Bachelor of Arts in Sociology

at The University of Waikato - Hamilton Campus New Zealand

Mathematics is a subject of vital importance that underpins many activities of our modern world. Employers recognise University of Waikato Mathematics graduates for their analytical and problem solving skills as well as their high level of numeracy, which are critical skills for a broad range of jobs.

If you are a graduate with a Mathematics degree, or even with a strong Mathematical component to your degree, you will be a valuable person in today's workforce, with a qualification that appeals to a wide range of employers including banks, insurance companies, schools and government departments.

There is strong employer demand for Mathematicians, due to a shortage of Mathematics graduates and in particular a critical shortage of Mathematics teachers.

The Bachelor of Social Sciences (BSocSc) will challenge your thinking about the world and the people who live in it. The degree focuses on contemporary social issues, the ways in which humans interact with these issues and how such actions can be monitored and modified.

Studying Economics will help you see the world in a different light; and understand how to apply this new perspective to help resolve issues in our society. You'll learn how to help people, governments and businesses make better decisions about using natural and financial resources to meet different goals.

Economists contribute to government decision-making on many different issues, such as shaping new laws and taxes, or advising on international trade agreements. They can also be involved in recommending incentives and penalties geared towards changing people's behaviour, such as encouraging people to leave their car at home.

You'll learn how to explain the reasons for different market structures, analyse the implications of government policy, anticipate how people might react to price changes, and demonstrate the gains from trade.

Philosophy is for thinkers and doers. It's about solving real-life problems, and applying intellectual rigour to how we understand and interact with others, society and the world. Studying Philosophy at Waikato will teach you how to learn, think and write clearly, argue vigorously, and question deeply held assumptions and beliefs.

The study of Philosophy involves tackling ethical and science-related issues, logic problems and debates about the nature of reality. It asks fundamental questions about what it means to be human, at this time and in this place. Questions such as: what is truth; what is reality; what is the mind; and what is good?

Employers understand the value of graduates who can think, and decide, for themselves. Waikato Philosophy graduates have the practical and analytical skills needed for careers within the public and private, health, business, environmental, publishing, information technology and education sectors, among others.

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 M?ori, 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 programme, 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.

Language is a tool we all use instinctively, without necessarily understanding its precise structure. By studying Linguistics, you'll gain an inner working knowledge of language design and organisation. You'll learn about different sounds, words and clause structures, and how they work in world languages. You'll explore different cultures and societies to see how linguistic behaviour changes by location, as well as in various situations.

Your Linguistics studies will also give you a commanding understanding of the English language which can lead to careers in journalism, free-lance writing or academia.

International Languages and Cultures at Waikato offers four streams - Chinese, French, Japanese, and Spanish. With advanced language skills, you'll meet the world's need for multilingual and culturally sensitive speakers, enhancing your business and social skills and preparing you for success in a multicultural work environment.

Students also benefit from travelling abroad to study their language through immersive learning opportunities. Chinese students, for instance, travel to China to gain first-hand language skills and cultural understanding.

Waikato gives you the space to become versatile to deal with texts in a variety of media formats to meet communication and translation needs. The International Languages and Cultures programme at Waikato is highly reputed and increases employability for those seeking job opportunities in other cultures and with different people groups.

Supply Chain Management is essential if you plan to be a logistics manager, operations manager or e-commerce manager. You'll learn how to create a smooth supply chain and handle the entire distribution process, from the factory production line to the customer.

Find out what goes into meeting customer needs throughout production, distribution and the delivery of products. You'll understand the design and operation of international supply chains, transportation and logistics networks, and how to build partnerships to work towards a common goal.

This subject will give you the business and communication skills needed to manage complex information systems and organisational relationships.

Practical, hands-on learning
As a Supply Chain Management student, you'll be encouraged to apply what you learn in the classroom to real-world situations. For example, you could use a computer simulation program to coordinate the flow of materials along a supply chain, and forecast customer demand to ensure that products arrive in time.

You'll have the opportunity to apply what you've learnt to the workplace and gain technical skills. For example, you might work in teams to produce a set of recommendations for a real company to adopt new business technologies.

Students will gain hands-on experience using SAP, the world's leading enterprise resource planning application. And use Microsoft Project to practice running projects from start to finish, by putting the right resources and budget in place.

Mathematics is a subject of vital importance that underpins many activities of our modern world. Employers recognise University of Waikato Mathematics graduates for their analytical and problem solving skills as well as their high level of numeracy, which are critical skills for a broad range of jobs.

If you are a graduate with a Mathematics degree, or even with a strong Mathematical component to your degree, you will be a valuable person in today's workforce, with a qualification that appeals to a wide range of employers including banks, insurance companies, schools and government departments.

There is strong employer demand for Mathematicians, due to a shortage of Mathematics graduates and in particular a critical shortage of Mathematics teachers.

Studying Professional Writing at Waikato teaches you high-level skills as a reader, writer and editor with excellent verbal, grammatical and analytical skills to excel your writing career.

The Master of Professional Writing offers a research-led and strongly practice-based qualification in professional and creative writing. The core paper is designed specifically to enhance the workplace readiness of graduates, and elective papers range across a variety of fields from creative writing to writing for promotional purposes and advertising, for digital media and for scholarly and professional publication.

Students have the opportunity to include a writing internship and all MPW students will be offered an on-campus professional writing mentor, who will provide professional advice and direct students towards on-campus writing opportunities. Candidates for the Creative Writing Thesis are selected on the basis of assessment of a portfolio of work; students accepted for the Creative Writing Thesis complete a book-length manuscript of publishable standard.

In a small country like New Zealand, successful agribusiness relies on understanding how to manage complex value chains within competitive global markets. Studying Agribusiness at Waikato University puts you in the heartland of New Zealand's leading agriculture-based export industries, learning from experts.