Otago Polytechnic

Established in 1870, Otego Polytechnic is an open institution, which is associated with the Public Tertiary Education Institution. Earlier, the institute was known as the King Edward Technical College. The institute began its operations by providing evening classes to working professionals. Later on, it started offering day classes to secondary school students. In 1921, the institute opened the school of art, which was known to be the country’s first art school. In 1966, the college split into a secondary school. The institute is in partnership with the Kai Tahu institute. The collaboration helped to expand its academic curriculum.

The university comprises three campuses, namely Dunedin campus, Central Otago campus, and Auckland International campus. The Dunedin campus features the school of architecture, school of natural sciences, school of engineering, and school of art. The central library is also located on this campus. It consists of thousands of books, journals, and research papers. There is a community learning center within the campus that offers computer training to the students.

The Central Otago campus features two learning centers that offer computer training courses. The third campus, Auckland International campus, has been developed for international students. This campus features the Department of Business & Management and the Department of Information Technology. All the campuses aim to provide the facilities required by students. In addition, many restaurants and cafes are close to the campuses. Also, general stores, medical stores, and stationery shops are located nearby the campus.

The institute has a total of 9,281 students as per a report generated in 2018. It offers research programs and postgraduate degree programs. It also provides language learning courses and student exchange programs. The students are taught by well-experienced faculty members. The student exchange programs help the students to learn a different curriculum in a different environment. Students also go for industrial visits with their faculties to gain knowledge and exposure to the industry. They also get a chance to work as interns under the professionals. The internships can be added to their work experience later. The institute also offers summer scholarship programs and winter scholarship programs for students with low financial background. The students can avail scholarships on the basis of their overall academic performance. Scholarships are provided by the scholarship committee of the institution. The scholarships come with various grants and awards depending upon the need of the student.

The institute has a list of notable alumni that includes Holly Robinson (Silver Medallist at Paralympics in 2016), Glen Riley (Environmental instructor), Manassah Kutia (Rugby League representative in Otago), and Hayden Chapman (Assistant analyst at All Blacks)