Quality Education from University of Waikato

A quality education can mean the difference between a moderately tolerable career or a widely successful path to living your dream life. As such, both parents as well as students are eager to find the best university to pursue their higher education from. Located in beautiful New Zealand, the University of Waikato is one such university where you are sure to get an internationally recognized and highly accepted degree.

University of Waikato representative Ms Tanya Clarke- Regional Manager South Asia, who recently visited Sri Lanka spoke about the university and the benefits of getting a Waikato University degree. New Zealand universities are ranked amongst the top universities of the world and the University of Waikato is no different. While New Zealand has only 8 universities regulated by a central government organization, according to the Times Higher Education Rankings 2015, the University of Waikato is ranked amongst the top 3% of the world universities.

In addition, 12 of the subjects offered by the university are included among the top 250 in the world according to the QS World University rankings. Ms. Clarke stated that the university has a Triple Crown accredited business school and the Computer Science and Information Technology School of the University is among the top 200 in the world and hosts the 1st cyber security laboratory in New Zealand. The school also offers the 1st master in cyber security in New Zealand, and the 1st Internet connection in the country was also established within the school. Ms Clarke also went on to say that the university offers strong programs in a variety of areas including sports, education and law, which is once again ranked at the top in the international arena.

Hamilton is a city that was initially an agricultural services centre. With four universities already established in the main centers, a university located in Hamilton was not seen as necessary in the 1950’s until the efforts of two men led to the formation of the University of South Auckland society founded by Douglas Seymour. After his five year tenure, his colleague Anthony Rogers succeeded to the position of president of the society. The University of Waikato was eventually established as a result of the efforts of these two men, and the University was officially opened in 1964 by the then Governor-General Sir Bernard Ferguson.

Spanning a total of 65 hectares, the University of Waikato is a beautiful campus with over 12 000 students among which 17% consists of international students. “We would like to see more Sri Lankan students at Waikato as they tend to be academically strong and make a valuable contribution to the student community,” said Ms Clarke speaking of the university’s hopes to recruit more Sri Lankan students.

With a strong community atmosphere, the university ensures that student’s needs can be obtained at one central location, providing a supportive and convenient environment for the students. The university also offers a strong support service to ensure that the students receive the best out of their educational experience.

Located in Hamilton, the fourth largest city in New Zealand, the university offers a lush, green environment and mild climate. Owing to the relatively small population in New Zealand, Hamilton too has a small population of over 150,000 people and is one and a half hour distance from Auckland. Due to the low rental charges and the availability of accommodations, Hamilton is an affordable city for students and the city also has a diverse economy, being the third fast growing urban area in the country.

Ms Clarke stated that the students will be sure to receive a world class education within a multi cultural atmosphere at the university, and that the university offers Bachelor, Masters and PhD programs as well as shorter graduate diplomas and postgraduate diplomas, which are accepted anywhere in New Zealand. Speaking of notable alumni produced by the university, she spoke of Mr. Craig NevillManning who obtained his PhD at the Faculty of Computing and Mathematical Sciences at the University of Waikato. He is now working as Google’s Engineering Director who founded Google’s first remote engineering center.

There are also part-time career opportunities for students in Hamilton and Ms Clarke stated that many of the students also choose to do voluntary work to enhance their career prospects. The university offers over 2000 industry placements per year across it’s courses and some of these are paid internships. The university has strong ties within the industries and Ms Clarke stated that companies such as Google have a close working relationship with the university and the students.

Studying in New Zealand does not only mean that the students would receive a world recognized degree to get ahead in their chosen field of work. New Zealand is blessed with numerous bounties of nature and there are various tourist activities that students can engage in during the weekends, including adventure activities and hiking. With a rapidly growing economy New Zealand offers numerous opportunities to students, with an abundance of attractive career opportunities and the potential for growth.

While New Zealand has only 8 universities regulated by a central government organization, according to the Times Higher Education Rankings 2015, the University of Waikato is ranked amongst the top 3% of the world universities

The University of Waikato is committed to delivering a world class education to the students and is further ranked at the top 100 ‘Most International’ universities in the world by the Times Higher Education. Should the student require financial support, the university also offers scholarships for students at all levels..

In concluding her interview, Ms Clarke invited Sri Lankan students to receive their education at the University of Waikato, where they would be sure to get an internationally recognized degree and form bonds with peers that would be strength for their futures. She expressed her full belief that Sri Lankan students would easily carve their own niche within the student body and that they would find the experience memorable.

If you would like to find out more about the University of Waikato and the extensive range of coursework and research programs on offer, contact University of Waikato local representative Edlocate (Pvt) Ltd on 0771- 770361 or 0115219129.