理学硕士（MSc）是两年制学位，涵盖课程和研究。第一年主要涉及课程工作和初步研究准备。学生将有机会为现有的研究领域做出贡献，或开始开发新的领域。植物学涵盖了植物生命的方方面面。因此，它包括它们的结构和发育，生理和生物化学，健康和疾病，与其他生物和环境的关系（生态学）以及植物识别和分类的传统方面。奥塔哥大学的重点是高等植物和海藻的一般生物学，生态学和生理学，尽管所提供的论文中还包括其他类别（针叶树，蕨类，苔藓和真菌）。
Botany is an exciting and challenging degree taught by a team of excellent plant scientists. You will learn about important, topical issues such as biotechnology, genetic modification, ecosystem services, sustainability and the ecological impacts of environmental change. Studying Botany at Otago will enable you to examine New Zealand's unique flora on land and in the sea. You will study its diversity and evolutionary history, as well as how this flora may be affected by changing climatic conditions, ocean acidification, and invasive organisms. Botany courses will cover a wide range of topics from how photosynthetic organisms function, to understanding their role in ecosystem processes. This will include the importance of plants in addressing some of the challenges and problems that face society in the 21st century. Botany courses have great field trips that focus on various aspects of plant ecology and allow you to participate in hands-on study of our exciting natural environment.<br><br>A candidate achieving the degree by papers and a thesis shall normally follow a programme for the equivalent of not less than two years of full-time study and not more than three years of full-time study, and a candidate achieving the degree by thesis alone shall normally follow a programme of study for the equivalent of not less than one year of full-time study and not more than two years of full-time study. Exceptions shall be permitted only with the approval of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Sciences).