Study advice and planning
Some people study to help them start a career in a particular area, while others want to keep their options open.
Where to start
Educational priorities are different for everyone. There is no right or wrong way to decide what to study, but make sure to choose subjects and courses that you’re really interested in and want to spend time investigating. If you haven’t worked out what you want to study yet, there are many different ways to get started.
If you are unsure about whether you will be a domestic or international student, undergraduate or postgraduate, check out university terms explained for more information.
Get advice from UC
UC is here to help you make an informed decision about what qualification might be right for you, or which courses to take.
Student Transitions and Engagement team provide advice on preparatory programmes for international and domestic students preparing for undergraduate or postgraduate studies.
For more information contact:
Student Transitions and Engagement
Level 2, Forestry building
Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury
Private Bag 4800
Christchurch 8140
New Zealand
Phone +64 3 369 3337
Email transitions@canterbury.ac.nz
Te Rōpū Takawaenga | UC Liaison Office should be your first point of contact if you are considering studying at UC. The Liaison Office can help you make an informed decision about your study options by answering your questions and explaining anything you don't understand.
In particular the Liaison Office can help you with information such as:
- School subjects that will give you the best preparation for UC degrees
- Subjects you might enjoy studying at university
- Whether to take part in a high school exchange or a gap year
- Course planning advice
To be shown around our beautiful campus and to check out your options for student accommodation, we recommend you take a campus tour.
Contact the Liaison Office:
Freephone in New Zealand 0800 VARSITY (827 748)
International enquiries phone +64 3 369 4999
Email liaison@canterbury.ac.nz
Location
Level 3, Matariki
If you are a future International student studying in an Aotearoa New Zealand secondary school and would like study planning advice please contact the Liaison Office.
For all other International enquiries please submit an International student ask a question online form.
Contact the Liaison Office:
International student ask a question online form
Freephone in New Zealand 0800 VARSITY (827 748)
International enquiries phone +64 3 369 4999
Email liaison@canterbury.ac.nz
Location
Level 3, Matariki
Choosing what to study at university
Choosing what to study at university can be difficult, particularly when you have no experience of some subject areas at school. While you are researching, you should also think about your skills, interests, and the values that are important to you.
There are a number of ways to familiarise yourself with the options available at UC.
Search qualifications and courses
Search Qualifications and courses, or browse undergraduate subjects or postgraduate subjects which all have information about study opportunities.
Browse UC publications
UC also has a wide variety of publications it produces regularly to give you all the details you need about UC in one place. See the many of UC's helpful brochures in the brochure gallery.
Explore subjects you enjoy
Or you can explore how the subjects you like at school might translate to subjects you might like to study at UC with this PDF:
Or use our tool below:
Explore your career options
You might want to study a degree that will help you to get a particular job. Some roles, like engineers or lawyers demand a specific degree. Te Rōpū Rapuara | UC Careers also have some great career development tools to help you on your way. The what can I do with a degree from UC website is a great way to delve into different career options by subject.
You can browse our Student profiles by subject or qualification to get an idea of what people do with their UC degrees.
There are also interactive tools and resources available on the internet that can get you started thinking broadly about careers that might suit you: