Arts Scholars

The Arts Scholars programme brings students together from across the Arts discipline. It combines interdisciplinary, for-credit study with social activities and community building to enrich Arts students’ university experience. We work and learn together, building connections that will last far beyond your time studying here at the University of Auckland.

Students grapple with social, economic, and cultural questions through group discussions, rousing debates, and personal reflection. We put an emphasis on creativity and fun. You will develop important communication skills, hone your ability to work in a team, solve problems and increase your resourcefulness through small seminar-style classes and experiential learning. Each year, we make a point of taking our learning off-campus, with sessions scheduled at local cultural institutions such as the Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki and Tāmaki Paenga Hira, Auckland’s War Memorial Museum.

If you are someone who is passionate about learning, eager to think creatively and intellectually curious then you’re an Arts Scholar. Come join us!

• Become part of a tight-knit, passionate and engaged whānau of academic staff and students.
  
• Receive individual support and guidance, including an academic mentor, throughout your degree.
  
• Build on your existing cultural strengths and utilise your whānau/ainga and community networks.
  
• Attend seminars and workshops that expand your academic, personal and professional horizons.
  
• Boost your employability by enhancing your skills in leadership, collaboration, communication and research.
• Understand how to engage communities in what you do both across and outside of the University.

• Applications for Arts Scholars open in August each year.
• We make ‘early’ offers in September.
• We continue to take applications in October and November and make a second round of ‘on-time’ offers in December.
• Both the ‘early’ and ‘on-time’ offers to school leavers are conditional on their school results. These are confirmed in January after NCEA and CIE results are released.
• If there are still places available in the programme we will continue to take applications until the end of January and make some late offers in February.
  

Arts Scholars courses can be taken as a three course, 45-point module within the BA or BA conjoint, in addition to the BA majors. Each of the three courses runs full-year across both Semesters One and Two, split as 7.5 points in each semester.

We will work with you to structure the rest of your BA enrolments to suit your study goals. Students in a conjoint degree will normally take a single major in their Arts component, and can pair a second module alongside Arts Scholars.

Some students choose to do either, or both, of the Stage I and II Arts Scholars courses but not complete the entire module. These students can count the individual courses as electives in their BA or BA conjoint degree.

ARTSCHOL 100*

Introduces students to research in the real world through weekly 90-minute discussion seminars, each featuring invited presenters from areas of discipline-based expertise addressing a common topic. Students will build their own expertise with Arts disciplines by considering the central topic in a range of possible contexts through class discussion, group work, and individual reflection.

In 2025, the course focusses on the theme of celebration and commemoration. Previous year’s classes have taken storytelling, laughter, food, anxiety, and war and conflict as their theme.

*Students who apply for admission to Arts Scholars in their second year of study may seek a concession to replace ARTSCHOL 100 with an alternative approved Arts course.

ARTSCHOL 200

This course engages students with the range of research being done in the Arts from a variety of cultural and disciplinary backgrounds. In the first half of the course staff from across the Faculty of Arts present seminars about their current research, methodologies and career trajectories. The second half of the course focusses on developing students’ own research skills.

ARTSCHOL 300

This is the capstone course in the Arts Scholars programme. Students will attend a small number of seminars, but their primary work will be self-directed and may involve significant independent and/or group-based learning under academic supervision. This might include a research project, research apprenticeship, or creative work.

Social events and workshops complete the Arts Scholars experience, supporting whanaungatanga and helping you to extend your personal and professional development. They also aim to give you an extra edge when it comes to leadership and presentation skills and do not require any additional coursework. Social events are varied  and range from after-hours study sessions, movie nights, Arts Vs Science quiz nights through to field trips and special lectures. These are optional, but a great way to spend some time out of the classroom with your Arts Scholars whānau.

You will be asked to submit

• An Arts Scholars application form
• A reference from a teacher, community leader, or other person
• Your academic achievements (i.e. secondary school results or results from previous tertiary study)

Scholars will be selected after consideration of all four elements of their application.

Arts Scholars application form

The Arts Scholars application form asks you a number of questions to allow the Selection Committee the chance to get to know you better.

Reference 

We require a reference from either a teacher (Year 12 or Year 13), community leader (e.g. sports coach, club or religious leader), or someone you feel can speak to your character. This may include members of your whānau/ainga. In selecting your referee, you should consider who might best be able to represent your personal qualities.

The reference form should be submitted by your referee using the link below, and must be post-marked or sent before the application due date.

Make sure that you have applied for admission to a Bachelor of Arts or a Bachelor of Arts conjoint before you apply for the Arts Scholars programme. We can’t offer you a place in Arts Scholars unless you have applied for admission to the BA or one of the BA conjoint degrees.

If you have questions about the Arts Scholars programme, you can contact Deborah Montgomerie, the Programme Co-ordinator, at artsscholars@auckland.ac.nz.