Postgraduate Diploma in Sport and Exercise Science

at Waikato Institute of Technology (Wintec) - Rotokauri Campus New Zealand

This programme is for engineering graduates and working engineering professionals wishing to gain further specialist knowledge in an additional discipline area. The programme also offers the opportunity for those candidates with a relevant engineering background and experience who may wish to gain a formal qualification to recognise that experience. The programme has strands in Mechanical, Mechatronics, Power, Water and Water Waste, and Highway Engineering.

Learning core skills and practical knowledge in a hands-on environment, students will develop electrical engineering theory, principles, and practices required to meet industry needs and demands. This can be across areas such as the power industry, industrial automation, and consumer products.

What you will learn
Computer-based training is used alongside tutor-led learning to provide the ultimate learning experience. Students will use up-to-date industry equipment, including oscilloscopes (visual voltmeter) and automation systems.

In the first two years of lab-based kinetic learning, students will service electronic equipment and learn the basic skills needed for this industry from tutors who are experienced in specialised fields. There are nine compulsory modules that students must complete over the two-year programme and a mixture of elective modules that students can choose to study. 

Students in this programme will gain the skills and knowledge to become a well-rounded practitioner of sport and exercise science. The programme includes coaching, exercise physiology, sport nutrition and psychology, biomechanics, sport rehabilitation, and personal training.

What you will learn
All third-year students will complete practical experiences in their specific areas of interest. These may be accrued by placements at local gymnasiums, working with clients for injury rehabilitation, nutrition, physical conditioning and performance assessment and improvement. Students will also have the opportunity to undertake research projects with clients and work alongside respected industry professionals.

Students will learn the principles of anatomy and physiology, health and nutrition, and massage therapy. They will gain hands-on experience in our modern clinic, practising massage techniques on each other, as well as clients. Students will also learn basic business skills.

Massage academic staff are qualified with extensive industry experience, enabling students to learn best practice in preparation for graduating.

Students will graduate with the skills and knowledge to provide wellness and relaxation massage therapy services

Students will learn the core knowledge and practical skills required to meet industry needs in their chosen engineering strand.

At Wintec, it is not just about theory; it is about developing the skills students need to actually do the job, so hands-on laboratory work reinforces theory taught in classrooms. Students will learn how to design products, how components work, the materials they are made from and how to manufacture them. Then, using SolidWorks, students will learn how to draw and present designs for industry, leading to a final semester industry-relevant project.

We are closely involved with the mechanical engineering industry. From our qualified tutors, many of whom are still working in the industry, to our relationship with WECA (Waikato Engineering Careers Association), who assists us in finding work placements and career opportunities for Wintec students.

With this qualification, students will enter the engineering industry with the ability to apply understanding and skills to the standard expected of a practising engineering technician.

Civil engineering technologists apply mathematical, natural science and engineering fundamentals to civil engineering infrastructure such as roads, bridges, harbours, water and waste water facilities. They design and oversee the execution of solutions for a broad range of engineering problems, and research and investigate possibilities to propose the best options and most appropriate techniques and resources.

This programme is for those who want a career in civil engineering. Students will learn theory and practical skills using technology in our engineering labs. Students can choose between two civil engineering pathways: water and waste engineering or roading and transportation engineering. If they are in employment, students can tailor the project module to their workplace.

What you will learn
Year 1 - In the first year, students will study six broad engineering papers and two papers specific to their major, water and waste engineering, or roading and transportation engineering.

• Water and waste engineering - Specialising in civil water and waste engineering, students will gain an in-depth knowledge of the principles and practice relating to water reticulation systems; the treatment and disposal of liquid and solid wastes, catchment run-off, erosion, water balances and sustainable land use; urban wastewater and stormwater systems. Students will be able to apply their expertise to projects in professional civil engineering environments.
• Roading and transportation engineering - Specialising in civil roading and transportation engineering, students will be able to work from a sound engineering base with sufficient skills to manage technical operations competently; liaise effectively with design and management professionals, clients, regulatory authorities, and contractors; and have an understanding of different cultures and in particular an awareness and clear understanding of the tangata whenua and the implications of the Treaty of Waitangi and the Resource Management Act.

Year 2 - In the second year, all modules will be specific to the student's specialisation, being either civil water and waste engineering or roading and transportation engineering.
Year 3 - In the third and final year, students will put all the skills and processes they have learned into completing a practical, industry-based project. If students have gained employment, then the project can be tailored to suit their workplace.

Students will learn the core knowledge and practical skills required to meet the increasing demands and needs of the civil engineering industry.

This two-year programme will provide students with theoretical and technical knowledge to apply practical solutions for working on the design, construction, and maintenance of civil engineering infrastructure, from roads and bridges to harbours, water, and wastewater facilities.

This programme is for engineering graduates and working engineering professionals wishing to gain further specialist knowledge in an additional discipline area. The programme also offers the opportunity for those candidates with a relevant engineering background and experience who may wish to gain a formal qualification to recognise that experience. The programme has strands in Mechanical, Mechatronics, Power, Water and Water Waste, and Highway Engineering.

This programme is designed for students who wish to pursue further study in the area of sport and exercise science. This programme will help students to pursue a career in the sport and exercise science area, or the programme can be used to complement a student's first degree with specific sports and exercise science knowledge and skills.

Students will be able to specialise in one of the following key pathways:

• Strength and conditioning
• Clinical exercise science (this pathway is REPS accredited)

Work placement and practical classes are a core part of this programme. This programme may lead into postgraduate study including a Master of Science (Sport and Exercise Science). 

This programme is open to candidates who have completed the New Zealand Certificate in Animal Technology (Level 5) Veterinary Nursing Assistant strand and wish to become a veterinary nurse.

Students in this programme will develop advanced skills in the care, management, handling, and nursing of a range of companion animals in a clinical environment. Students will learn to manage patients and clients, and follow protocols in all aspects of clinical veterinary practice.

Students will get daily opportunities to care for and handle companion animals in a purpose-built Wintec facility that houses commonly kept companion animals. They will also gain exposure to the on-site vet clinic while studying.