Overview

Arts - Sociology at Massey University is about understanding and describing our local society and its global setting. Sociologists are interested in almost all aspects of the social world and in your MA (Sociology) you’ll consider questions such as:

how is society structured?
how is society changing?
what divides or unites social groups?
what causes the inequalities we see in society?
how does power operate?

With a Massey MA (Sociology) you’ll ask challenging questions about how power structures function in the social world. You’ll study culture, ethnicity, class, inequality, gender, mass media, politics, environment and social change as well as individual and group interactions.

Key facts

Your Master of Arts (Sociology) will give you the knowledge and competencies you need to start your career as a policy analyst, researcher or community development organiser. You‘ll learn a range of intellectual and practical skills that will stand you in good stead in the job market.

This qualification opens up a world of opportunity to be involved in influencing a broad number of social issue outcomes such as healthy housing, youth development, Māori wellbeing, health promotion or gender analysis of policy. You’ll approach this not only from the perspective of government and local-body policy, but also from the perspectives of local communities and community organisations.

You’ll learn to apply your critical sociology analysis skills to a number of decision-making scenarios for better social outcomes. This could take many forms including policy development, project planning, legal submissions or strategic organisational management.

Career

You could work in areas such as:

research
communications
project management
governance
charitable trusts
social marketing
journalism
advocacy
teaching and lecturing
policy analysis - public, private and third sector (non-government organisations, public-private partnerships, not-for-profit, voluntary and charity organisations)
youth development
community development
politics
government agencies - local, regional and central
non government organisations (NGOs) - housing, Māori land trusts, health service providers, disability advocacy and support, youth development.

Programme Structure

Courses include:

Current Issues and Theories

Advanced Social Inquiry

Working Sociologically: An Advanced Practicum

Environmental Sociology

Thesis

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 18 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-06-29 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-05-01 00:00:00 , International
- Apply before 2026-06-19 00:00:00 , National
Starting 2027-02-09 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-10-31 00:00:00 , International
- Apply before 2027-02-05 00:00:00 , National

Language

English

Duolingo English Test

120

Take A Free Practice Test!

TOEFL^® IBT

Schedule TOEFL®

PTE Academic

Schedule a PTE test!

IELTS

6.5

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Credits

180 alternative credits

Delivered

On Campus, Online

Campus Location

Palmerston North, New Zealand

Disciplines

Sociology View 19 other Masters in Sociology in New Zealand

Join for free or log in to access our complete career info list.

Academic requirements

We are not aware of any specific GRE, GMAT or GPA grading score requirements for this programme.

English requirements

Duolingo English Test

120

Take A Free Practice Test!

TOEFL^® IBT

Schedule TOEFL®

PTE Academic

Schedule a PTE test!

IELTS

6.5

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

a Bachelor of Arts degree (or equivalent) with a major in the intended postgraduate subject, with at least a B grade average across the 200/300 level major courses
a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) with a subject in the intended postgraduate subject or a Postgraduate Diploma in Arts with an endorsement in the intended postgraduate subject, or an equivalent qualification,with at least a B+ grade average across the 700-level courses for entry to the Research Pathway or a B grade average across the 700-level courses for entry to the Coursework Pathway.

You will need to provide verified copies of all academic transcripts for studies taken at all universities other than Massey University.

To study this qualification you must meet Massey University's English language standards.

Student Insurance via Studyportals Partner

Make sure to cover your health, travel, and stay while studying abroad. Even global coverages can miss important items like Additional medical costs, Repatriation, Liability etc. Make sure your student insurance covers your needs.

Studyportals partnered with Aon to provide you with the best affordable student insurance, for a carefree experience away from home.

Get your student insurance now

Starting from €0.53/day, free cancellation any time.

Remember, countries and universities may have specific insurance requirements. To learn more about how student insurance work at Massey University and/or in New Zealand, please visit Student Insurance Portal.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

38840 NZD / year

≈ 38840 NZD / year
Domestic Applies to you

Applies to you

Citizens or residents

10652 NZD / year

≈ 10652 NZD / year

Living costs

Palmerston North

New Zealand

1100 - 2100 NZD / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

In order for us to give you accurate scholarship information, we ask that you please confirm a few details and create an account with us.

Scholarships Information

Below you will find Master's scholarship opportunities for Arts - Sociology.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

On this page

About

Overview

Key facts

Career

Programme Structure

Courses include:

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Credits

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Student Insurance via Studyportals Partner

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

Domestic Applies to you

Living costs

Palmerston North

Funding

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

Our partners