About Us

Psychology is located in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS). It was founded in 1965 with Professor James Ritchie as the sole staff member. Teaching started in 1966 and the staff numbers gradually increased to our current level of approximately 18 full time academic staff. 

The original Psychology Department staff  were known for their independent thinking and for their novel approaches to the discipline of Psychology. The department was small and new and could offer students a personal and unique experience in the study of Psychology.

Psychology now provides a broad undergraduate curriculum.  We focus on using Psychology to solve real world problems and our emphasis on Applied Psychology provides many opportunities for graduate studies. However we still pride ourselves on our friendly and flexible approach to learning.

History of Psychology at Waikato