Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics

at The University of Waikato - Hamilton Campus New Zealand

The Bachelor of Science (Technology) degree provides you with an opportunity to gain practical, relevant work experience as part of your undergraduate degree.  This will help you to step into the professional world in your chosen career and successfully integrates theoretical learning with hands-on experience.

The demand for experts in Earth Sciences continues to grow as we look to better manage our soil, water, minerals, energy and coastal and marine resources, as well as understand natural hazards  such as floods, earthquakes, tsunami, landslides and volcanic eruptions.

Electronics covers a wide range of exciting modern developments ranging from microscopic electronic circuits and machines, mobile and computer communications, advances in medical diagnosis and treatment, to developments in the latest audio and video technologies.  Studying electronics at the University of Waikato will give you valuable skills in electronic engineering and design. You will have the option to specialise in some of the most progressive areas in electronics today such as optoelectronics or mechatronics.  Optoelectronics deals with the conversion of electrical signals to light or vice-versa.  Solar cells, fibre optics and lasers are integral components of everyday devices such as supermarket barcode scanners and long distance communication systems.  Mechatronics combines aspects of electronic software and mechanical engineering to produce devices such as printers, cars, aircraft, photocopiers and even washing machines. These are fast growing areas in which you can develop a productive and satisfying career.

As Indigenous world views become increasingly important to society, a rapidly emerging area of study is Indigenous Studies. The Maori creative and performing arts papers diversify your existing program and provide unique insights into Maori tikanga.

Learning about Maori culture, language and knowledge is not just for Maori; it is crucial for all New Zealanders and international visitors to comprehend how Aotearoa/New Zealand’s unique Indigenous culture defines New Zealand’s identity - it is a cultural, social, economic and political force.

Also, learn how Maori Studies is located in the broader and global context of Indigenous Studies; a discipline that has flourished in the last decade as Indigenous scholars have confronted some of the major issues facing the world, such as efforts to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline.

The Community Health major is designed to ensure graduates have the knowledge, skills and understanding to make a difference in the wellbeing of the people in our local, regional and national communities. Drawing on Maori, Indigenous, critical and sociological perspectives, students will be provided with the opportunity to investigate the way health is understood and practiced in our society. Students will develop practical skills that will allow them to advocate and take action in enhancing the well-being of themselves and others.

Community Health is an interdisciplinary program, which includes papers from the Waikato Management School as well as the Schools of Arts and School of Social Sciences. The major embraces bi-culturalism and multi-culturalism by conceptualising health in a holistic sense. Moreover, it focuses on key relational and communication skills that are foundational to working with people in the health sector.

Population issues are among the most serious challenges that humanity faces in the 21st century. Population Studies and Demography at Waikato addresses contrasting issues among developed and developing countries, how governments are handling slowing population growth, and how others are dealing with legal and illegal migration and skill shortages. You'll explore how such issues impact on a country's environmental, economic and social patterns.

You'll explore the importance of population research and the need for attention to population trends, their causes and their implications on the environment, employment, work and family, health, population distribution, urbanisation, migration patterns, old age security and refugee movements.

This subject is of relevance to students from a wide range of backgrounds, such as sociology, economics, geography, political science and public policy, and provides opportunities to engage in individual directed studies and research for a masters or higher degree on a population-related subject.

The pressure on our environment is increasing as the human population grows. Environmental Sciences provide a basis for understanding environmental problems, and finding solutions to them.

The growing human population is expected to exceed 9 billion within the next 40 years.  The need to provide for increasing human demands, while protecting and sustainably managing the environment, is one of our greatest global challenges. Environmental Science is at the core of this challenge.

A major in Environmental Sciences at Waikato encompasses ecology, earth sciences, and environmental chemistry as well as many other disciplines. It is about understanding and managing human impacts on our land, biodiversity, freshwater, oceans, atmosphere and climate while providing the food, water, energy, and mineral resource needs that are critical to our survival.

Efficiently converting the world’s raw materials and commodity goods into products is important to the global economy.  To do this, we need to understand the properties of materials as diverse as food, wood, metals, plastics and fuel.

By studying Materials and Processing at the University of Waikato, you will learn how to add value to raw materials used to manufacture a number of useful products, while minimising waste.  These products can be as varied as dietary formulae, foods, ceramics that can withstand high temperatures, new metal alloys, pharmaceuticals, laminated boards, functional proteins, and composites.

Materials and processing skills are used in industrial and other activities where materials are undergoing chemical, biochemical or physical changes.

Chemistry is fundamental to our understanding of all branches of science and for a wide range of industries.  A degree in Chemistry from the University of Waikato means you'll gain an excellent grasp of Chemistry theory, supported by a strong emphasis on practical expertise.

Employers recognise Waikato Chemistry graduates for their analytical and problem solving skills as well as for their high-level of practical abilities – including hands-on bench and modern instrumentation skills.

A Chemistry qualification from Waikato appeals to a wide range of employers including analytical, forensic, industrial, environmental and medical laboratories. There is a shortage of Chemistry graduates in New Zealand and overseas and a critical shortage of qualified Chemistry teachers.

Better building materials and textiles, improved medical aids, new alloys, more productive agriculture, better environmental control and remediation – all rely on the chemical expertise you'll gain from studying at Waikato.

The structure of our chemistry major includes a range of highly theoretical, highly applied, quantitative and qualitative aspects. It will develop your analytical and problem-solving skills, which can be applied to many other disciplines.

Software is everywhere: from spacecraft to smart watches. Software Engineers design, develop, maintain and oversee complex software-intensive projects while assuring their quality. These highly interconnected systems must meet multiple requirements, including correctness, usability, performance, safety and security. They leverage technologies, such as cloud, web, database, networks, mobile, IoT and embedded systems.

You'll work with a range of software systems, from operating systems and networks to real-time and embedded systems. You'll learn about distributed and parallel systems. You'll also develop knowledge and skills relating to engineering, scientific and business application software.

There's a strong connection between critical, complex systems and the people who use them or are affected by them. At Waikato, the relationship between systems and human interaction is emphasised.

You'll be able to develop your professional skills by doing 800 hours of real-world work experience. This work is supported by the Cooperative Education Unit. You'll be able to work on major research design projects which have a commercial focus and have an opportunity to showcase your work to industry at the annual Oji Fibre Solutions Engineering Design Show.

Are you interested in human language and the way it has been formed and adapted throughout civilisation? Study Applied Linguistics at Waikato and you'll explore the complex world of language theories and methods, and the solution of practical problems associated with language.

We offer an interdisciplinary field of study which brings together ideas from linguistics, psychology, sociology, anthropology, education and languages into an unique area focused on the learning and teaching of second languages.

By studying Applied Linguistics you'll explore the issues associated with learning a foreign language in a programme that is leading the way in development and use of online learning

Our graduate level papers open up interesting academic and professional careers in language education generally, and second language teaching in particular.