Undergraduate certificates and diplomas
Overview
If you are not sure if you want to commit to a full degree but still want to give university a go, or if you want to support your degree studies with another qualification, an undergraduate certificate or diploma could be a great option for you.
Undergraduate certificates and diplomas are qualifications at a lower level than a bachelor's degree, and are completed in a much shorter timeframe.
Find out more about the undergraduate certificates and diplomas on offer at Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha | University of Canterbury:
Certificates
Undergraduate certificates and diplomas require University Entrance to gain admission to UC. If you gained your qualifications overseas, these will need to be assessed to ensure they are of an equivalent standard.
Some undergraduate certificates and diplomas have additional requirements. Check the details of your selected qualification and courses to make sure you meet these.
You are also required to meet UC’s English language requirements if English is your additional language.
Find out how to apply for undergraduate qualifications.
Undergraduate certificates require 60 points of study at 100 and 200-level. Certificates can typically be completed full-time or part-time over period of up to two years.
Undergraduate diplomas require 120 points of study and can typically be completed full-time or part-time over period of up to three years.
Semesters
The year is divided into two semesters — the first from March to July, and the second from July to October. A course usually takes one semester to complete, however some may run over both semesters (known as 'whole year' courses).
UC also offers a summer study period from November to February. You may choose to study in the summer semester to complete your qualification in a shorter time frame, to prepare for another course you wish to take during the other semesters, to take an interest course, or to catch up on a failed course.
Subjects
A subject is a particular area of study that the University offers courses in eg, English, Management, or Geology.
Browse Subjects to explore your study options so you can get an idea of everything that is on offer.
Courses
Courses are blocks of work that are usually taught over one semester. When you pass a course, you gain points (usually 15 or 30 points per course). Every course you pass adds points to the total required for your certificate or diploma. First-year students usually only take 100-level courses, although there are some exceptions. Other universities sometimes refer to courses as ‘papers’.
Browse Courses to see what options are available in your preferred subjects, or discover new interests.
Course codes
Each course has a code of four letters and three numbers. The letters show the subject and the numbers show the level. For example, MATH101 is a Mathematics course at 100-level, and ENGL201 is an English course at 200-level.
Course prerequisites
You usually have to pass certain courses in a subject – called prerequisites – before you can continue on to 200-level courses in your second year. This is because some courses follow on from previous or introductory knowledge gained from other courses into more advanced topics.
Successfully completing an undergraduate certificate or diploma may allow you to continue on to a bachelor's degree.
You can also choose to go onto higher-level studies at UC:
See Tuition Fee Structure for more information