Arts & Science

  • Overview

    The Arts & Science Program was designed to provide students with a broad-based, liberal education. The curriculum was planned with three major objectives in mind:

    • to provide for substantial work in the disciplines of both arts and science
    • to further the development of skills in writing, speaking, and critical reasoning
    • to foster the art of scholarly inquiry into issues of public concern

  • Admission Details

    ADMISSION AVERAGE & REQUIREMENTS.
    NOTE: A Supplementary Application, DUE FEB. 1, 2012, is Required FOR ADMISSION

    OUAC Application Code: MX
    ANNUAL  Enrolment: 60 students

    Web Links

    Department Website: www.mcmaster.ca/artsci

    SASSweb.ca – An online community for current Arts & Science students.

  • Why Arts & Science at McMaster?

    Created in 1981, the Arts and Science Program was an innovation in Canadian undergraduate education. The Program employs some of the best instructors McMaster has to offer, many of whom have won local, provincial and national teaching awards.

    The limited size of the program facilitates close relationships between students, both academically and personally. The small class and tutorial sizes promote interaction between teachers and students, leading to close academic relationships both in and out of the classroom.

    The Program consists of a core set of required courses, which are exclusively offered to students in the program. These core courses were designed exclusively for the Program and are interdisciplinary in nature. These include inquiry courses, which cover a vast array of disciplines, and focus on the development of problem-based learning and critical thinking skills.

    Flexible assignments in some classes promote self-directed learning by allowing students to pursue their interests. The curriculum also includes assignments designed to develop group work skills, such as leadership, communication, and co-operation.

    Electives and optional Experiential Education courses allow students to tailor the program to their individual interests. Fourth year thesis courses provide an opportunity to work with McMaster researchers in areas that range across the Faculties of the University. The Program prepares students for a wide variety of future paths, and has in its 20 year history established a tradition of producing graduates who shine in a wide variety of careers.

  • Program Brochure

    Facilities

    • Arts & Science Lounge/Library in Commons Bldg.

    Co-op/Internship

    ,

    Program Statistics

    Annual Enrollment: 60 students

    • Schedule
      Typical Timetable

Profiles & Alumni

  • Kat Kinch
    Kat Kinch was listed among the “Best and the Brightest – Twenty-five faces for the Future”
    in the May 24, 2004 edition of Maclean’s magazine. She is a graduate of the University
    of British Columbia Law School, where she won the law faculty’s award for best all-round
    graduating student.“ Being an Artsci can lead to many things:realizing the goals you set for yourself when
    you were five (or twenty-five), surprising yourself with careers you hadn’t heard of
    before you arrived at the program, or, at a minimum, discovering that you are surrounded
    by students, professors and staff who are committed to a discipline of adventurous
    learning. Caution: you might lose the capacity to sit still, be quiet, and accept what you’re
    told… a phenomenon that later pushed the boundaries of my law degree into human rights activism and feminist legal research. While I was at McMaster, I knew I was part of an amazing academic community; when I left, I realized that I had been given the foundation to keep on educating myself, critically and energetically, in the world.”
  • Farah Mawani
    Farah Mawani is an epidemiologist who is currently National Coordinator for the New Canadian Children and Youth Study which involves 40 team members spread across six cities in Canada.“ I was attracted to the opportunity to take a variety of courses from different disciplines
    throughout the program, with a particular emphasis on writing and critical thinking skills.
    I was especially attracted to the interdisciplinary (Inquiry) courses focusing on global issues – I wanted to be able to apply what I was learning in my coursework to real and important issues, so that I could continue to do that beyond my university career.”
  • Brenda Matthews
    Brenda Matthews holds a Ph.D in Astronomy and is a researcher at the University of California at Berkeley focusing on star and planet information.“ I remember the great atmosphere of being in classes where discussion was such a large
    component of the learning process. What I think was great about Arts & Science was not necessarily what we were learning, but how the program was broad enough that it let students discover where their interests really were and, most importantly, pursue them. I think it honed my ability to express ideas and formulate theories, which has served me very well as a scientist.”