Graduate Diploma in Screen and Media Studies

at The University of Waikato - Hamilton Campus New Zealand

This subject explores the knowledge, language, culture, politics, methods and theory of Pacific and Indigenous Studies, while teaching students how to interpret new ways of understanding the world.

Pacific and Indigenous Studies focuses on the diverse Pacific region – which covers a third of the earth’s surface and is home to over 1200 languages – as well as on the histories, experiences and perspectives of Pacific people in New Zealand.

Students of Pacific and Indigenous Studies bring a wide range of background knowledge to their studies: from Pacific students who will find their own perspectives are valued and expanded through academic study in this area, all the way through to students who might have little knowledge about the region but bring a desire to learn about where we are.

All students of Pacific and Indigenous Studies learn a lot about the region and where we are, and also practice and develop skills of critical thinking, communication, and analysis of diverse perspectives.

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.

Community psychology as an applied social science encourages inter-disciplinary approaches to learning, including sociology, community development, education and the policy sciences. Community psychologists contribute their expertise in a number of health and social services to encourage healthy people and communities. They develop, support and evaluate interventions that enhance health outcomes for individuals, wh?nau and communities.

During your Master of Applied Psychology studies, you'll be given opportunities to gain relevant hands-on experience. This will be through getting involved in work placements and projects, where you'll be connected with a range of organisations and community groups.

The type of workplaces you'll be placed in depends on the specialist area you've chosen. You could have a placement in an educational environment such as a school, university or special education venue. You may do a project at a research institution or in a private practice. Perhaps you'll work with business and industry, or in the health sector. You may have a placement in a governmental agency, or if it fits in with your specialist area, a zoo.

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.

The Political Science program will ask you why some crises lead to armed conflict while others resolve peacefully - why democracy thrives in some countries while it dies in others. We challenge you to learn lessons from international politics and to consider political solutions to international crises. We push you to consider tough questions like those involving equality and freedom - must one be sacrificed for the other to flourish?

Political Science is a highly flexible program and will give you job opportunities from local to national government, media, education, industry, business, labour organisations and social services. We also offer minors in Public Policy and in International Relations and Security Studies which further allows you to investigate relevant contemporary issues.

The world of public relations is fast-growing and exciting. Get the public relations skills you need to help an organisation build trusted relationships with its key stakeholders and enhance its public reputation.

If you enjoy writing and talking to different people, and love framing ideas in imaginative and engaging ways, then a career in Public Relations may be right for you.

Public relations practitioners plan and implement communication campaigns to influence people’s attitudes and behaviour. They are effective networkers who work closely with journalists to manage media publicity, and act as a crucial link between an organisation and its publics, such as the community, customers and corporate shareholders.

Public Relations professionals are also involved with crisis and issues management, government relations, lobbying, events, sponsorship and fundraising, and employee relations.

Sociology at Waikato moves you beyond assumptions and explores who we are and our place in the world. You'll study human relationships and how societies form.

You'll explore how people organise and form groups, form larger social structures, and how societies evolve over time. As a budding sociologist, you'll be challenged to assume little in the hopes of clearing the way for new conclusions.

You'll ask questions like how different groups view social reality and why certain views become accepted within groups over time. You'll dissect the interwoven nature and influence of parents, peers, elders, teachers and the media on society. We'll also challenge you to consider why some societies are war-torn while others remain peaceful – why some behaviour is acceptable while others are less desirable. You'll look for solutions and debate how societies 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.

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.

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.