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9 Jan, 2023 - 10 min read

Experience in real life is as good as on paper

Hero: Experience in real life is as good as on paper

Experience in real life is as good as on paper

Ready to level up? A postgraduate qualification, be it a micro-credential, certificate or a master’s degree, with academyEX it’s within reach. Even if you haven’t studied before.

We believe everyone should have the opportunity to go further - with their knowledge, their skills, their careers, their impact. That’s why we have an equivalence pathway into all our postgraduate programmes.

To us, the ‘School of Life’ can be as important as having a university degree.

No limits on learning

Our equivalence pathways are a way to recognise the life and work experience you’ve had and bring with you to postgraduate learning at academyEX. 

Our wide range of postgraduate programmes are designed for where the world is going, not where it's been. If we limited entry just on academic achievement, we’d be limiting the diversity and experience that each person brings to our learning community.

Entry requirements do vary between each programme but in all cases, you’ll need to do three key things to apply:

  1. Show evidence of your experience, such as a CV, your portfolio of work, or references from colleagues

  2. Demonstrate your willingness to learn by stating the skills you want to build

  3. Express the outcome you’re seeking to achieve by completing a programme with us

And if you’re not entirely sure whether your experience might count as equivalence, you can reach out to our student experience team who are always happy to help.

Study with a big dose of reality

It’s not uncommon to choose work, travel or life over higher education when we’re young. But when you reach a point in your career or life that calls for new skills, new knowledge or a change in direction, postgraduate learning is a great way to take you to your next level.

But don’t let the word ‘postgraduate’ put you off. Learning with academyEX is not what you might imagine studying is like.

We teach context not content. That means textbooks are out and digital resources like articles, videos and podcasts are in. You learn contemporary models and future-fit skills through a blend of self-directed and class session learning and then apply what you learn to real world projects. 

Perhaps you can use a current work project, or something you’ve been wanting to pitch to your team. Or maybe you’ve got a community initiative or a passion project you need new skills and networks to help launch it.


Whatever it is, what you create will be practical and useful to you after you’ve finished the programme. 

Learning that fits you

If a commitment to postgraduate learning is difficult to make, we’ve got a few options to ease you into it. 

You could start with a short course. Packaged as Samplers (2 weeks) or Advancers (6 weeks), our short courses are a great way to get a taste of what further learning with academyEX is like. While they’re not NZQA accredited they do give you the chance to begin exploring topics in sustainability, emerging technologies, leadership and contemporary education practices.

Or if you’d rather get qualified in a short space of time, our bite-sized micro-credentials are ideal. Programmes range between 7 and 15 weeks in length and they’re all part-time and delivered entirely online.

Most of our micro-credentials are stackable too. That means your learning and knowledge can be bolted together for broader, more comprehensive skill sets and the educational credits you earn on them can be counted towards a postgraduate certificate or master’s degree with academyEX.

Open the door to learning

Whether you’ve graduated from a University or the School of Life, postgraduate learning with academyEX is about taking you and your goals forward. 

From short courses all the way to a master’s degree, there are many ways you can expand your horizons through learning with us. 

Explore where you could go by learning with academyEX. 


We’re here to help you discover what learning could unlock for you. Contact us to start a conversation about how your experience could be your key to what comes next for you.