Humanities means leadership. Leadership means:

  • The ability to influence others through reasoned argument
  • Emotional intelligence, achieved both by knowing oneself and by being able to see the world from the perspective of others
  • Social intelligence, the ability to collaborate, to engage others in conversation, to be sensitive to social situations and to work with those culturally different from ourselves
  • Communication, conveying complex ideas in clear and inspiring ways
  • Creativity, particularly an openness to new ideas and a willingness to question everything, not for the sake of asking questions, but to make this a better world.
  • Analyze complex information and understand technology
  • Think ethically and make a difference

These are the skills that build careers and build leaders in our communities, neighbourhoods, classrooms, social agencies, arts organizations, and in businesses, from corporations to start-ups.

In our Humanities disciplines, we focus on developing persuasive and rational arguments, communicating complex and challenging ideas, collaboration, creativity, and critical and constructive thinking. We help you to develop the skills to prepare for a career as an active and engaged global citizen.

In Humanities, you’ll encounter productive, award-winning professors who bring their real-life experience as researchers and teachers to the classroom, and who believe that the best university education is student-centered and research-focused.

You will also join a community of scholars who are not afraid to cross the boundaries between subject areas, who have dynamic and diverse individual interests, experiences and talents, but who share an enthusiasm and curiosity about the past, present and future.

We look forward to having you in our classrooms, our workshops, our performance spaces and our laboratories.

Program Statistics

78%

Minimum Average Required

480

Target Enrolment

65

Average Class Size

Applied Humanities, independent study and internship courses allow students to gain real-world experience through the practical application of classroom learning.

A few examples include:

  • Communication Studies – Practical Aspects of Media Production
  • Cognitive Science – Speech Language Pathology Practicum
  • Classics – Field Practicum in Classical Archaeology
  • History – History Practicum
  • Linguistics – TESL Practicum
  • Global Peace & Social Justice – Practical Peace Building
  • Theatre & Film – Performance and Community Outreach

A formalized internship program, where students will have the opportunity to participate in paid full-time and part-time work opportunities related to their career area of study, is planned to be launched in the next academic year (2021/2022).

Here in Humanities, we believe that where you learn is just as important as what you learn. Some of our state-of-the-art learning facilities are:

Student Testimonials

Ramneek Sodhi, HistoryRamneek Sodhi, History

 

“It’s such a unique experience, it’s not what you’d expect it to be. The social and academic experience are really wholesome.”

Talk to a current student
Kristi Kwan, Cognitive Science of LanguageKristi Kwan, Cognitive Science of Language

 

“I love my program, the diversity, and the ability to take your degree anywhere you want to go. There are so many opportunities to explore different career paths. Everything here is so hands on and practical.”

Talk to a current student

Your Classes

Want to take a look at this year’s offerings and build a mock schedule? You can use McMaster’s MyTimetable tool to pick from Mac’s entire course offerings this year.

BUILD YOUR SCHEDULE

How does it work? Simply follow these steps:

  • Step 1: Pick a semester where the yellow box appears.
  • Step 2: Start searching for classes in the box that appears. Don’t know where to start? You can type out subjects, such as “English” or “Physics,” or pick from the courses listed here.
  • Step 3: Pick your classes and times. When you find a class that you like, click on it and it will appear in the calendar on the left. You can pick different tutorial and lecture times to fit the classes you want. When you find a class and times that you like, click on it in the calendar to pin it in place.
  • Step 4: Fill out your schedule and save the URL. Keep picking classes and times until you have your schedule (this is usually five courses per semester). Once you’re finished, save your URL so you can come back and see what you’ve built.

Students entering the Faculty of Humanities take a general first-year program – Humanities I. The Humanities I program offers students an enormous amount of flexibility and a real chance to explore many course options in their first year of university.

Students in Humanities I can pursue subjects in which they have already developed an interest, as well as exploring new areas of interest. This provides an excellent base from which to specialize in upper levels.

What You’ll Take:

  • Voice and Vision: Words to Change the World (HUMAN 1VV3)
  • 12 units from the Humanities Course List 1 which includes languages, music, women’s studies and more
  • 15 units of electives

Learn more about your Humanities I requirements.

We have the following degree types you can obtain:

  • Bachelor of Arts
  • Honours Bachelor of Arts
  • Combined Honours Bachelor of Arts

These can be specialized in a variety of major subject areas, including:

Specialized Minor in Commerce

A special partnership with McMaster’s DeGroote School of Business allows single honours students in Art History, Classics, Communication Studies, English, French, History, Linguistics, Media Arts, Philosophy, or Theatre & Film Studies to complement their studies with a Specialized minor in Commerce (13 courses of study or 39 units).

Concurrent Certificates

McMaster Humanities offers seven concurrent certificates available to enhance degree and increase job prospects upon graduation:

  • Applied Ethics and Policy (CAEP)
  • Creative Writing and Narrative Arts (CWNA)
  • Essential French
  • Professional French
  • International Engagement
  • Language of Medicine & Health
  • Leadership & Cross-Cultural Literacy

Studying Abroad

One of the goals of a Humanities education is to increase global awareness. For many students, participating in an exchange program is one of the most exciting ways to do this. The exchange program allows students to spend all or part of their third year studying at universities in the UK, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Austria, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Jamaica.


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Admissions