Master of Arts

Master of Arts under School of Arts, School of Psychology or School of Social Sciences

Are you seeking the ability to think critically and communicate well? A Master of Arts (MA) from Waikato will teach you the skills to work independently and see a major project through to completion. These are characteristics that are highly sought after by employers.

Enrolling in an MA gives you the opportunity to engage in independent (but supervised) research in one or more of a wide range of subjects. Graduating with an MA provides you with a gateway to a higher research degree or to a wide range of careers.

The Master of Arts may be taken within the Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies, School of Arts or the School of Social Sciences.

Master of Arts under Faculty of Māori and Indigenous Studies

The recognition of Māori as an official language of Aotearoa has been accompanied by an acknowledgement of tangata whenua issues within the community and society as a whole. The ability to be fluent in both Māori and English has become increasingly important within a number of professional areas. These areas include Iwi/hapu development, Education, Medicine, Research, Media, Government and Travel and Tourism.

You can choose from the following subjects: Māori and Indigenous Studies or Pacific and Indigenous Studies.

Industry Connections

The programmes within the MA host networks and relationships with a diverse range of national and international industry bodies. These include the wider education sector (particularly with secondary schools), linguistic and cultural groups, creative, theatrical and performing groups, embassies, government, business organisations, historical organisations, international organisations, and industrial and professional groups or organisations.

Māori and Indigenous Studies, for example, have direct links to the Waitangi Tribunal, the Royal Society and the Waikato District Health Board to name a few.  Pacific and Indigenous Studies networks include the Ministry for Pacific Peoples and K'aute Pacific Trust (founders of the Pan Pacific Community Hub in Hamilton). Music and Theatre Studies, have links directly with the public at large through the Gallagher Academy of Performing Arts. History has close links with the New Zealand Historical Association and English with Creative New Zealand and the Fulbright Foundation.

Career Opportunities

Our subjects equip MA graduates for specific careers. For instance, a Māori and Indigenous Studies graduate might become a director or producer, a public relations and marketing executive, a cultural advisor, a social policy planner, or a researcher.  A Screen and Media Studies MA graduate might become a media relations adviser, a media research executive, a professional fundraiser, a public affairs specialist, a public relations consultant or a journalist. History, Māori and Indigenous Studies or Pacific and Indigenous Studies MA graduates might become historians, museum curators, heritage researchers or work in community development (for instance, with tribal authorities). Foreign language MA graduates might work in the diplomatic service or become international marketing managers, trade commissioners, interpreters or translators – the possibilities are endless.