Psychology: University of Waikato

Overview
Why Waikato
Study Options
Postgraduate
Māori Psychology
Articles

Why study Psychology?

Psychology is one of the most important and critical topics in modern society. At Waikato, we welcome students into a community full of innovative thinkers. Our students work alongside internationally respected psychologists to understand and advocate for inclusive communities.

We ensure psychology is scientific and accountable, producing world-leading research in a friendly and welcoming environment. Our areas of specialisation are in the most critical areas of psychology, where psychology can make a difference to New Zealand society (Māori and community psychology, Clinical psychology, Behavioural psychology, Cognitive psychology and Environmental psychology).

Get extra support with our broad range of scholarships

Learn from award
winning professors

Internationally recognised Māori Psychology Research Unit

With our flexible teaching options you can study at our campus in Hamilton or Tauranga

Make Psychology work for you

We offer plenty of flexibility to adapt learning to suit your desired focus. Psychology can be taken as a major for the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Social Sciences or Bachelor of Science - unlike any other university in New Zealand. We also provide Psychology as a major in the Bachelor of Climate Change, the world's first qualification of its kind.

Have you already completed a Bachelor’s degree in another subject? If so, the Graduate Diploma in Psychology could be for you. It's an easy way to get up to speed in Psychology.

Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Social Sciences
Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Climate Change
Graduate Diploma in Psychology

Ready for the next level?

A PGDip lets you learn about Psychology at postgraduate level through a series of papers in your chosen areas of Psychology. It is a versatile qualification that is a requirement for entry to most other Psychology graduate programmes. Through a PGDip, you can explore those aspects of Psychology which you care about the most.

Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology

Important application deadlines

We offer a wide array of postgraduate study programmes from an Honours year, Masters degree, through to Ph.D. study. These qualifications include ways to become eligible to work as a registered psychologist via our MAppPsy pathways in Community or Behaviour Analysis. Applications for 2024 entry close from 30 September 2023, although this varies by programme.

Master of Applied Psychology
Postgraduate Diploma in the Practice of Psychology
Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology (Clinical)
Master of Social Sciences
Master of Science (Research)
Master of Arts

Leading Māori Psychology

He honore, he kororia, he maungarongo ki te whenua he whakaaro pai ki nga tangata katoa.

Actively supporting Māori

The School of Psychology enables Māori students to reach their potential. We seek to provide all psychology students with Māori and bicultural paradigms and insights. Our Kaupapa Māori Management Committee ensures that we have Kaupapa Māori laboratories for all of our undergraduate papers. This support, by Māori for Māori, provides a platform for student success.

Kaupapa Māori Psychology Minor

Psychology at Waikato recognises the importance of the Māori worldview. For this reason we’ve developed a minor in Kaupapa Maori Psychology. This is critical for real-life mental health outcomes for Māori and indigenous peoples.

Articles

Bouncing unborn baby research between time zones secret to success

Bouncing work back and forth between time zones has allowed research into fetal development to move at a 24hour cycle, thanks to a Marsden grant and dedicated researchers from Aotearoa and England.

Waikato psychologists receive international honours

Two University of Waikato academics have been recognised by the Association for Psychological Science (APS), one of the world’s leading international bodies for psychology. In the announcement this month, Professor Vincent Reid was made a Fellow of the APS, while Dr Aleea Devitt received a Rising Star award.

App to help prevent postnatal depression and anxiety among expectant mothers

An app designed to help prevent postnatal depression and anxiety among expectant mothers has been relaunched by the University of Waikato to help women find the support and strategies they need for positive mental health.

Psychologists urged to do more on climate change

Psychologists should be doing more to mitigate the health effects of climate change, according to an extensive new report from the American Psychological Association (APA) – the largest organisation for psychologists in the US and with influence around the world.

University of Waikato Fulbright Scholar to study how kava can be used to reduce PTSD

Dr Apo Aporosa, a former police officer who left policing with PTSD, has received a Fulbright Scholarship to work for three months with institutes in Hawai’i on two projects. One of the projects will investigate the potential of kava’s effectiveness in reducing PTSD symptoms among post combat soldiers, which recent studies report is at ‘epidemic’ levels

$3.6m given to Waikato University in an attempt to reduce prison violence

An opportunity to understand and reduce the amount of violence in our prisons has been given to Waikato University.

Research funding of $3.9 million over five years was awarded to Dr Armon Tamatea to continue his work on reducing violence in prisons

Saving lives: Psychology programmes celebrate 50 years

More than 85 people gathered to celebrate the University of Waikato’s School of Psychology on Sunday at the Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts in Hamilton.

The event marked 50 years since its postgraduate clinical and applied behaviour analysis psychology programmes began in 1973.

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