Ocean University of China, Victoria University of Wellington launch joint double master’s programme for 2027

Summary

A joint double master's programme run by Ocean University of China and Victoria University of Wellington will admit an initial five students in 2027. The China-side major is listed as 085404-04 Computer Technology (China-NZ double master's), with Computer Science available as the New Zealand option. The programme runs for three years.

The first year is spent taking courses at Ocean University of China. In the second year, students go to Victoria University of Wellington for English-taught courses and laboratory internships, and those who meet the degree requirements receive a master's degree from Victoria University of Wellington. The third year returns to Ocean University of China for thesis writing and defence; students who pass receive a master's graduation certificate from Ocean University of China and, subject to review by the university's degree evaluation committee, are awarded the degree.

Indicative costs in New Zealand are tuition of about NZ$45,000 (including insurance, with the exact amount subject to notification from the New Zealand side), rent of about NZ$7,200 per semester, food of about NZ$2,500 per semester, international travel of about NZ$900 and other costs of about NZ$300. Applicants must be either recommended postgraduate students or candidates sitting the 2027 national postgraduate entrance examination, all applying for 085404-04 Computer Technology (China-NZ double master's), and must have good English sufficient to cope with a fully English-taught environment in New Zealand. Ocean University of China will organise the interview and admission process, with experts from both sides forming a panel to conduct the interview or re-examination.

Recommended students who pass the interview are admitted in order of interview score, from highest to lowest. Once admitted, students may not transfer to another type of postgraduate programme, and anyone withdrawing mid-programme must complete automatic withdrawal procedures. If visa issues prevent travel to New Zealand on schedule, students may apply to defer, subject to approval from their supervisor and college.

After arriving in New Zealand, students must obtain the New Zealand degree within the maximum master's study period set by the university; if they cannot, they must complete automatic withdrawal procedures. Admitted students will sign an agreement with the university to fulfil these arrangements.

Commentary

Victoria University of Wellington's computer technology double master's with Ocean University of China, with its second year taught in New Zealand at tuition of about NZ$45,000, signals a shift in New Zealand's higher education export sector — away from large-scale undergraduate recruitment and towards higher-value postgraduate partnerships. International education is a key pillar of New Zealand's services exports. Before the pandemic, Chinese students made up about 30 percent of the total.

With competition intensifying from Australia and Canada, local universities need joint degrees to lock in quality enrolments. For small and medium-sized business owners, the direct economic pull is limited: the programme takes only five students a year. Even so, the mix of English-taught coursework and laboratory internships gives local IT firms a channel to reach students from one of China's top universities.

New Zealand software and applications programmers have long sat on Immigration New Zealand's skills shortage list, and SMEs routinely face difficulty recruiting technical staff and high costs in retaining them. Where joint-programme students take up local internships during their time in Wellington, employers can assess potential hires at low cost. On the other hand, the programme's relatively high fees target Chinese families with strong paying capacity, and these students tend to value the international recognition of the qualification more than staying on to work in New Zealand.

With the third year requiring a return to China to complete the thesis, the share who actually enter the New Zealand labour market may fall short of expectations. For local firms hoping to ease staffing pressure, waiting for the programme to scale up may be less useful than approaching Victoria University's Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science directly to build internship partnerships, or looking at Immigration New Zealand's work visa provisions for IT graduates. The programme's strict withdrawal clauses and visa risk also signal that the stability of China-New Zealand education cooperation depends on bilateral relations and visa processing efficiency; firms relying on such channels for talent should weigh that carefully.

Over its first five-year cycle, the programme's impact on the local business environment will show up more in raising Wellington's profile as a technology education destination than in direct talent supply.

Keywords: Ocean University of China, Victoria University of Wellington, double master's degree, computer technology, China-New Zealand joint programme, admissions plan, recommended postgraduate students, tuition fees

Summary in Chinese | 摘要

2027年中国海洋大学与新西兰惠灵顿维多利亚大学联合培养双硕士学位项目说明显示，招生专业为085404-04计算机技术（中新双硕士），新方专业可选Computer Science，招生计划初定5个。项目学制三年：第一年在中国海洋大学学习课程；第二年前往惠灵顿维多利亚大学学习英文授课课程并在实验室实习，符合学位授予要求者获新西兰惠灵顿维多利亚大学硕士学位；第三年回中国海洋大学撰写论文并答辩，通过者获中国海洋大学硕士研究生毕业证书，符合条件者经校学位评定委员会审核后授予学位。在新期间费用参考为：新方学费约45,000新西兰元（含保险费用，具体数额以新方通知为准），房租约7,200新西兰元/学期，伙食约2,500新西兰元/学期，国际旅费约900新西兰元，其它费用约300新西兰元。

报考条件包括推免生和参加2027年全国硕士研究生招生考试的统考生，申请专业均为085404-04计算机技术（中新双硕士），并要求英语水平较好，能适应在新期间全英文授课环境。复试录取由海大组织，双方专家共同组成专家组进行面试或复试，推免生通过面试考核后按面试成绩从高至低择优录取。项目还规定，录取后不得转为其他类型研究生，中途退出应办理自动退学手续；若因签证原因无法按期赴新，经导师和所在学院同意可申请延期赴新；学生赴新后须在我校规定的硕士最长学习期限内取得新方学位，若无法取得则应办理自动退学手续，被录取学生将与校方签署协议履行上述培养安排。

Commentary in Chinese | 评论

惠灵顿维多利亚大学与中国海洋大学推出的计算机技术双硕士项目，第二年课程设在新西兰，学费约4.5万纽币，折射出新西兰高等教育出口正从大规模本科招生转向高附加值的研究生合作。新西兰国际教育是服务出口的重要支柱，疫情前中国学生占比约三成，但澳洲、加拿大竞争加剧，本地高校需借助联合学位锁定优质生源。对中小企业主而言，该项目年招生仅5人，直接经济拉动有限，但全英文授课加实验室实习的模式，为本地IT企业提供了接触中国顶尖高校学生的渠道。

新西兰软件和应用程序员长期位列移民局技能短缺清单，中小企业普遍面临技术人才招聘难、留任成本高的问题；联合培养学生在惠灵顿学习期间若参与本地实习，企业可低成本评估潜在雇员。另一方面，该项目学费较高，面向支付能力强的中国家庭，这类学生更看重学历国际认可度而非留新就业，加之第三年必须返回中国完成论文，实际进入新西兰劳动力市场的比例可能低于预期。对于希望缓解用人压力的本地企业，与其等待项目扩大，不如主动与维多利亚大学工程与计算机学院建立实习合作，或关注新西兰移民局针对IT毕业生的工签便利。

项目严格的退出条款和签证风险也提示，中新教育合作的稳定性受双边关系和签证处理效率影响，企业若依赖此类渠道获取人才需谨慎评估。首个五年周期内，该项目对本地商业环境的影响更多体现在提升惠灵顿作为科技教育目的地的品牌认知，而非直接人才供给。

关键词: 中国海洋大学, 惠灵顿维多利亚大学, 双硕士学位, 计算机技术, 中新合作办学, 招生计划, 推免生, 学费

Source: Ocean University of China Portal