Education
Otago is renowned internationally for its academic leadership — and the Otago Institute of Design (OiD) relies heavily on its educational foundations.
In Dunedin, there are over 600 full-time students and 100 staff in design between the University of Otago (UO) and the Otago Polytechnic (OP), with the roster of available courses encompassing communication, environmental, fashion, industrial, interaction, interiors, product, strategic and technology design.
The concept of the OP Design Department and Design Studies at the UO complementing each other rather than duplicating content was the rationale for the creation of the OiD. The ongoing objective is to create a critical mass which combines the vocational and professional bias of the Design School with the theoretical bias of Design Studies into a single, more effective and prestigious Design Institute.
OP and UO are conscious of maintaining graduate and post-graduate courses that are interesting, relevant, and indeed continue to lead the way in the highly competitive national and international education scenes.
An important step towards this goal is the provision and delivery of high-quality qualifications, particularly at the post-graduate level. Our post-graduate courses offer variant aspects of design education and range from pure design research to practical technical skills.
Postgraduate supervisors are shared across the Otago Polytechnic and the University of Otago and there are many opportunities for postgraduate students to be involved in current projects of the Otago Institute of Design.
Masters and PhD courses
Postgraduate courses
Masters and PhD Application Dates
- July 23: Master of Design Enterprise (OP) programme begins: Applications accepted up to this date. Contact Mick Abbott (micka@tekotago.ac.nz) for details
- November 16: Master of Design (UO) applications close. Contact Mick Abbott (mick@design.otago.ac.nz) for details
- December 10: Master of Fine Arts in Design (OP) applications close. Contact Professor Leoni Schmidt (leoni@tekotago.ac.nz) for details
- December 10: Master of Consumer and Applied Studies in Design Studies (UO) applications close. Contact Dr. Sarah Wakes (sarah.wakes@design.otago.ac.nz) for details
- PhD applications can be submitted at any time. Contact Dr. Sarah Wakes (sarah.wakes@design.otago.ac.nz) for details
Bachelor degrees Application Dates
- December 10: Bachelor of Consumer and Applied Sciences, Bachelor of Applied Science, and Bachelor of Arts all majoring in Design studies (UO) applications close. Contact Janeice Young (janeice.young@design.otago.ac.nz) for details
- October 31: Bachelor of Design in Communication, Fashion, Interiors and Product (OP) close. Contact Caroline Terpstra (carolinet@tekotago.ac.nz) for details