Master of Science Research in Psychology

at The University of Waikato - Hamilton Campus New Zealand

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.

If you're passionate about business, current affairs, finance or maths then economics may be a good fit for you. Economics brings together ideas from many different areas: politics, psychology, sociology, geography, law and statistics.

Tourism is one of the world's largest industries and significantly impacts New Zealand's economy – we need experts to steer that growth.

The rapid growth of domestic and international tourism and migration has led to an increasing demand for graduates who have a thorough understanding of tourism in its wider social, cultural, economic and political contexts.

Tourism and hospitality is one of New Zealand's fastest-growing export industries, and it can take your career to new places.

The industry encompasses hotels/resorts, cruise ships, sport and leisure operators, restaurants, cafes, bars, theme parks, entertainment, arts and cultural attractions, special events, and much more.

The study of tourism involves predicting the future – working out what people want from their leisure and travel pursuits, and how those wants are delivered and managed. You'll study the structure of different tourism organisations, aspects of hospitality and leisure, and the environmental and economic impacts of tourism operations.

Employers are looking for skillful, business-savvy managers who can plan, control, make strategic decisions, and understand the legal requirements for this sector - and that's where you come in.

• Learn how to design and deliver memorable travel experiences
• Build practical knowledge in areas such as service management, designing operational systems, business strategy, leading teams of staff, and managing financial resources.
• Gain skills in destination marketing, event management, and inter-cultural communication.

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.

Explore the world of metals, polymers, ceramics, composites and semiconductors. From levitating trains to electronic paper, there are some exciting developments underway in the world of Materials Science that you could be a part of!

Materials Science focuses on understanding the intrinsic structure of a material and the control of its structure through processing. It studies the relationship of the engineering properties of the three main classes of materials (metals, polymers and ceramics) as well as composites and semiconductors.

Materials Scientists are in high demand internationally – particularly within the thriving polymer/plastics, metals, ceramics and composites industries. Your detailed understanding of material properties will help you to make important decisions on how to develop new materials and which materials should be used for specific products or applications.

The wider Waikato region contains the highest density of materials-based companies in New Zealand, so as a University of Waikato Materials Science graduate you could also have a number of local employment opportunities available to you.  You'll also gain the skills and knowledge to contribute to creating an engineering-based knowledge economy in 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.

Human Resource Management prepares you to play a pivotal role in company needs – the person who recruits, develops and trains employees to achieve success.
Gain the essential skills to recruit, develop and manage an organisation's most valuable asset - its people.

Studying Human Resource Management at Waikato turns you into a strategic player who knows how to position employees for the long-term success of a company.

A career in human resources is all about selecting the right people for the right jobs; then knowing how to train, develop and motivate staff to improve their individual performance. It means you'll be involved in all areas of staff recruitment, salaries, employee benefits, training programs, managerial behaviour and staff productivity.

We'll teach you how to achieve the best results from employees through practical workshops, where you'll apply human resource management practices to address real situations in the workplace.

You’ll also learn about employment relations laws, health and safety, work-life balance, organisational culture, and managing conflict, negotiation and diversity in the workplace.

Students are encouraged to apply HR professional practice to real situations in the workplace, such as carrying out a health and safety audit of an organisation to assess whether the building complies with New Zealand legislation.

In studying Ecology and Biodiversity you’ll learn about the distribution, abundance, and biology of organisms and their role in New Zealand’s most important ecosystems.

You’ll gain knowledge of ecological and biological theory, and the practical skills for field identification, surveying, and experimentation with plants, animals and microbes across a broad range of ecosystems. You’ll gain understanding of the principles of biological classification and be able to name and classify common organisms found in New Zealand ecosystems.

Your skills will be gained through a combination of hands on laboratory experience, practical field courses, and teaching from leading ecologists and biologists.

In studying Ecology and Biodiversity you’ll learn about the distribution, abundance, and biology of organisms and their role in New Zealand’s most important ecosystems.

You’ll gain knowledge of ecological and biological theory, and the practical skills for field identification, surveying, and experimentation with plants, animals and microbes across a broad range of ecosystems. You’ll gain understanding of the principles of biological classification and be able to name and classify common organisms found in New Zealand ecosystems.

Your skills will be gained through a combination of hands on laboratory experience, practical field courses, and teaching from leading ecologists and biologists.

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.

Sociology at Waikato takes a thematic approach and includes papers in criminology, the family, popular culture and theoretical perspectives.  As part of a degree in Sociology papers in social policy, women and gender studies and labour studies can be included.

Teaching staff provide plenty of mentoring and direction along the way and allow students opportunities to throw out ideas in a relaxed and informal learning environment. Studying Sociology at Waikato will open your eyes to the inner workings of society and how people drive them.

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.