A specialisation is a focused collection of courses within a programme that allows you to gain deep, targeted knowledge in a specific sub-field. Normally these courses make up more than 50 percent of a qualification, some of which lead to registration within a certain field. They may be interdisciplinary, professionally oriented, or designed to meet accreditation requirements. Specialisations often restrict elective choice in favour of a clearly defined study plan.

Completed specialisations will appear on your academic transcript.

Please see the main programme link below for further details.

Psychology helps us to understand how people behave, learn, think, feel and interact with the world around them. Study in psychology will introduce you to a range of exciting topics such as the brain, human development, mental health, the development of relationships, evolution, social processes, culture and sustainability.

You will also learn research skills, including both quantitative and qualitative methodologies. The School of Psychology has strong expertise in areas such as clinical psychology, social psychology, cognitive neuroscience, child development, learning and behaviour, communication, critical and feminist psychology, indigenous psychologies, and community psychology.

PhD - Doctor of Philosophy

We welcome PhD proposals in areas including:
- Developmental psychology
- Feminist psychology and gender and cultural studies
- Computational methods to answer questions about language and human prehistory
- Social attitudes, personality and health outcomes
- Personal and group identities to gender and sexual issues, and environmental and sustainability issues
- Applied behaviour analysis: using a scientific approach to understand and change human behaviour Māori identity, financial attitudes and behaviour
- Quantitative and experimental approaches to the understanding of animal and human behaviour
- Industrial, work and organisational psychology
- Cognitive neuroscience research