Course details

Summary

Postgraduate certificates provide the opportunity for continuing professional development in the same area as an original degree. A postgraduate diploma can often lead to a master's degree.

Postgraduate certificates are available to graduates who wish to build on an earlier degree, and who have appropriate practical, professional or scholarly experience. Some are available only on a part time basis. Waikato University offers specialist postgraduate certificates as well as postgraduate certificates.

Biological Sciences

As a Biological Sciences student at the University of Waikato you will benefit from our practical and innovative approach to teaching, as well as one-on-one time with world-renowned researchers.

Whether you enjoy solving problems in a laboratory or working outdoors, our Biological Sciences programme will provide you with the ultimate learning environment. Surrounded by lakes, rivers, intriguing ecosystems, and many important biological industries, the University of Waikato is uniquely placed in the heart of New Zealand’s North Island.

Biological Sciences incorporates the traditional biological disciplines of botany, microbiology and zoology with the interdisciplinary subjects of biochemistry, physiology, genetics and ecology.

Waikato University’s Biological Sciences research is highly regarded internationally. Our projects are supported by multi-million dollar investments from government and industry, many of which have significant iwi and other community involvement. These include lakes management, freshwater ecology, horticultural and agricultural research, coastal marine science and aquaculture, urban restoration, animal behaviour and physiology, medical microbiology and Antarctic ecosystems. This funding supports many student and collaborative projects, together with scholarship and postgraduate opportunities.

Build a successful career

Careers in Biological Sciences come in many shapes and sizes, with many offering opportunities for travel. From managing the Savannah animals at Hamilton Zoo, to working with embryos at a London fertility clinic, our graduates find jobs in exciting and challenging industries in New Zealand and overseas. You could find a career as an ecologist managing the restoration of natural ecosystems, a physiologist aiming to understand how organisms function, or a geneticist using DNA as the key to identifying diseases or organisms.

Career opportunities

• Agricultural Researcher
• Biosecurity Officer
• Environmental Microbiologist
• Conservation Officer
• Fisheries Scientist
• Forensic Technician
• Geneticist
• Marine Biologist
• Medical Sciences Technician
• Plant Physiologist

Entry criteria

A recognized bachelor’s degree with a B/B+ grade average. You must also have a major in the relevant subject area with a B/B+ grade average.

English language requirements:

IELTS - 6.5 overall (no less than 6.0 in writing); iBT (internet based TOFEL) - 90 with a score of 22 in writing; Pearson PTE Academic- 65 with English language requirements no less than 58 for each communicative skill; From Waikato Pathways College - Successful completion of Level 8 with a B grade average in the Certificate of Attainment in Academic (CAAE) programme.