Schools of Studies

Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Studying with the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences will further your thinking and encourage you to look outside the square. We offer papers for people who are interested in human nature and the human mind; who are creative, thoughtful and up for a challenge. Students learn from staff who are world-class in their areas of teaching, research and expertise.

Recently, the Faculty was awarded $1.5 million for leading research projects in Psychology, English, and video game violence, and our Screen and Media Studies and Music Departments are ranked first in the country. Employers are looking for graduates who can think critically and creatively and flourish in the working environment, and that’s exactly what we equip our students to do.

School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences

Study Computing and Mathematical Sciences at Waikato and you’ll be learning from lecturers whose expertise and knowledge of cutting edge developments in the subject are internationally recognised. Our school is the best in the country in computer science, information technology, information sciences, and pure and applied mathematics research.

You will be guided by excellent lecturers and you will have the support of a wide range of tutors and lab demonstrators. Students who work hard and achieve high grades have the opportunity to be rewarded with scholarships throughout their degree.

Graduates from the School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences are working all over the world and have found employment with stellar companies like Google, Nokia, Symantec, NZX and Intel.

School of Education

Quality programmes, research that makes a difference and inspiring leadership, is what makes Waikato School of Education – Te Kura Toi Tangata distinct.

Currently, Waikato School of Education rates number one for educational research in the country. Our researchers help shape education nationally and internationally. They make major contributions to teacher education, special education, educational leadership, counsellor education, Māori education and sport and leisure studies.

We cater for school leavers, adult learners, career changers, international students and distance learners. You can study full-time or part-time, either online or on-campus at undergraduate or postgraduate level. Our recognised programmes are based on current theories in education and offer opportunities for practical experiences.

Waikato School of Education qualifications are valued in New Zealand and overseas. Our sought-after graduates establish successful careers in diverse areas such as teaching, sport and leisure, counselling, policy making and academia. Enhance your future career opportunities today and join us at New Zealand's number one School of Education.

Law School

Experience our modern approach to studying law in its social, political, cultural and economic contexts – an approach that is essential in today’s changing world. The Law School offers quality professional training in all the core subjects required by the New Zealand Council of Legal Education.

In addition, practical skills including client interviewing and negotiation are a key feature of the Waikato law programme. This distinctive mix means our graduates are in great demand for conventional legal positions as well as policy and law reform roles. Waikato law students have achieved considerable success in national and international skills-based competitions.

We have strong research interests in environmental law, human rights law, resource management, Treaty issues, corporate governance, law and information technology, and international trade law. Our lecturers regularly advise government on policy and legislative reform and are members of international advisory groups

School of Māori and Pacific Development

Waiata! Wairua! Waiora! Waikato! Tīhei mauri ora!

To be the first School of Māori and Pacific Development established in a university humbles us and makes us even more aware of our responsibility to our Māori and Pacific bases. We celebrate the “waters” of the spirit, the mind and the body! We enjoy our reputation as the premier School in the University for the teaching and learning of Māori language and tikanga. We have a people-driven approach to indigenous development in a nurturing, supportive and culturally aware environment. We offer teaching at a graduate and postgraduate level, on and off campus, including distance and internet-based learning and teaching. In valuing people we will produce graduates capable of contributing to the knowledge economy of Aotearoa/New Zealand. This will also enhance the values of manaakitanga, mana and aroha.

Nau mau! Haere mai!

School of Science and Engineering

Waikato is home to some of the most well-respected researchers in the science and engineering communities. The government’s tertiary education research evaluations confirmed our chemistry and biology researchers, your lecturers, as the best in the country*.

The international standard of our engineering degree is recognised by IPENZ (Institution of Professional Engineers of New Zealand) accreditation. Our engineering students are also making a name for themselves by participating in international competitions, such as the World Solar Challenge across the Australian outback, in vehicles designed and built at Waikato. Repeated wins in national competitions such as the IPENZ student design competition and the ACENZ (Association of Consulting Engineers New Zealand) student awards are also testimony to the quality of engineering education at Waikato.

Teaching and research in the School is supported by first-class facilities and some of the world’s most advanced laboratory equipment – like the Bruker Centre of Mass Spectrometry Excellence for investigating molecular structure – the largest collection of instruments of its type in New Zealand. The Waikato Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory provides data to scientists around the world and was one of five worldwide used to establish international standards of analysis.

Waikato Management School

Get a reputation; join one of the world’s elite business schools. Waikato Management School wears the triple crown of accreditation, a status achieved by less than 1 percent of business schools worldwide. We’re accredited to the Association of MBAs, the European Quality Improvement System, and the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. We’re also New Zealand’s top performing business school in accounting and finance, management, human resources, industrial relations, international business and other business*.

We have strong links with the business community, superb teaching staff, we’re set up for e-learning and our qualifications are loaded with practical experience. Like the graduates who have gone before you, your globally recognised qualification will prepare you to work in some outstanding organisations, or to start one of your own.

* In the Government’s 2006 Performance-Based Research Fund evaluations, Waikato was first in accounting and finance; chemistry; communications, journalism and media studies; computer science; ecology, evolution and behaviour; management; molecular and cellular biology; music, literary arts and other arts; and pure and applied mathematics.

** NZ Performance Based Research Fund ranking, when colleges of education and university scores are combined.