Bachelor of Social Sciences in Political Science

at The University of Waikato - Hamilton Campus New Zealand

Anthropology is the study of humanity in all its fantastic diversity. Waikato's Anthropology students learn from anthropologists who have a strong Pacific focus and engage in research across a wide range of crucial global issues.

Cultural anthropology, our area of specialty, is the interpretation and appreciation of the vast array of cultural possibilities for human life. Studying Anthropology will challenge students to reimagine their assumptions about their own societies and cultures and develop a toolkit to critically understand their changing world.

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.

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.

Psychology is about understanding the behaviour and cognitive processes of people and animals in their physical, social and organisational environment. As a behavioural science, it examines the way behaviour is learned and can be changed. As a social science, it focuses on individuals within the context of families, organisations and other groups, communities, cultures and societies. As a biological science, it studies the senses (hearing, vision, touch) and how the brain and physiological systems relate to behaviour. As a cognitive science it studies perception, attention, memory, thinking and language understanding. The study of development, personality, learning and motivation are also part of Psychology.

From analysing the reasons for anger to considering the best way to train dogs, the study of Psychology allows insight into countless intriguing facets of cognitive function.

As a social science, Psychology focuses on individuals within the context of families, organisations and other groups, communities, cultures and societies. As a biological science, Psychology studies the senses (hearing, vision, touch) and how the brain and physiological systems relate to behaviour. As a cognitive science, Psychology studies perception, attention, memory, thinking and language understanding. The study of development, personality, learning and motivation are also part of Psychology at Waikato, as is animal behaviour and welfare.

Anthropology is the study of humanity in all its fantastic diversity. Waikato's Anthropology students learn from anthropologists who have a strong Pacific focus and engage in research across a wide range of crucial global issues.

Cultural anthropology, our area of specialty, is the interpretation and appreciation of the vast array of cultural possibilities for human life. Studying Anthropology will challenge students to reimagine their assumptions about their own societies and cultures and develop a toolkit to critically understand their changing world.

Behaviour Analysis is a scientific approach to understanding why people and animals do what they do. Studying behaviour analysis will teach you how both animal and human behaviour is affected by events in the social and physical environment and what you can do to produce behaviour change to help improve lives. Knowledge of this science of behaviour and its behaviour-change technology will assist you in a variety of careers.

As a student of Behaviour Analysis, you will learn how behaviour can be understood and changed. This includes an introduction to behaviourism, which is the philosophical underpinning of the science of behaviour and the experimental analysis of behaviour (EAB), which is the domain of basic research.

Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) is concerned with the application of these foundations, in the development of a technology to improve socially important behaviours. You will learn many skills, including how to define and measure behaviour, create behaviour change programs and evaluate their effectiveness in courses that combine theoretical and practical learning to produce marketable skills.

If music is your passion, then Waikato has a program of study to suit. We teach Western Classical Music – from Baroque to contemporary, through performance, composition and musical scholarship. If you're inclined to the modern, we offer papers in sonic art and new technologies.

Our staff are highly qualified professionals, active nationally and internationally as composers, performers and musicologists. Music is their passion too, and our common aim is to help you develop the technique and understanding you'll need to reach your full musical potential.

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.

You'll explore connections to previous generations, how they influence today, and if they were really all that different. History isn't just what happened before, but is also an investigation into, and use of, reliable research methods. We'll challenge you to ask questions, use critical enquiry into historical evidence and consider new ways of looking at the past in light of that new evidence.

When you study History, it isn't just for the classroom either. New Zealanders are keen to gain new perspectives on the "hidden history" of the pre-Waitangi Tribunal. People are also fascinated to learn their family's story and the circumstances that surround their ancestor's immigration to New Zealand.

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.