2024 Summer Start Course List
Please see below for information on the courses that were offered in Summer Start 2024. Courses for 2025 Summer Start are currently being confirmed and this page will be updated mid-2024 with the 2025 course information.
Courses available for enrolment under the Summer Start Programme are shown below. Our friendly Student Advisers are on-hand to assist you in making the right decision for you based on your tertiary study needs and programme preferences.
Some courses are specific to a study pathway while others are also offered as a General Education ‘G’ course – this means they count towards a wide range of degrees.
Faculty of Arts
| Course | Description | Who is this course for? |
| ACADENG 101 - Academic English Writing | Learn the skills necessary to write essays for university purposes, including brainstorming, writing an outline, structuring an essay, integrating quotations, summaries and referencing. Course improves your academic writing needed in other subjects, in particular, planning and writing essays. | Students who speak English as an additional language and want to improve their academic writing needed in other subjects, in particular, planning and writing essays. This course is also an approved course for students who have not met the Academic English Language Literacy Requirements (AELR). |
| ARTSGEN 104 - Te Pārekereke | This course is grounded in mātauranga Māori and Pasifika knowledges with whanaungatanga (relationships that strengthen) and Vā fealoa'i (nurturing respectful relationships) at its heart. This speaks to relationships to place and understanding the stories of this land (Waipapa) and its people, and the new relationships you will establish with your peers and teachers. You will master necessary skills, including time and workload management, written and verbal communication, note-taking, academic writing, successful use of the library and approaches to research. | Students interested in a Bachelor of Arts who are looking to be equipped with the core skills that all students need to be able to succeed with University study. |
| ENGWRIT 101 - English Writing for Academic Purposes | English Writing 101 helps you produce well-written and well-structured assignments, which address the question being asked in an appropriate way. The course focuses on the process of essay writing first, then covers the types of writing students are asked to produce in undergraduate assignments across different subjects and genres. | Students seeking to improve their writing through practice. English Writing 101 can be used to fulfill the Academic English Language Requirement (AELR), and is also a first year course in the TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) major. This is not a course in English as a Second Language. |
| MĀORI 130/G - Te Ao Māori: The Māori World |
An introduction to Māori analyses of topics that are often discussed and sometimes controversial, and that continue to shape contemporary life in New Zealand. Topics include aspects of world view, philosophy and social organisation; the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Waitangi and European immigration; and contemporary issues including Treaty claims, ownership of the foreshore and seabed and constitutional issues. It is taught in the English language using some Māori language terms that you will learn during the course. | This course is suitable for students from a range of disciplines and backgrounds, from absolute beginners to those with extensive knowledge of Te Ao Māori. |
| PHIL 105/G - Critical Thinking | An introduction to reasoning, argument, and explanation that emphasises the development of practical skills and their use in everyday life. The course introduces different forms of reasoning and explains techniques to evaluate them. It will enable students to distinguish good arguments and explanations from bad ones, to explain the difference, and thereby to improve critical thinking abilities. |
Students from a range of disciplines and backgrounds. |
| SOCIOL 101/G - Understanding Aotearoa New Zealand | This course provides an introduction to the sociological analysis of New Zealand society. It looks at familiar events, institutions, social processes from a sociological point of view and offers ways to understand them in new and different ways. The course focuses on the structure of New Zealand society and on social and political changes which affect the lives of New Zealanders and shape their society. | This course is suitable for students from a range of disciplines and backgrounds. SOCIOL 101/101G will be of interest to students wanting to develop their knowledge of New Zealand society. |
Business School
If you’re a Year 13 student intending to start a Bachelor of Commerce or Bachelor of Property with us in Semester One 2024, you can take one course from the University of Auckland’s Summer Start programme. See our recommendations here.
Faculty of Creative Arts and Industries
| Course | Description | Who is this course for? |
| DANCE 101/G - Introduction to Dance and Creative Processes | This course aims to develop an understanding of our moving bodies through movement awareness, dance improvisation, choreography, and interdisciplinary arts processes. | Students from a range of disciplines and backgrounds, except those interested in a Bachelor of Dance Studies. |
| MUS144/G– Turning-Points in Western Music | This course introduces the history and literatures of Western music from medieval times to the late 20th-century. You will study, discuss, and write about the people and the factors (artistic, intellectual, social, technical) that were and are Western music’s agents of change. | Students from a range of disciplines and backgrounds. |
Faculty of Engineering
| Course | Description | Who is this course for? |
| ENGGEN131 - Introduction to Engineering Computation and Software Development | Introduction to problem solving in engineering through the use of the software package MATLAB, and the programming language C. | Students with a Fast Track offer to Engineering who have achieved a B+ average or higher in one of the following: - University of Canterbury STAR: MATH 199 (Advancing in Mathematical Sciences) - University of Waikato Unistart: ENGEN 101+ENGEN 102, or MATHS101+MATHS 102 - Massey University School+: 160.101+160.102 |
| ENGSCI 111 - Mathematical Modelling 1 | Develop an understanding of mathematical modelling, including differentiation and integration (polynomials, trigonometric, exponential, logarithmic, and rational functions) and more. | Students with a Fast Track offer to Engineering who are either starting a conjoint degree, or who have completed MATHS 199 (Max) at the University of Auckland with a B+ or higher. |
Note: there are pathways to engineering with the Faculty of Science. Students considering Engineering should see the Summer Start for Engineers information.
Faculty of Science
| Course | Description | Who is this course for? |
| CHEM 100/G - Molecules that Changed the World | Explore the impact of chemistry on the modern world by focusing on the stories of specific molecules, including penicillin, DDT and nylon. | Students with a science background at Yr 11 or higher and who are not planning to continue in chemistry. |
| CHEM 150 - Concepts in Chemistry | Explore the fundamentals of chemistry with a view to enhancing understanding of the chemical nature of the world around us and providing a foundation for further study in chemistry. | Students looking to build confidence following Year 13 chemistry, looking for extra practical lab experience, or who do not have a background in chemistry, especially if chemistry is a part of their planned degree. It is recommended that students with a limited background in chemistry take this course prior to CHEM 110 or CHEM 120. |
| COMPSCI 101 - Principles of Programming | An introduction to computers and computer programming in a high-level language. The course will be useful for students who may wish to advance in Computer Science or in Information Systems and Operations Management, or to build programming skills suitable for Engineering or other science programmes. | Students who do not have any prior programming experience. |
| EXERSCI 100G - Exercise and Fitness: Myths and Reality | Explore the science behind exercise, the human body, and its relationship with physical activity: what really works and what's just a myth? A science background is not required. | Students from a range of disciplines and backgrounds. |
| EXERSCI 105 - Exercise Prescription | What should my heart rate be when working out? How do you improve someone’s health with exercise? How do you measure someone’s 'fitness'? You'll learn how to answer questions like these and how to implement an evidence-based approach to exercise prescription. | Students interested in majoring in Exercise Science or interested in a BSc. |
| MATHS 102 - Functioning in Mathematics | An introduction to calculus that builds mathematical skills and develops conceptual thinking. | Students who haven’t studied mathematics for some time, an opportunity to build confidence following Yr 13, and a preparation course for further study in Mathematics. For students seeking an Engineering Pathway. |
| MATHS 108 - General Mathematics 1 | A general entry to Mathematics for commerce and the social sciences, including topics in algebra and calculus and their applications. | Students who have studied mathematics at Yr 13, earning at least 13 credits in Mathematics at NCEA Level 3 including the Differentiation Standard 91578, or D in CIE A2 Mathematics or C in CIE AS Mathematics or 3 out of 7 in IB Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches (SL or HL). |
| PHYSICS 102 - Basic Concepts of Physics | An introduction to the basic principles of physics. Key topics are the physical description of motion, electricity and magnetism. | Students with little prior knowledge of physics, those who are looking to build confidence in their Year 13 physics before studying physics, and students seeking an Engineering pathway." |
| STATS 101/G - Introduction to Statistics | Intended for anyone who will ever have to collect or make sense of data, either in their career or private life. | Students interested in a BSc, BA or other degrees. |
| STATS 108 - Statistics for Commerce | The standard Stage I Statistics course for the Faculty of Business and Economics or for Arts students taking Economics courses. | Students interested in a BCom, BProp, BPlan or Barch. |
All students proposing to enter the University for the first time must take the online academic integrity course.