarctic and surrounding Southern Ocean support a unique and complex system of life that survives in an environment at the extremes.

However, Antarctica has not always been the cold, isolated, polar continent it is today. In the past it has experienced warmer climates and was linked to other continents, most notably as part of Gondwana. The fragmentation of that supercontinent shaped the southern continents as we know them today. Many of New Zealand's and the Southern Hemisphere's unique plants and animals had their origins in Gondwana.

Why study Antarctic Studies at UC?

Antarctic Studies courses are coordinated by Gateway Antarctica, the Centre for Antarctic Studies and Research at the University of Canterbury. Gateway Antarctica plays a leading role in the quest for knowledge in a diverse range of national and international Antarctic research projects, in areas including engineering in extreme environments; Antarctica as driver of, and responder to, climate change; connections between Antarctica and New Zealand; and human influences in/on Antarctica.

Recommended preparation

Anyone eligible to attend university may enrol in 100-level Antarctic Studies courses.

Over the three years of your degree, you will gain critical thinking, creative problem solving, and communication skills that employers want. Unique practical experiences such as internships are on offer too.

The Bachelor of Arts requires a minimum total of 360 points:

• at least 255 points from Arts courses
• the remaining 105 points can be from either Arts courses or courses from other degrees.
• A minimum of 225 points must be from courses above 100-level, with at least 90 points at 300-level.

Double Degrees

It is possible to combine an Arts degree with other degrees such as the Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Criminal Justice, Bachelor of Health Sciences, Bachelor of Laws or Bachelor of Science.

Further study

The College of Arts has a wide range of options for postgraduate and graduate study with excellent research facilities. These include specialised research centres such as the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies, Social Science Research Centre, New Zealand Centre for Human-Animal Studies, Te Awatea Violence Research Centre and National Centre for Research on Europe.

Career opportunities

An in-depth knowledge of Antarctic issues can form a useful part of many careers in science, politics, tourism, education and law. There are a large number of people who visit the Antarctic every year, many of whom are scientists specialising in areas such as geology, glaciology, biology, astronomy and environmental management.

To make their day-to-day operations run smoothly a range of staff are employed by national Antarctic programmes - from engineers to plant technicians, finance personnel to communication managers.

Having a degree and some background knowledge in Antarctic Studies will give you a greater opportunity to visit and work in Antarctica. It provides you with information on global systems that is becoming fundamentally important in many non-Antarctic jobs such as science technicians, IT specialists and law or policymakers. The important role the Polar Regions play as drivers of the world's climate will be a major consideration in many careers in the coming years.

Entry criteria

Admission to UC with University Entrance, or equivalent, is required to enrol for a Bachelor's degree. Applicants must have completed New Zealand University Entrance through NCEA; or Cambridge International Examinations (CIE); or International Baccalaureate Diploma (IB) or any other equivalent overseas qualification.

Other English language requirements: TOEFL PBT with a minimum score of 550 and TWE with a minimum score of 4.5; CCEL EAP Level 2 with a minimum C+ grade; CAE or CPE minimum score of 169 with at least 162 in reading, writing, listening and speaking; Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE with an overall score of 57 and no PTE communicative skills score below 50.