Teaching

Research-led teaching

Academic staff at UC are always pushing the boundaries by asking "What if?". They put inquiry and discovery at the centre of the educational process as all UC teaching programmes are research-based.

UC's academic staff includes business, government, and community leaders who are at the forefront of knowledge in their fields. They are actively involved in research and publishing in their areas of expertise. 

Come see UC's academics in action by attending the free Tauhere | UC Connect public lecture series, either in person or via YouTube.

Outstanding international academics

UC has a number of field leading academics on staff and this is enhanced by a number of outstanding international professors, lecturers, and researchers who visit each year on our staff exchange programmes. You may be taught by academic staff from the Universities of Oxford or Cambridge as well as other top universities.

Ngā Manuhiri o Erskine | UC's Erskine Fellows programme attracts up to 70 distinguished, international academic visitors each year to give lectures in their specialist areas. Previous Erskine Fellows having included two Nobel Prize winners – Emeritus Professor Clive Granger and Professor Bob Grubbs.

Personal engagement

UC academics are committed to giving students the individual attention that nurtures their ideas and pushes them to excel.

As a UC student you will do more than just wrestle with big ideas – you will bring them to life by embracing a practical approach to education.

Cutting-edge research facilities

UC has a raft of cutting-edge research facilities, including:

• Biomolecular Interaction Centre
• Gateway Antarctica: Centre for Antarctic Studies and Research
• Human Interface Technology Laboratory (HITLabNZ)
• MacDiarmid Institute for Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology
• New Zealand Institute of Language, Brain and Behaviour
• Waterways Centre for Freshwater Management
  

The University operates field stations in Cass, Kawatiri Westport, Harihari, the sub-Antarctic Snares Islands, and Antarctica; and Aotearoa New Zealand’s premier astronomical research facility at Ōtehīwai Mount John, Takapō Tekapo, famous for its clear southern skies. 

These facilities mean that UC offers research opportunities in the field that no other Aotearoa New Zealand university can match.