Master of Information Studies

Get a head start in your library, records management, archives or data management career with New Zealand's only postgraduate qualification in Information Studies.

Visa eligibility for international students

The MIS, PGDipIS, and PGCertIS are delivered and assessed entirely online. If you’re an international student, you’ll study by distance and won’t be eligible for a student visa to enter New Zealand.

Contact the International Office if you have any questions about studying with us.

Master the management of information

In today’s fast-changing world, our government departments, businesses, libraries, museums, marae, iwi, and archives deal with vast amounts of information. All of these organisations need people who can identify relevant information, retrieve it, organise it, and make sure people can use it in an ethical way.

With the Master of Information Studies, you’ll learn about information literacies, services, storage, and retrieval. You’ll gain skills in management and communication, information technology, and research methods.

This programme will give you a thorough, technology-focused, and research-based education in information organisation. Your learning will be oriented to the needs of Aotearoa New Zealand information professionals and national aims to improve digital literacy and equity.

Download the latest prospectus

Find out more about your study options. Fill in a form to download our professional and postgraduate programme prospectus.

Get the prospectus

Study anywhere, anytime

The Master of Information Studies is taught entirely online. This gives you the flexibility to study from anywhere in New Zealand and to balance study with your other commitments.

Specialise

You can choose to specialise in either Library Science (LIBS) or in Archives and Records Management (ARCR)—your specialisation will be stated on your degree. You can choose to take no specialisation, or you can specialise in both areas, which will take a little longer.

Diploma, certificate, and single course options

Depending on your goals, you can opt for a shorter postgraduate Information Studies qualification by doing the Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma in Information Studies. Courses completed as part of the Certificate or Diploma can count towards the full Master of Information Studies programme if you decide to continue your study.

You can also study most courses in the Master of Information Studies programme individually. This is useful for targeted professional development. You will receive a certificate of proficiency in that one subject area.

Careers

Many employers in the information field are now looking for graduates with Master’s-level education. With a Master of Information Studies, you could go on to work as a:

• records manager
• librarian
• web content manager
• web content manager
• knowledge manager
• information manager.

Bicultural awareness

Develop your awareness of the Treaty of Waitangi and biculturalism during your studies. Gain an understanding of Māori culture and language and a knowledge of Māori taonga, or artefacts, in libraries, archives, and museums.

Community

Postgraduate study at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington will help you build valuable relationships and networks with peers, university staff, and future colleagues.

You’ll have opportunities to attend events, workshops, library tours, and social functions. Make sure you go to the orientation session at the beginning of your study to get an introduction to the programme and the people you’ll work with.

The Postgraduate Students' Association can give you information on study at the University and provides a voice for you on campus.

Professional recognition

The Master of Information Studies is recognised by these local and international professional bodies:

• Library and Information Association New Zealand Aotearoa (LIANZA), for those with a specialisation in Library Science (recognised by the American Library Association)
• Records and Information Management Professionals Australasia (RIMPA), for those with a ARCR specialisation in Archives and Records Management.

Scholarships

You can look for scholarships based on your level of study, subject area, and background.

Employer support

The capability boost you get from doing an MIS means your employer may be willing to pay some or all of your costs. Read our MIS employer guide (PDF, 940 KB) to find out how employers can sponsor employees to complete a MIS, and the benefits this can bring to an organisation.

Find out about your options for Information Studies qualifications and discover what and how you'll study.

Qualification family structure

The Master of Information Studies is part of a tiered family of qualifications:

• Master of Information Studies (MIS)
• Postgraduate Diploma in Information Studies (PGDipIS)
• Postgraduate Certificate in Information Studies (PGCertIS)

Choose the qualification that suits your career goals, eligibility, time commitments, and financial situation.

Staircasing allows movement in both directions. If you begin by enrolling in the Certificate or Diploma programme, you may be able to continue on to complete a Master's. Or, if you enrol in the Master's but can't complete it for some reason, you may have completed enough courses to graduate with the Certificate or Diploma.

What you'll study

The MIS will give you the broad skills and knowledge you need to work in many information professions. Your studies will include:

1. Six core courses—you'll learn about different information professions, services and databases, and explore information policy and access issues. You'll also find out how to carry out research in information management.
2. Five or six elective courses—choose from a wide variety of courses according to your interests and career goals in subjects like Māori information sources, managing archives, and digital technologies. These courses change regularly to include fast-developing subjects.

For the diploma programme, you need to do five core courses and three more courses of your choice. Certificate students do two core courses and choose a further two.

How you'll learn

Courses are taught online on weekday evenings. Some courses are delivered through live sessions that are also recorded for you to review later, and others contain recorded content for viewing when convenient for you. Most courses combine both, using the live sessions for discussions and activities.

Course schedule

New entrants to the programme are accepted for Trimester 1 (starting in February) or Trimester 2 (starting in July).

Workload

You can study full time or part time. If you are studying full-time you can expect a workload of 40–45 hours a week for much of the year. Part-time students doing two courses per trimester will need to do around 20–23 hours of work a week. Make sure you take this into account if you are working full-time.

You can estimate your workload by adding up the number of [points] you'll be doing. One point is roughly equal to 10–12 hours work.

Duration

The MIS can be completed in two to four years part time, or in one and a half years of full-time study.

The PGCertIS can be completed in two trimesters of full-time study, and the PGDipIS can be completed in three trimesters. Both take longer if studying part time.

Workload and duration

The MIS can be completed in one and a half years of full-time study. The PGDipIS can be completed in three trimesters.