Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The answer to this question depends on a lot of things - what major(s) and minor(s) you're taking, which qualification you're enrolled in, how far through the qualification you are, amongst other things.

The best thing that you can do is to get some individual enrolment advice from one of our Divisional Registrars. You can arrange an appointment by email, by calling 07 838 4625 or by popping in to their office (FG.G.06) on the ground floor of the FG-link building at the Hamilton Campus.

You need to complete and submit a Change of Enrolment application online through your MyWaikato account. Click on Qualifications and Papers > Change of Enrolment, then follow the steps onscreen. Find out more by watching this video: Apply for a change of enrolment in MyWaikato.

If you would like more information on how to use MyWaikato watch this video.

MyWaikato is our online student management system that allows you to organise your enrolment, enquiries, timetable, final grades, research progress, graduation, academic record and much more. MyWaikato is designed to support you during your entire University journey from application right through to graduation. Here are some of the things that you can do in MyWaikato:

• Enrol to study, choose papers, or change your enrolment
• View your University account balance and pay your fees
• View your timetable
• View your final grades
• Update your personal and contact details
• Request a copy of your Academic Record
• If you are a PhD student, you can submit your research progress reports
• Apply to graduate

For more information about MyWaikato, please watch this video.

The best thing to do is to try and finalise your papers before the trimester starts, but we know that due to a variety of circumstances, this is not always possible.

If you do wish to change your papers, you have until the end of the first week of classes (for G or H Trimester papers) and until the end of the second week of classes (for A, B, C and D Trimester papers) to apply to change your papers. If you apply within these time frames, and if the changes are approved, you should be eligible for a full refund of fees for any papers dropped.

You will not be able to add any papers after these times, but you may still be able to withdraw from papers after this. However penalties will likely be incurred. If you are not sure where you stand, please contact one of the Divisional Registrars as soon as you can. You can arrange an appointment by email, by calling 07 838 4625 or by popping in to their office (FG.G.06) on the ground floor of the FG-link building at the Hamilton Campus.

Please refer to the Change of Enrolment regulations for the University's official rules and deadlines surrounding enrolment changes.

The University's Online Timetable is available for everyone to be able to search for timetables associated with most papers offered. You will need to know the paper codes (the alpha-numerical code that each paper is assigned; ie; BIOEB101-21A) for each of the papers you are interested in.

You can search by lecture, lab, workshop, tutorial or a combination of all of these things, but it's best to start with lectures, and work around these where possible for labs/tutorials/workshops etc. You can also use the other functions on the Timetable page to check what lab times are available and where and when lectures are held.

If you think you are nearing completion, the best thing to do is to make an appointment for personal advice from one of the Divisional Registrars. They will check your record and let you know whether you are on track to complete the requirements of your qualification and if not, what else needs to be done.

You can arrange an appointment by email, by calling 07 838 4625 or by popping in to their office (FG.G.06) on the ground floor of the FG-link building at the Hamilton Campus.

You should aim to get the best possible grades you can, but if you are struggling at all, then it is best to try to clearly pass with a C- grade or better all your papers. The absolute minimum you need to be automatically eligible for re-entry is unrestricted passes (ie; C- grades or better) in papers worth at least half of the total points you are enrolled in for the year.

This means you have not clearly passed enough of your papers to be automatically eligible for re-entry into the following academic year. To be automatically eligible for re-entry, you must gain unrestricted passes (ie; C- grades or better) in papers worth at least half of the total points you are enrolled in for the relevant year. It is best to try to avoid becoming ineligible for re-entry as if you do become ineligible, that ineligibility will remain on your record forever.

There are also rules surrounding trimester re-entry, but for more information about re-entry, please refer to the relevant sections of the University's official Criteria for Admission to Particular Qualifications.

There are several places that you can get a lab coat from and you are welcome to purchase one from any retailer provided that it meets our safety standards.

The most cost-effective option that we are aware of, is to order one from ubiq.co.nz who currently sell these for $35, including free shipping. Please note that their chest-size measurements are a very tight fit, so it's better to choose one based on the size instead (S, M, L, XL, etc).

If you would like to purchase a lab coat on campus so that you can try a few sizes on to get the right fit, you will first need to pay online here, logging in with your student username. You need to specify if you want collect from the Hamilton or Tauranga campus. Once the order has been placed, an email with the receipt and an order number will be sent to you, which you then present at the collection point and try on the different sizes. At the Hamilton campus, the collection point is the Science Store (F.G.15). At the Tauranga campus, the collection point is The Hub.

If you're thinking about enrolling on one of our postgraduate qualification, please get in contact with the relevant postgraduate convenor below. They will be able to provide advice as to which postgraduate degree is best for your individual situation:

• Bachelor of Science (Honours) - BSc(Hons)
• Master of Science - MSc
• Master of Science (Research) - MSc(Research)
• Master of Science (Technology) - MSc(Tech)
• Postgraduate Diploman - PGDip
• Doctorate of Philosopy - PhD

Chemistry

Michele Prinsep

Earth Sciences

Adrian Pittari

Ecology & Biodiversity

Ian Duggan

Molecular & Cellular Biology

Pawel Olszewski

Most papers have multiple streams for labs and workshops. So if you miss your normal session, you should try to attend another lab stream that week, wherever possible. You will be expected to provide a reason why you missed a lab/workshop, so if your absence was due to illness, on your first day back on campus you should immediately see the paper coordinator to discuss your options and any work you have missed. You may be asked to provide a medical certificate.

In general, there aren't multiple streams for fieldtrips. So if you miss a fieldtrip, you need to get in contact with the paper coordinator as soon as possible to discuss how you can make this up.

All undergraduate students at the University of Waikato need to complete a Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) paper as part of their Bachelor's degree. This is to ensure that you graduate with the skills and experiences needed to prepare you for success in either employment or further study as a postgraduate research student.

In the School of Science, we offer three different types of WIL papers, depending on what a student expects to do immediately after graduating:

• Capstone Projects (SCIEN301): Ideal for students who are looking for a career where their science knowledge will be used in a more applied manner.
• Science Work Placements (SCIEN371): Ideal for students who are looking for a career where their technical science knowledge will be used directly.
• Undergraduate Research Projects (SCIEN303/SCIEN313): Ideal for students who are considering enrolling in a postgraduate research qualification e.g. a Masters or PhD degree.

You can find further details of the different opportunities that are available to help kick-start your career here.

SCIEN305 - Science and Mātauranga Māori is one of the required papers for all School of Science students in the BSc and BSc(Tech) degrees.

It is an important paper that ensures our students graduate with the skills needed to be successful scientists in Aotearoa New Zealand. The paper provides science graduates with an understanding of both scientific and Mātauranga Māori perspectives on topical issues and the ability to apply these in a Vision Mātauranga context.

The University has a few site-licenses for software that you can install on your home computer:

• Microsoft Office 365: Download and installation instructions can be found here.
• EndNote: Download and installation instructions can be found here.
• ChemDraw Pro: Download and installation instructions can be found here.