University of Waikato

Established in 1964, the University of Waikato is one of New Zealand's most modern and innovative universities. It is based in the beautiful river city of Hamilton in the central area of the North Island, only 90 minutes' drive south of Auckland.

The heart of the University is its Hamilton campus. It is spread over 65 hectares (160 acres) of beautifully landscaped grounds, and includes extensive sporting and recreational areas surrounding three ornamental lakes and a range of on-campus student accommodation. In addition, there is a satellite campus in Tauranga, on the east coast.

There are seven Faculties and Schools and one College:
1. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
2. Faculty of Management
3. Faculty of Science and Engineering
4. Faculty of Computing and Mathematical Sciences
5. Faculty of Education, including Waikato Pathways College
6. Te Piringa - Faculty of Law
7. School of Māori and Pacific Development (recognised as New Zealand's premier school for the study of native and indigenous issues)

The University of Waikato is currently ranked in the top 2% of the 17,000 universities in the world (as referenced by the European Universities' Association).

More than 80 qualifications are offered in 200 different subjects to a student population of approximately 12,500. 15% of our students are international, drawn from more than 70 different countries.

Waikato degrees are flexible and allow an interdisciplinary approach, and we offer a range of recognised graduate programmes in a wide variety of subjects, up to PhD level.

The University of Waikato follows the southern hemisphere academic year, which runs from February to November. It is divided into two semesters with a four-week break in June/July. Most schools of study within the University offer a mid-year intake so it is possible to first enrol either in the March-June or the July-November semester. Summer School is available for certain courses and allows some students to accelerate the completion of their degree.

Our students are taught in a research-intensive environment, by world leaders in their fields, many of whom have moved from overseas to teach and research at the University of Waikato. We foster excellence in learning and scholarship, and we encourage our students to be leaders and innovators. We produce critically thinking, future-focused graduates who are globally competitive by ensuring that our academic staff are internationally connected and benchmarked against the best in the world.

More than half of Waikato University's research-active academic staff have been rated in the top two categories by the New Zealand government in its 2012 quality evaluation for performance-based research funding (PBRF). And more than 90% of the academic staff are research active. The Waikato Management School is Triple Crown accredited and recognised as New Zealand's premier business school. Our staff has also achieved major successes in New Zealand's Tertiary Teaching Excellence Awards.

In recent years, the University of Waikato has established a series of high-level research institutes and centres that recognise areas of research strength including business, environmental research, demography, Indigenous governance, energy law, educational research and for Māori and Antarctic research.

Although the University of Waikato is a relatively young university, it has forged a strong international reputation, and has many substantial agreements with top international universities allowing collaboration between staff and students. As we move towards our 50th anniversary in 2014, the future is exciting. We strive to play an even more prominent role on the international scene, exposing staff and students to international connections and perspectives.