Anthropology
Explore how culture shapes human life around the world—from religion and politics to gender identity and family ties.
Subjects
- Cultural Anthropology
- Environmental Humanities
Development Studies –
Be part of creating a better world. Examine poverty and inequality, and the issues behind development. Explore the strategies devised to address them.
Global inequality and poverty are not just the problems of other countries, they affect everyone's future. Development Studies explores the ways that societies are changing economically, socially and culturally and the problems these changes can create.
At Victoria University of Wellington you can study the development of societies from many angles—cultural, economic, environmental. You'll look at what's happening in your own back yard—the Pacific Island region, and examine the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.
Development Studies at Te Herenga Waka is ranked among the top 50 in the world in the 2023 QS World Rankings by Subject. We have been in the top 100 for several years, demonstrating a consistent record of excellence.
Be challenged
Start with an idea, inspect it from all sides and discuss it with your class mates. You'll find a lot of like minds with a collective interest and passion for the subject—be prepared for some healthy debate. You'll be challenged on your thinking, and encouraged to try new ways of approaching problems and ideas.
There’s no magic answer, there’s no magic bullet for solving the world’s problems but there is certainly a variety of ideas, approaches and strategies out there that we can put under the microscope.
Full storyJohn Overton
Professor of Development Studies
Go places
Seeing how and where others live is an important part of understanding development concepts. You can spend time in a developing country as part of your studies with Wellington Global Exchange.
Discover Wellington Global Exchange
Or you can apply to be part of the Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA) UniVol programme. Spend one academic year as an overseas volunteer with one of VSA’s partner organisations.
Globally ranked
This programme is ranked in the top 100 worldwide in the QS World University Rankings 2024.
The QS World University Rankings is an annual global publication that gives overall rankings and subject rankings for more than 1,500 universities worldwide.
I was lucky enough to go on a Vic OE (Wellington Global Exchange) for a year at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, Spain, with support from the Dominion Post Global Citizen’s Scholarship. The vibrancy of Madrid, coupled with the amazing people I met, made this year without a doubt the best of my life to date.
Full storyGenna Boyle
Bachelor of Science student in Development Studies
Real world connections
Gain insight into development and aid policy making through the University's close connections with government. You'll get opportunities to see how government agencies and NGO's work, like the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the Bal Suraksha Abhiyan Trust (BSA) and Oxfam.
$1.3 billion
The amount the New Zealand Aid Programme invested in the Pacific region between 2018 and 2021. MFAT, 2022
After you graduate
Travel the world or stay in New Zealand—Development Studies will give you the skills to make a difference wherever you are. You might find work in the public sector as a researcher or a policy analyst or with an NGO as an advocate or lobbyist. You could find work in development programme planning and implementation.
Your time at university is all about having new experiences, and there's no better place for it than Wellington. A sparkling harbour and green hillsides, vibrant nightlife and thriving arts scene—it's creative, diverse and compact.
Support for students
Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington is a welcoming place with great student support. There are all sorts of resources available to help you get the best out of your time at university.
Next
People