Victoria offers unique international trade degree

18 August 2016

Victoria offers unique international trade degree

In a trans-Tasman first, a new international trade degree, launching at Victoria University of Wellington in 2017, will encourage students to work beyond traditional academic divides and succeed in the global economy.

The Master of International Trade, open to domestic and international students, offers a unique opportunity to understand international trade law, economics, and political economy, as well as a variety of cultural and critical perspectives impacting trade.

The degree will span four different faculties and schools—Law, Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, and Victoria Business School—giving students a unique perspective on international trade.

“New Zealand has a global reputation as a successful trading nation and is a respected player in international trade negotiations,” Vice-Provost (Research) Professor Kate McGrath says.

“Victoria is already highly regarded for study related to international trade. We are delighted to be taking our offering to the next level, with a degree programme that will be attractive to a range of students who will make their career contributing to the global economy through trade.”

Faculty of Law Professor Susy Frankel says trade concerns are at the centre of many policies, including those relating to primary industries, developing innovation, attracting inward investment, encouraging outward investment, as well as biosecurity, environmental and labour conditions and industry productivity. “The Master of International Trade offers the opportunity to study these aspects of international trade through the lenses of different disciplines.

“This is the only international trade degree in New Zealand and Australia that will include expertise from four different parts of the university, giving students an understanding of the competing interests in the trade sphere and the diversity of views and perspectives about those interests,” Professor Frankel says.

Professor John Overton, from the School of Geography, Environment and Earth Sciences, says being able to communicate and negotiate across disciplines is an important skill in the twenty-first century and reflects the nature and challenges of international trade.

Students in one discipline will benefit from study of related areas that have trade impacts, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Dean Professor Jennifer Windsor says. “For example, international relations students should understand the legal rules of international trade law, and law students will benefit from understanding the policy and political economy context of international legal agreements and institutions.”

The core courses in the degree, which can be completed in a year, will cover:

• Multidisciplinary Approaches to International Trade
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• International Trade Law
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• Economics of International Trade
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• International Political Economy.

“Discussing Māori involvement in international trade will be an important part of this degree,” says Dr Maria Bargh, the Head of Te Kawa a Māui–School of Māori Studies. “The programme will include content from Māori perspectives, both historical and contemporary, as well as the impacts on Māori and the country’s natural resources of the New Zealand Government entering international trade agreements.”

Enrolment for the new degree will open on 1 October 2016, and full course details, including fees, will be available then on the university’s website.

More information is available on our website: www.victoria.ac.nz/law/about/news/victoria-offers-unique-international-trade-degree/questions-and-answers/

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