Course details

Summary

Studying a graduate diploma helps you develop knowledge and skills in your chosen subject area which will enable you to undertake a new career or further study.

Graduate diplomas are intended to provide the equivalent of a major in a subject area that is different to your first degree’s major. You may be eligible if you haven’t studied for a degree before if you can demonstrate an interest in the subject area and a satisfactory academic ability.

A graduate diploma is a more in-depth version of a graduate certificate, is studied at undergraduate level, and can be completed in the equivalent of one year (two semesters) of full-time study.

To complete the qualifications, students need to gain 120 points at 100 level (first year papers) or above, including at least 80 points at 300 level (third year papers) or above, in the graduate diploma subjects.

French

Would you like to be able to chat with a winemaker in the Loire Valley? Discuss the menu with a waiter in a Parisian café? Frequent the Latin Quarter and talk about existentialism in the Café de la Sorbonne? A degree in French at Waikato is the place to start.

French is one of the world's most important languages, being widely used in commerce and diplomacy. The role of France in European history and civilization means that French culture has an influence which extends all around the world. Including French in your university studies gives you many advantages:

• If you want to work overseas, knowledge of foreign languages and cultures is a bonus. English is not as universally recognised as you might think, and the ability to communicate in another language makes a big difference.
• If your career plans involve international marketing or hotel management, French is an asset. New Caledonia and French Polynesia are both near neighbours and trading partners, while further afield there are nearly fifty territories where French is an official language.
• If your future lies in the sciences, French will give you access to a huge number of professional journals and contacts in everything from agriculture to physics.
• People. You get to communicate with people, make friends and share ideas through language. Imagine being in a café in Paris with ten other people, each from a different land, each speaking French; only your language skills let you participate.
• Personal enrichment. A foreign language opens up new worlds, through culture, literature, films and so on.
• Experience. We are all to some extent afraid of what we do not know. That fear leads us to make biased judgement about strangers and foreigners. Learning another person's language opens our minds to understanding and to other cultures.

Career opportunities

• Diplomat
• Hospitality Operator
• International Lawyer
• Tour Guide
• Translator or Interpreter
• Travel Agent

Entry criteria

A qualification considered equivalent to a New Zealand bachelor’s degree with a B 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.