1. The University of Auckland
An introduction
By Ulrich Speidel, Department of Computer Science

2. Quick facts about the University
Largest and highest-ranking NZ university
Around 33,000 equivalent full-time students
Around 25% postgraduate students
4000 international students from 93 countries
Around 4800 full-time equivalent staff positions, with over 2000 academic staff
Four operational campuses in Auckland (City, Tamaki, Grafton, Epsom)
Some departments are split across campuses (e.g., Computer Science)

3. Quick facts about the University
8 faculties plus two large-scale research institutes
Faculty of Science (incl. Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, Statistics, School of Biological Sciences and School of Environment …)
Faculty of Engineering (incl. Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering…)
Auckland Bioengineering Institute (ABI)

4. Study options Undergraduate: BSc BE BCom BTech Graduate Diploma
Conjoint degrees are also possible
Postgraduate:
Postgraduate Diploma
BSc (Hons)
MSc/ME/MCom
PhD

5. Living in Auckland
Consistently scores in top 10 cities worldwide to live in
Moderate to subtropical climate: Summer temperatures seldom over 30C, winter daytime seldom under 5C. No snow in winter.
Lots of sunshine (but hard to predict when!)
Plenty of nature / leisure options with dozens of bays, beaches and islands and two harbours on two oceans, native forests
No earthquakes but a large number of volcanic cones (none active)
Cosmopolitan city with many Asian and Polynesian people, as well as Europeans and of course our indigenous Maori people
Public transport system is improving, many students have cars
International students can work during holidays (and in most cases part-time during semester), and can stay in NZ after graduating if they can find a job
Excellent pastoral care support for students

6. PhD's at Auckland Typical duration 3-4 years
Entirely research based – usually no coursework
Fundamental review of candidates after first year (seminar with question time), then annually on the basis of progress
Good news: International students have domestic fees status for PhD study. Approx. US$5,500 per year.
Scholarships exist but are rare
Living cost in Auckland for a single student: ~US$25,000 per year.

7. Computer Science at Auckland
Ranked 38th best CS department worldwide
Based at City and Tamaki campuses
Theory (including Information Theory)
Systems (including Data Communication, Software Applications)
Computer Graphics (incl. Games) and Computer Vision
Artificial Intelligence
Software Engineering (incl. HCI and Databases)

8. Electrical and Computer Engineering at Auckland
Based at City campus
Power systems (incl. inductive power transfer)
Wireless communication
Automation (incl. vision and robotics)
Operations Research

9. Want to know more?