Event Management Major - Bachelor of Arts
A great event can generate positive publicity, create loyal clients and leave lasting memories. Event managers are the people behind these events. This major prepares you for a career in event management.
As an event manager you plan, organise and manage events of all sizes – including concerts, conferences, weddings, award ceremonies and sports events. To work in event management you need an eye for detail and the ability to work across diverse areas including design, sound, project management, financial management, human resources, logistics, public relations and communication.
Throughout your studies you plan events of various sizes and genres. You learn to prepare management plans, create contracts and write plans that help stakeholders evaluate their experience against pre-planned objectives.
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This is part of the Bachelor of Arts.
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With this major you develop the skills for a career in event management. As part of your degree, you can include courses from related disciplines like business, public relations, hospitality, tourism, psychology, languages, and sport and recreation.
Apart from the courses below you also need to complete courses from your second major, your chosen minor(s) or electives.
Core courses
All Bachelor of Arts students need to complete core courses that help you develop transferable skills and support your work in all other courses in the degree.
Complete one course from each of the following clusters. Each cluster aligns with one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
Partnerships and Reduced Inequalities
Choose one of:
- ENGL502 Reading New Zealand
- ENGL503 A Pacific Reader
- JAPA511 Speak Japanese I
- MAOR505 Te Mānutanga Beginners Māori Language 1
- MAOR506 Te Ekenga Waka Beginners Māori Language 2
- NZSL502 Deaf Community and Culture I
- NZSL510 New Zealand Sign Language I
- NZSL520 New Zealand Sign Language II
- SPAN501 Spanish 1A
- SPAN502 Spanish 1B
Peace and Justice, Climate Action and Economic World
Choose one of:
- CRIM580 Criminology and Criminal Justice
- EVNT500 Introduction to Event Management
- HIST500 Introduction to New Zealand History
- HIST501 The Holocaust: Its Causes, Character, and Legacy
- PSYC580 Introduction to Psychology A
- SOSC582 Social Thinking
- SOSC583 Social Institutions
- SOSC585 Climate Action
- TOUR511 Global Issues in Tourism
Sustainability, Health and Wellbeing
Choose one of:
- FOOD501 Food and the Senses
- CLSY513 Organisation and Human Behaviour Perspectives
- HOSP509 Hospitality Social Enterprise
- TOUR512 Tourism and Sustainability
Quality Education, Gender Equality and Reduced Poverty
Workplace experience is an important part of your degree, and the Work Integrated Learning course is the final part of your degree. This is a supervised work placement related to your major(s), for an organisation of your choice. It's a great way to get industry experience while still being able to get feedback from AUT lecturers, and for many of our students this workplace experience also leads to a job offer.
Projects you can undertake include competitor analysis, social media networking and promotion, event planning and execution, post-event evaluation, event design and marketing.
Recent placements included:
- YMCA Rise Up - Youth Fashion to New Zealand Fashion Week
- Artweek Auckland
- Auckland Tourism Events and Economic Development (ATEED):
- Diwali Festival
- Total Sport: Trail Running NZ
- Our: House Events (dance parties)
- Whoa Studios and The Grounds
- Villa Maria Event Team
- XPO Exhibitions
- ICE Events
- Compass Dance Company
You could also take the Foundations in Research course if you’re considering continuing into postgraduate study.
Want more info about work integrated learning at AUT?
Read more about workplace experience in AUT programmes, how it works and why it’s so beneficial when you start your career.
Event management major courses
If you're majoring in event management, this is the main subject area you specialise in. It makes up one third of your degree and consists of eight event management-related courses you study throughout your degree.
Year 1 courses
Complete the following course:
- EVNT500 Introduction to Event Management
And one of the below courses:
- DIGM550 Making Digital Media I
- MAOR507 Te Matariki
Year 2 courses
Complete the following courses:
- EVNT601 Event Planning
- EVNT603 The Event Design Experience
- EVNT604 Event Partnerships
Year 3 courses
Complete the following courses:
- EVNT701 Event Production
- EVNT702 Contemporary Issues in Event Management
- MGMT721 Leadership Principles, Perspectives and Practice
Ready to enrol in your courses?
Find out how you can enrol in the courses and classes for your programme, whether you’ve just joined AUT as a new student or you’re already studying with us. If you’re looking for more info on a specific course use our course search.
Build your degree
Use our online tool to build your own degree and see what your three years of study could look like.
https://www.aut.ac.nz/courses/bachelor-of-arts/event-management-major
Skills you will develop
The outcomes for graduates of the Bachelor of Arts in Event Management are outlined in the Graduate Profile below.
A Bachelor of Arts in Event Management will equip you with the critical thinking and the skills to enable to you flourish in a wide range of exciting careers, including:
- Advertising
- Conference organisers
- Entertainment industry
- Event employees in local authorities
- Event manager/assistant manager
- Event marketing
- Festival management
- PR and communications
- Sport, recreation and leisure
- Trade shows
Find out more about industry trends, job descriptions and what employers may be looking for.
Other majors in the Bachelor of Arts
- Creative Writing
- Criminology and Criminal Justice
- Culinary Arts
- Economics (not open to new students from 2025)
- Education
- Global Tourism
- History
- International Studies
- Interpreting
- Māori Development
- Māori Media
- New Zealand Sign Language & Deaf Studies
- New Zealand Sign Language - English Interpreting*
- Psychology
- Social Sciences
*This major focuses on New Zealand Sign Language and developing the skills to become a Sign Language interpreter. It doesn’t include the option to include courses from different subjects.
- Opportunity to work with a wide range of people and industries
- Emphasis on practical event management experience
- Valuable workplace experience in your final year
- Option to include subjects from across AUT in your degree
- Creative, imaginative and innovative
- Confident
- Organised and detailed
- A great communicator and decision-maker
The information on this page was correct at time of publication. For a comprehensive overview of AUT qualifications, please refer to the Academic Calendar.