Postgraduate Diploma in Arts - Sociology

at Massey University - Manawatu Campus New Zealand

Language is part our everyday lives, yet how much do we actually understand about how it works? Linguistics is the study of language, its structure and meaning, how it is learnt and used, and what this says about who we are and where we come from.

Linguistics broadens your understanding of how language works in your own society. It also provides understanding of concepts and structures in languages and cultures beyond your own.

You’ll identify core similarities in language and communication, two activities that define us as humans. This qualification will appeal to you if you enjoy learning languages or have a curiosity about language.

Social anthropology is the study of the relationship between human beings and culture. It gives you a deeper understanding of cultural variation and cultural change. It allows you to better understand your own culture as one among many possible ways of being human. Social (or cultural) anthropologists seek to understand cultural differences. That includes the many ways people maintain and change the culture in response to new social contexts. Social anthropologists bring a comparative approach to the description and analysis of society based on fieldwork that extends across the globe, from hunter-gatherers to industrial nation-states.

We make economic decisions every day, whether we buy that 'must have' item and blow the budget or decide to wait until the item is on sale. The study of economics can help to improve our decision making. Economics offers a way of thinking about the world that enables us to make the best of what we have yet still improve on it.

With a Diploma in Arts (Creative Writing) you will examine inspiring creative works and explore your personal creative approach through poetry, life writing, scriptwriting, and fiction.

Inspiration, communication and vocation are at the heart of Massey’s exciting Diploma in Arts (Creative Writing).It offers you the chance to develop your writing so that it’s pitch-perfect for a variety of audiences. You’ll enhance your critical thinking. You’ll also master a wide range of transferrable communication skills, all while pursuing your own creative vision. 

This unique degree is for those who love being creative, writing and the performing arts, but also want to discover how the media shape our identities and our world.

In this unique composite major, you’ll study courses in both media studies and expressive arts. You’ll blend theory with creative practice.

Expressive arts is unique in New Zealand and was created in response to student demand. You’ll get to study a combination of the three creative discipline areas of theatre, creative writing, or digital media production.

In the media studies part of your study, you will learn about the production, consumption and content of media and their social, cultural, political and economic implications.

You will learn how decisions are made on what is communicated, how media forms and industry structures shape those messages, and how this impacts our lives and understanding of the world.

The Graduate Diploma in Arts (Economics) will give you the equivalent of an undergraduate major in economics without completing a second bachelor’s degree. The Graduate Diploma in Arts (Economics) is a bridging tool for graduates in other subjects to get the equivalent of a major in economics. You can then apply for a postgraduate qualification in economics if you wish.

Join Massey’s market-leading Bachelor of Science (Psychology) and learn how people perceive, learn, think, develop, behave, and relate to one another.

Psychology covers a broad range of topics, but at its simplest level it is the systematic study of individual behaviour. It considers emotions, personality, and the way individuals interact. It also considers learning, memory, thinking and the brain.Psychology is a growing and ever-changing subject which helps us make sense of the human impact on the world in which we live.You'll learn how people perceive, learn, think, develop, behave, and relate to one another. Courses will teach you how the structure of the brain affects our behaviour, what makes people different from one another and how being in groups affects people's behaviour. Finally, you'll learn how factors like culture, gender, poverty, and mental illness affect our health, our thinking, and our behaviour.

Join Massey’s unique Bachelor of Science (Microbiology) to explore and understand microbes in the environment, from the soil to the air, and in the human body.

Microbiology is an essential science that helps us understand the microbes in the environment, including microbes that dwell in the soil, air and water, in our food and inside people, animals and plants. Microbiology can impact on many different areas, such as:

• Agriculture, where rumen microbes are both essential to dairy and good industries, but also responsible for much of New Zealand’s carbon emission;
• Bioprotection, where efforts to preserve native birds (kiwi) and plants (kauri trees) depend on expert control of microbial pathogens
• Microbes have applications as model systems to answer questions beyond the immediate range of microbiology, such as the causes of cancer or birth defects;
• Green and bio-based technologies, where microbes help preserve our environment by producing bio-based materials for use in diagnostics and vaccines or by harnessing solar energy for fuel production.

This 120-credit qualification acknowledges and recognises that having significant aviation experience has real value.

You may have an interest in working as a flight instructor. Or you are already working as a commercial pilot but want to share your experience with a new generation of budding pilots.  If so, and you wish to gain your ‘C’ Category Flight instructor rating within a University framework, the Graduate Diploma in Aviation (Flight Instruction) is for you.

Massey’s Master of Agribusiness is an internationally recognised qualification. You will gain the research and professional skills required across the value chain from farm production to food marketing. Key skills you will learn include:

• Advanced knowledge of agribusiness and agri-food value chains
• Solving real world complex problems by application of appropriate methodologies
• Communicating clearly the results of investigations
• Working effectively in small teams and applying advanced knowledge of agribusiness to effective solutions to agribusiness issues in an ethical and culturally appropriate way.