Postgraduate Diploma in Science
Advance your understanding of science, or computer and mathematical sciences in as little as one year with the Postgraduate Diploma in Science.
This coursework-based qualification includes courses from the Master of Science. You can choose from a wide range of courses in science, or computer and mathematical sciences. Throughout your studies you develop advanced analytical, planning and critical thinking skills. Graduates may progress to further study in the Master of Science or Master of Science (Research).
Start date: 2022
- Download our Prospectus [PDF, 5.4 MB]
Start date: 2023
- Download our Prospectus [PDF, 9.9 MB]
Minimum entry requirements
- Bachelor of Science or equivalent OR
- Graduate Diploma in Science or equivalent OR
International student entry requirements
English language requirements
- IELTS (Academic) 6.5 overall with all bands 6.0 or higher; or equivalent
The Postgraduate Diploma in Science is a coursework programme with courses drawn from those in the Master of Science. You complete courses to make up a total of 120 points. Enrolment in courses is subject to meeting all requirements and availability of courses.
Choose from a wide range of courses
You can complete this postgraduate diploma without a specialisation, and choose from a wide range of courses in computer and mathematical sciences, or science.
You must complete 120 points from the courses below, including
- SCIE805 Quantitative Analysis
- SCIE806 Scientific Research and communication (15 points) or SCIE808 Advanced Scientific Enquiry (15 points)
- Another 90 points from the courses below
Semester 1 courses
- CHEM805 Biological Inorganic Chemistry I (15 points) - taught by Nicola Brasch
- CONS803 Socio-Ecological Systems (15 points) - taught by Rebecca Jarvis
- ECOL801 Advanced Ecology (15 points) - taught by Hannah Buckley
- ENVS801 Applications of Geographical Information Systems (15 points) - taught by Dan Breen
- ENVS803 GIS Programming (15 points) - taught by Brad Case
- FOOD801 Food Science (30 points) - taught by Owen Young
- MICR801 Selected Topics in Microbiology (15 points)
- MELS801 Biomedical Ethics (15 points) - taught by Colleen Higgins
- PHIL880 Ethics of Biotechnology (15 points) - taught by Colleen Higgins
Semester 2 courses
- BIOL801 Biomedical Science & Technology (30 points) - taught by Jun Lu
- BIOL803 Introduction to Medicinal Cannabis (15 points) - taught by Ali Seyfoddin
- CHEM801 Physical Chemistry I (15 points) - taught by Allan Blackman
- CHEM803 Chemistry for Drug Discovery (15 points) taught by Jack Chen
- CHEM808 Molecular Spectroscopy (15 points) - taught by Marcus Jones
- CHEM809 Metabolites and Proteins (15 points)
- CONS801 International Conservation Biology (15 points) - taught by Dave Towns
- CONS804 Global Change Biology (15 points) - taught by Sebastian Leuzinger
- ENVS802 Advanced Applications of Geographic Information Systems (30 points) - taught by Brad Case
- FOOD802 Frontiers of Food Microbiology (30 points) - taught by Brent Seale
- FOOD803 Recent Trends in Food Science (15 points) - taught by Nazimah Hamid
- FOOD804 Current Topics in Food Science (30 points) - taught by Nazimah Hamid
- GENE802 Contemporary Molecular Genetics (30 points) - taught by Colleen Higgins
- INFS812 Bioinformatics (15 points)
- MASC801 Advanced Biological Oceanography (15 points) - taught by Kay Vopel
- MASC802 Fisheries Science (15 points) - taught by Armagan Sabetian
- MASC803 Marine Ecosystem Functions (15 points) - taught by Armagan Sabetian and Kay Vopel
- MASC804 Marine Spatial Planning (15 points) - taught by Dan Breen
- MELS802 Quality Assurance in Laboratory Services (15 points) - taught by Joe Chang
- SCIE803 Specialist Readings in Applied Science (30 points) - taught by Holly Perry
- SCIE809 Selected Topic (15 points)
Other courses that may be offered in some years
- CHEM802 Green and Sustainable Chemistry (15 points)
- CHEM804 Organic Chemistry II (15 points)
- CHEM806 Biological Inorganic Chemistry II (15 points)
- CONS802 Applied New Zealand Conservation (15 points) - taught by Dave Towns
- ECOL802 Macroecology and Biogeography (15 points) - taught by Hannah Buckley
- ENVS804 Geospatial Science for Conservation (15 points) - taught by Barbara Bollard
- ENVS805 Advances in Remote Sensing (15 points)
- ENVS806 Advances in Geospatial Analysis (15 points)
- ENVS807 Geospatial Customisation and Visualisation (15 points)
- ENVS808 Geospatial Internship (15 points)
- FOOD805 Advanced Sensory Analysis of Food (15 points) - taught by Nazimah Hamid
- SCIE804 Selected Topics in Applied Science (30 points)
- ENVS805 Advances in Remote Sensing (15 points)
- ENVS806 Advances in Spatial Analysis (15 points)
More information about this programme
You must complete 90 points from the courses listed below and 30 points from other courses listed in the Master of Science or other relevant postgraduate courses with the approval of the programme leader.
ASTR800 Advanced Topics in Astronomy and Astrophysics (15 points)
COMP800 Neuroinformatics (15 points)
COMP807 Algorithms, Graphs and Combinatorics (15 points)
COMP808 Logic, Games and Automata (15 points)
COMP809 Data Mining and Machine Learning (15 points)
COMP810 Data Warehousing and Big Data (15 points)
COMP813 Artificial Intelligence (15 points)
COMP815 Nature Inspired Computing (15 points)
COMP826 Mobile System Development (15 points)
COMP827 Advanced Computer Graphics (15 points)
COMP835 Server System Development (15 points)
COMP840 Specialist Topic A* (15 points)
COMP841 Specialist Topic B* (15 points)
ENGE817 STEM Research Methods (15 points)
MATH800 Advanced Topics in Applied Mathematics (15 points)
MATH802 Advanced Financial Modelling and Analytics (15 points)
MATH803 Mathematical Modelling and Simulation (15 points)
MATH805 Advanced Numerical Analysis (15 points)
STAT800 Stochastic Modelling (15 points)
STAT801 Multivariate Analysis (15 points)
STAT802 Advanced Topics in Analytics (15 points)
STAT803 Official Statistics (15 points)
STAT804 Optimisation and Operation Research (15 points)
STAT805 Computational Mathematics and Statistics (15 points)
More details about courses in this programme
Email cmspg@aut.ac.nz
Specialisations
To specialise in one of the areas listed below, complete the courses listed for this specialisation.
Complete 60 points from:
- CONS801 International Conservation Biology (15 points)
- CONS802 Applied New Zealand Conservation (15 points)
- CONS803 Socio-ecological Systems Analysis (15 points)
- CONS804 Global Change Biology (15 points)
- ENVS804 Geospatial Science for Conservation (15 points)
And 60 points from other courses listed in the Master of Science.
More information about this programme
Complete the following course:
And 30 points from:
- GENE802 Contemporary Molecular Genetics (30 points)
- MELS802 Quality Assurance in Laboratory Services (30 points)
- PHIL880 Ethics of Biotechnology (30 points)
And 60 points from other courses listed in the Master of Science.
More information about this programme
Complete 60 points from:
- CHEM801 Physical Chemistry I (15 points)
- CHEM803 Chemistry for Drug Discovery (15 points)
- CHEM805 Biological Inorganic Chemistry I (15 points)
- CHEM807 Environmental and Analytical chemistry (15 points)
- CHEM808 Molecular Spectroscopy (15 points)
And 60 points from other courses listed in the Master of Science.
More information about this programme
Complete 60 points from:
- ECOL801 Advanced Ecology
- ECOL802 Macroecology & Biogeography
- ENVS801 Applications of Geographical Information Systems
- CONS804 Global Change Biology (15 points)
And 60 points from other courses listed in the Master of Science.
More information about this programme
Complete 60 points from:
- FOOD801 Food Science (30 points)
- FOOD802 Frontiers of Food Microbiology (30 points)
- FOOD803 Recent Trends in Food Science (15 points)
- SCIE801 Specialist Readings (15 points)
- FOOD805 Advanced Sensory Analysis of Food (15 points)
And 60 points from other courses listed in the Master of Science.
More information about this programme
Complete at least 60 points from:
- ENVS801 Applications of Geographical Information Systems (15 points)
- ENVS802 Advanced Applications in Geographic Information Systems (30 points)
- ENVS803 GIS Programming (15 points)
- ENVS804 Geospatial Science for Conservation (15 points)
- ENVS805 Advances in Remote Sensing (15 points)
- ENVS806 Advances in Geospatial Analysis (15 points)
- ENVS807 Geospatial Customisation and Visualisation (15 points)
- ENVS808 Geospatial Internship (15 points)
And the remaining points from other courses in the Master of Science.
More information about this programme
Complete 60 points from:
- MASC801 Advanced Biological Oceanography
- MASC802 Fisheries Science
- MASC803 Marine Ecosystem Functions
- MASC804 Marine Spatial Planning
And the remaining points from other courses in the Master of Science. You need to include SCIE805 (or SCIE807) and SCIE806 (or SCIE808).
More information about this programme
Complete 60 points from:
- FOOD802 Frontiers of Food Microbiology (30 points)
- GENE802 Contemporary Molecular Genetics (30 points)
- MICR801 Selected Topics in Microbiology (30 points)
And 60 points from other courses listed in the Master of Science.
More information about this programme
Complete the following courses:
- GENE802 Contemporary Molecular Genetics (30 points)
- INFS812 Bioinformatics (15 points)
- PHIL880 Ethics of Biotechnology (30 points)
- SCIE801 Specialist Readings (15 Points)
And 60 points from other courses listed in the Master of Science.
More information about this programme
Skills you will develop
The outcomes for graduates of the Postgraduate Diploma in Science are outlined in the Graduate Profile below.
27 Feb 2023
17 Jul 2023
$8,957
- This represents the approximate tuition fee based on a full-time workload of 120 points in 2022. The exact tuition fee will depend on courses selected and may exceed this figure.
- Fees are subject to change year to year. If you are planning for beyond 2022, fees may vary from those stated.
- There may also be other fees and charges you need to pay. Learn more
$38,600 (computing) - $39,000 (science)
- This represents the approximate tuition fee based on a full-time workload of 120 points in 2022. The exact tuition fee will depend on courses selected and may exceed this figure.
- Fees are subject to change year to year. If you are planning for beyond 2022, fees may vary from those stated.
- There may also be other fees and charges you need to pay. Learn more
- International students' tuition fees reflect the full cost of tuition. Domestic students' tuition fees are less due to a proportion of the tuition fees being funded by the New Zealand Government.
The information on this page was correct at time of publication. For a comprehensive overview of AUT qualifications, please refer to the Academic Calendar.