Graduate Diploma in Political Science

at The University of Waikato - Tauranga Campus New Zealand

The world as we know it is continuously and rapidly evolving, with electrical and electronic engineers at the forefront of all practical technology that we require in order to solve society's needs for communication, clean energy, industry and climate change.

The Electrical and Electronic Engineering subject at Waikato is a uniquely future-focused integration of computer science involving software programming, data management, artificial intelligence and cyber-security with core electrical and electronic principles in modern power systems, electronic design, embedded systems and communication.

As a graduate specialising in Electrical and Electronic Engineering you will be ready to contribute to the electricity industry evolution from legacy generation and distribution models into an immediate future of distributed generation and storage, smart grids and new generation paradigms around renewable resources. These trends impact not just the traditional electricity industry itself, but also generate new opportunities and requirements within agriculture, manufacturing, construction, transport electrification and automation and smart building management.

Work placements completed as part of this program provides opportunity for practical experience and robust engineering and design skill development in relevant industries.

As an Electrical and Electronic Engineering graduate you could work in a range of exciting fields including aerospace, transport electrification and automation, smart building management, livestock management, renewable energy (wind, solar, geo), electronic mapping, data communications, satellite systems, vehicle companies, hospitals, and the military.

Finance is all about achieving the best return relative to risk, and helping organisations add value for their shareholders. Studying Finance at Waikato University will prepare you for highly paid positions in the financial and business sectors anywhere in the world.

Practical assignments will prepare you for exactly what you'll encounter in your financial career. For example, students get to work on a funds simulation project using real data, and prepare a report on a publicly listed New Zealand or Australian company, while playing the role of a trainee investment analyst.

You also have the opportunity to do a practical workplace internship or applied research project as part of your degree.

If you enjoy mathematics, accounting, economics, and using analytical tools to find the meaning behind numbers, than finance may be the right fit for you.

Prepare yourself for a career working in a variety of childhood settings with children from birth up to six years old. Gain theoretical and practical experience as you learn about all the aspects of Te Whariki – the Early Childhood curriculum.

It's an integrated program with seven major themes: bicultural development; cultural diversity; equity and social justice; inclusion; parents and whanau; transition to school; and infants and toddlers.

Teaching at the University of Waikato is a qualification that sets you up to become a skilled and reflective teacher. We produce qualified teachers who are in high demand both in New Zealand and around the 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.

Finance is all about achieving the best return relative to risk, and helping organisations add value for their shareholders. Studying Finance at Waikato University will prepare you for highly paid positions in the financial and business sectors anywhere in the world.

Finance at Waikato is focused on money management, investments, banking and credit, the share, bond and commodity markets, and financial analysis and decision making. You'll learn about corporate finance, portfolio selection, capital markets, personal financial planning, and the governance of public and private organisations.

Practical assignments will prepare you for exactly what you'll encounter in your financial career. For example, students get to work on a funds simulation project using real data, and prepare a report on a publicly listed New Zealand or Australian company, while playing the role of a trainee investment analyst.

Literature encompasses the total human experience and comes forth in stories, songs, laments and praise. It draws out the nuances of human nature and imagination and compliments the other arts.

English at Waikato stays relevant by constantly evolving and adapting to newer art forms including film, graphic novel and creative non-fiction.

You'll be immersed in fiction, plays and poetry and explore their potential to shape our world. You'll also have the choice to specialise in creative writing and learn from award-winning writers as well as have the opportunity to publish in Mayhem, our online literary journal. Your writing will gain clarity and subtlety as you develop your unique voice.

Explore how national, regional and local state institutions formulate and implement policies when you study Public Policy at Waikato. You'll also examine how non-profit organisations, individuals and businesses address issues of public concern.

Government decisions influence our lives on a daily basis. They affect the price of our housing, clothes, food, transport and water. They determine the types of jobs we do, how much we are paid and where we live.

Studying Public Policy equips you with the skills to understand and interpret current affairs, deal with government in your future profession or business, and work within government or for groups that lobby government. It is particularly suitable for students who want a career in the public sector, and for employees of organisations that are seeking to influence public policies.

At Waikato, Public Policy is an interdisciplinary subject. That means you can combine it with programs from a variety of other disciplines, creating a program of study to suit your needs. The minor in Public Policy offers both structure and flexibility – there's a compulsory paper at each level of study, but you'll also have the freedom to focus on the particular policy areas that most interest you. Choose from papers on economic, educational, environmental, ethnic, foreign, population and social policy.

In your studies you'll discuss theories of organisation, decision-making and administration, public management, and how public officials work and interact with the public sector and the political executive. You'll learn to examine policies in the context of political values and culture, economic constraints and political party agendas, and come to understand how and why particular policies are adopted by governments.

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.

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.

Marketing is essential for attracting customers to purchase a company's products or services. It helps to create strong, unique brands that will stand out from their competitors in the crowded global marketplace.

Marketing is far more than just selling or advertising – ultimately, it is marketing that decides what products and services an organisation will offer, to which customers, at what price, using which channels.

In first year you'll take part in a Marketing Tradeshow where you'll put theory into practice. In this fun assignment, you'll work in a team to develop an innovative idea for a new product or service based around a theme, such as tourism, board games, chocolate or sports. Your team will conduct customer research and plan a full marketing mix strategy, including product / packaging design, promotion, price and place of distribution. You'll be encouraged to dress up in costumes on the night, with prizes awarded for best stand, best costumes, and best overall product.

You'll also have the opportunity to study specialist areas of marketing such as digital marketing, brand management, marketing research, consumer and buyer behaviour, services marketing, and business development and sales.

The Human Development program explores the development of individuals, families, groups and communities throughout the human lifespan. It is important for those wishing to go into professions such as youth work, eldercare, social work, counselling and teaching. An understanding of human development is relevant to many other careers that involve working with or for people.

Papers  develop skills relevant to career objectives such as human relations, human services, program planning, community liaison, counselling, policy and evaluation, administration of programs concerned with the family or other groups and research.

Graduates gain a solid foundation in theory and research to understand and explain the development of people from the early years through to old age, have the ability to examine how different contexts influence people's lives, learning and behaviour, and are able to apply this knowledge to specific life situation