University of Waikato

Bachelor of Social Sciences (BSocSc) in Population Studies

Program Available at Hamilton Campus

The National Institute for Demographic and Economic Analysis (NIDEA) is a research institute based in the University's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. It is New Zealand's sole national institute of demographic and population-focused research, and the only such unit to generate and coordinate New Zealand research in population studies.

Population problems are among the most serious challenges we face for the 21st Century. Population issues have implications for the environment, employment, families, health, urbanisation, migration, security in old age and refugee movements. It is vital that research develops integrated approaches to these issues, and policymakers and planners pay serious attention to population trends, their causes and effects.

At Waikato, our Population Studies program takes a particular look at trends in New Zealand and the broader South Pacific region. You will learn about, and be involved in, research into M?ori demography, population health, family structures, and formation, fertility, the labor force and employment relating to New Zealand, as well as work on India, Africa, Europe, the Indian Ocean, and the South Pacific. You will become familiar with themes such as mortality, social policy, fertility, migration, families and households, labor force and income, and will understand the contrasting population problems faced by developed and developing countries.