BA - Social Policy as a major
Major
If you’re fascinated by the history and creative activities of humankind and how this shapes societies and our future, then a Bachelor of Arts (BA) is for you. Our graduates are in demand for their flexible skills, practical outlook and depth of understanding they bring to their roles.
Be a force for change. Study Social Policy at Waikato and develop a critical understanding of how policy-making impacts on every person, regardless of their age, ethnicity or gender – then learn how to influence it.
- Anthropology
- Economics
- Education and Society
- English
- Environmental Planning
- Geography
- History
- Human Development
- International Languages and Cultures
- Law
- Linguistics
- Music
- Māori and Indigenous Studies
- Māori Language/Te Reo Māori
- Pacific and Indigenous Studies
- Philosophy
- Political Science
- Population Studies
- Psychology
- Screen and Media Studies
- Sociology
- Theatre Studies
- Writing Studies
Apply to enrol
Key information
| Years: | 3 |
|---|---|
| Points: | 360 |
| Start Dates: | Trimester A (March) and Trimester B (July) |
| Estimated Fees* (Domestic): | $6,591 - $7,608 per year |
| Estimated Fees* (International): | $29,425 - $38,305 per year |
| Entry Requirements: | Undergraduate International |
| Area of Study: | |
| All amounts are in New Zealand Dollars (NZD). *Tuition fees shown are indicative only and may change. There are additional fees and charges related to enrolment please see the Table of Fees and Charges for more information. You will be sent an enrolment agreement which will confirm your fees. | |
Career opportunities
- Advocate
- Case Manager
- Community Worker
- Policy Analyst
- Researcher
Degree Planner
Degree planner — BA in Social Policy
Year 1
Any 100 level
paper listed below
One from List A
Field of the Degree
100 level
Field of the Degree
100 level
Elective
Elective
Year 2
Any 200 level
SOCPY paper
Any 200 level
SOCPY paper
Any 200 level
paper listed below
One from List B
Field of the Degree
200 level
Elective
Elective
Elective
Year 3
Any 300 level
SOCPY paper
Any 300 level
SOCPY paper
Any 300 level
paper listed below
Any 300 level
paper listed below
One from List C
Elective
Elective
Elective
- Major
- Compulsory
- Elective
BA Papers
Lists A, B and C
List A: Academic Foundations
- ARTSC103 Rights and Reasons
- ARTSC105 Language in Context
- ENSLA103 Undergraduate Research Writing for ESL Students
- ENSLA202 Oral Skills for Academic English
List B: Cultural Perspectives
Any Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies paper, or- ANTHY101 Exploring Cultures: Introduction to Anthropology
- ANTHY102 Exploring Cultures: Aotearoa and the Pacific
- ANTHY201 Patriots, Racists, and Foreigners: Ethnicity and Identity in Global Perspective
- DSIGN252 Cultural Perspectives for Design
- EDUCA200 Te Hononga Tangata
- ENGLI200 Global Fictions
- GEOGY219 Māori Lands and Communities
- INTLC221 Understanding East Asia
- INTLC225 The French-speaking World from Astérix to Zombies
- LINGS203 Language, Society and Culture
- Any MAORI paper
- Any PACIS paper
List C: Work-Integrated Learning
- ALPSS301 Work-integrated learning - Placements
- ALPSS363 The Impact Lab
- ARTSW300 Arts and Cultural Festivals
- ARTSW301 Professional Practice in the Arts (prerequisites ARTSC110 - so open to all BA students)
- ARTSW302 Work-Related Project in the Arts (prerequisites ARTSC110 - so open to all BA students)
- LEGAL306 Dispute Resolution (BA Law students)
- LINGS301 Research Apprenticeship
- MEDIA307 Professional Studio Production
- POLCY318 Global Environmental Politics and Policy
- POPST300 Population Studies Work-Related Project
- PSYCH301 Psychology Research Assistantship
- SOCSC301 Work-Integrated Learning - Work-Related Project
- WRITE396 Writing Studies Work Placement
*Please consult our Student Advisors for the correct work-integrated learning paper.
Subject to approval
Papers
Papers available within Social Policy
Social Policy provides students with an interdisciplinary perspective on key social issues of policy concern and opens up possibilities of employment in areas such as governmental social policy agencies, local bodies, non-governmental organisations and the private sector. Students may choose from a combination of core and elective papers in Economics, Education Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Political Science and Public Policy, Population Studies, Social Science Research, Sociology, and Work, Employment and Society which, when combined, offer theoretical and applied approaches to the study of social policy issues.
Social Policy is available as a first major for the Bachelor of Arts (BA), Bachelor of Climate Change (BCC) and the Bachelor of Social Sciences (BSocSc). Social Policy may also be taken as a second major or minor in other undergraduate degrees, subject to approval of the Division in which the student is enrolled.
To complete Social Policy as a single major for the BA, BCC or BSocSc, students must gain 135 points from papers listed for Social Policy, including 105 points above 100 level, and 60 points above 200 level. Students must include SOCPY100, at least 30 points from SOCPY coded papers at 200 level and at least 30 points from SOCPY coded papers at 300 level.
To complete Social Policy as part of a double major for the BA, BCC, BSocSc or other undergraduate degree, students must gain 120 points from papers listed for Social Policy, including 90 points above 100 level, and 45 points above 200 level. Students must include SOCPY100, at least 15 points from SOCPY coded papers at 200 level, and at least 30 points from SOCPY coded papers at 300 level.
To complete a minor in Social Policy, students must complete at least 60 points from the papers listed for Social Policy, including at least 30 above 100 level. Students must complete SOCPY100, at least one SOCPY coded 200 level paper, and at least one SOCPY coded 300 level paper.
Enquiries about undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Social Policy should be directed to the Programme Convenor.
100 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Points | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| POLSC102 | New Zealand Politics and Policy | 15.0 | 24B (Hamilton) & 24B (Tauranga) |
| This paper provides a foundation for the study of political science and public policy, with a particular focus on the study of government, politics and policy in New Zealand. | |||
| SOCIO101 | Introduction to Sociology | 15.0 | 24B (Hamilton) & 24B (Tauranga) |
| This paper prepares students for further study in a range of social science subjects. It introduces the main sociological theories, concepts and practices that enable an understanding of contemporary societies. | |||
| SOCPY100 | Introduction to Social Policy | 15.0 | 24A (Hamilton) & 24A (Tauranga) |
| This paper examines the values behind social policy and introduces students to some of the important issues and debates in New Zealand and other democratic societies. | |||
| SOCPY101 | Social Policy & the Welfare State | 15.0 | 24B (Hamilton) & 24B (Online) |
| This paper covers the rise of the welfare state as the primary means of social policy delivery in New Zealand. | |||
200 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Points | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| POLCY212 | Public Policy Analysis | 15.0 | 24A (Hamilton) |
| This paper introduces students to public policy analysis. Students focus on the role of politics, public participation and policy in addressing society's big problems, how they are framed and defined, and how solutions are developed and implemented within the context of the policy process. | |||
| SOCIO206 | Environmental Sociology: From Denial to Actions | 15.0 | 24A (Online) |
| The environment and climate are as much about human activity, economic and political choices as scientific information. Thinking sociologically, not just as individuals is the key to change. | |||
| SOCPY200 | Social Policy and Social Issues | 15.0 | 24A (Online) & 24A (Tauranga) |
| The paper continues the study of social policy at 200 level. The focus of this paper is on the welfare state, the policy cycle as well as social problems, such as poverty. | |||
| SOCPY201 | Child Poverty & Social Policy | 15.0 | 24A (Online) |
| This paper develops students' theoretical understanding of social policy, focusing on the effects of child poverty. We examine how policy shapes and responds to poverty experienced by children and families. | |||
| SOCPY202 | Addressing Precarity: A Global Perspective | 15.0 | 24B (Hamilton) & 24B (Online) |
| This paper considers human precarity: past, present and future. The focus is on its contemporary forms under global market competition, and ways to make a more secure world in the future. | |||
300 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Points | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALPSS390 | Directed Study | 15.0 | 24X (Hamilton) |
| This paper allows students from the Division of Arts, Law, Psychology, and Social Sciences to undertake research on a specific topic related to their major or minor under the guidance of academic staff. | |||
| GNSEX303 | Intersectionalities: Identities and Inequalities | 15.0 | 24B (Hamilton) |
| This paper provides a comprehensive review of the historical context for understanding contemporary issues of race, gender, sexuality, and social class. It investigates micro and macro level experiences and the social construction of identities. In doing so, this paper looks at how power is distributed in society, the theories that... | |||
| POLCY318 | Global Environmental Politics and Policy | 15.0 | 24A (Hamilton) |
| This paper explores contemporary debates on environmental politics, sustainability, justice, and environmental governance. It examines the political processes underpinning the search for cooperative solutions to environmental dilemmas, including climate change. | |||
| SOCIO305 | Human Enhancement Technologies and Social Life | 15.0 | 24A (Online) |
| This paper analyses the causes and impacts of technologies of human enhancement on individuals and societies. The paper addresses issues such as smart drugs, gene edits and cybernetics. | |||
| SOCIO311 | Current Issues in Crime Control and Social Justice | 15.0 | 24G (Online) |
| This paper examines sociological explanations for criminal behaviour and examines issues within criminal justice. | |||
| SOCPY300 | Applied Social Policy | 15.0 | 24B (Online) |
| This paper provides students with experience of the ways in which policy is formulated and enacted. Theoretical perspectives are consolidated and extended to enhance opportunities for employment in the social policy field. | |||
| SOCPY301 | Health, Wellbeing and Policy | 15.0 | 24A (Hamilton), 24A (Online) & 24A (Tauranga) |
| This paper provides a critical introduction to key issues in the formation of health policy at both a national and international level. | |||
| SOCPY302 | Welfare to Workfare and Beyond | 15.0 | 24B (Hamilton) & 24B (Online) |
| This paper seeks to explore the relationship between the NZ labour market and welfare system, focusing on the rise of the neo-liberal welfare state, its consequence and alternatives. | |||
| SOCPY303 | Critical Feminism and the Prison State | 15.0 | 24A (Online) |
| This paper employs anti-carceral feminist theories and frameworks to explore the phenomenon of mass female imprisonment across nation states, with a particular focus on Indigenous and Black Imprisoned Radical Tradition. | |||
500 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Points | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| ALPSS500 | Academic & Professional Research & Writing | 30.0 | 24A (Online), 24B (Online) & 24C (Online) |
| In this course, students will gain the skills and confidence to seamlessly transition from study to work. This course works to enhance the 'skills for the future' identified by the World Economic Forum (2020), in order to produce resilient, creative students with strong analytic and critical thinking skills. | |||
| ALPSS590 | Directed Study | 30.0 | 24X (Hamilton) |
| This paper allows students from the Division of Arts, Law, Psychology and Social Sciences to undertake research on a specific topic related to their major under the guidance of academic staff. | |||
| ALPSS591 | Research Project | 30.0 | 24X (Hamilton) & 24X (Tauranga) |
| A research report on the findings of a theoretical or empirical or practice-led investigation (up to 12,500 words maximum). | |||
| ALPSS592 | Dissertation | 60.0 | 24X (Hamilton) & 24X (Tauranga) |
| A research report on the findings of a theoretical or empirical or practice-led investigation (up to 25,000 words maximum). | |||
| POLSC501 | Policy Analysis: Theory and Practice | 30.0 | 24A (Hamilton) |
| This paper introduces students to the fundamentals of policy analysis, and develops skills for higher-level research in public policy. A key focus is developing critical awareness of policy processes, of the drivers of change, and of the role of both 'evidence' and public participation in policy-making, in the pursuit of inclusive ... | |||
| POLSC537 | Environmental Politics and Public Policy | 30.0 | 24A (Hamilton) |
| This paper introduces students to the complexities and challenges of environmental policy processes, and develops skills in scholarly research on environmental policy making. A significant focus of the paper is on analysing and understanding the complex intersections of institutions, culture, science and technology, and systems of ... | |||
| SOCPY500 | Techniques for Policy Analysis | 30.0 | 24A (Online) |
| This paper exposes students to a selection of techniques in the policy toolkit that can be applied to problem solving in social policy issues. It also reflects on the values and assumptions underlying methods. Students will be taught to apply policy methods critically and in context. | |||
| SOCPY593 | Social Policy Thesis | 90.0 | 24X (Hamilton) |
| An externally examined piece of written work that reports on the findings of supervised research. | |||
900 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Points | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| SOCPY900 | Social Policy PhD Thesis | 120.0 | 24I (Hamilton), 24J (Hamilton), 24K (Hamilton) & 24X (Hamilton) |
| No description available. | |||
Scholarships and prizes
Visit our Scholarship Finder for information about possible scholarships
Subject links
Subject Requirements
Social Policy is available as a major for the BSocSc.
Social Policy is available as a major for the BSocSc. Social Policy may also be taken as a second major or as a minor within other undergraduate degrees, subject to academic approval of the Faculty or School of Studies in which the student is enrolled.
For more information about subject requirements please refer to the Catalogue of Papers for the most up to date information. If you have any questions and need more advice, please contact one of our friendly student advisors on phone:
Note: Social Policy is available as a major for the BSocSc in Hamilton and Tauranga. Tauranga-based students majoring in Social Policy may substitute SOCW305 for SOCP304
Please note: For all graduate subject requirements, please check the information provided in the papers section above.
Study in Tauranga
You can complete your BA in Social Policy without leaving the Bay. To find out about being one of the first students in our new Tauranga CBD campus (opening in 2019), email a Future Students Advisor: [email protected].
Contacts
School of Social Sciences
Phone: 0800 800 145 or +64 7 838 4138
General Enquiries: [email protected]