Wilson College
The world is facing increasingly complex challenges from understanding people and communities to shaping policy, driving innovationand solving local and global issues. Addressing them requires leaders who can think critically, work across differences and bring people together to create positive change.
As part of a small, supportive program, you’ll build meaningful connections with peers, faculty and community leaders while earning a Combined Honours BA in Leadership & Civic Studies and a second subject from the Faculty of Humanities or Social Sciences. By graduation, you’ll have the knowledge, experience and confidence to strengthen communities, influence change and help shape a more equitable, sustainable and connected future.
Leadership & Civic Studies I is a unique first-year program that prepares you to understand the worlds challenges and take action. Through interdisciplinary learning and hands-on community engagement, you’ll explore how leadership shapes communities, institutions and society while developing the skills to create impact in the areas that matter most to you.
Your first year is designed to help you explore new ideas and discover where your interests can take you. Through two required first year courses, you’ll join a close-knit community of peers while examining foundational knowledge, inquiry and research tools including the power of mis/disinformation, what it means to be a global citizen and the structure of social movements. You’ll also have the flexibility to explore courses across Humanities and Social Sciences before choosing your second major at the end of Level I.
Your first year is about finding your community. Wilson College students are guaranteed the option of first-year residence in the Wilson College Living Learning Community (LLC) located in Peter George Centre for Living and Learning. The LLC brings together students with shared interests in leadership and creating positive change.
Whether you decide to live on campus or elsewhere, you can participate in Wilson College LLC programming, including:
Leadership is developed through experience, reflection and action. At Wilson College, you’ll apply what you learn in the classroom through community engagement, hands-on projects and opportunities to connect with leaders across sectors. This includes:
Get Engaged Podcast
Contribute to Wilson College’s student-led podcast, Get Engaged, where you’ll explore community issues through conversations with youth leaders, changemakers and professionals. Develop your communication, storytelling and critical thinking skills while helping to amplify important voices and ideas.
Leadership Portfolio
Document your learning journey through a personalized Leadership Portfolio in WILSON 2LP0 and 3LP0. Reflect on your experiences, goals and achievements while showcasing community involvement, projects, leadership development and co-curricular experiences. By graduation, you’ll have a record of your growth that can support future career, graduate school and professional opportunities.
Final Year Placement and Capstone Project
In your final year, you’ll complete a required 150-hour placement with a community organization, gaining hands-on experience while building networks and contributing to work you are passionate about.
You’ll also complete a capstone project that tackles a real-world challenge, bringing together your Leadership & Civic Studies coursework, second area of study, research and community engagement. Together, these experiences give you the opportunity to turn what you’velearned into action and graduate with practical experience you can take into your career or further studies.
Wilson College is committed to supporting future leaders through scholarships and awards that recognize academic achievement, leadership potential and community engagement. In addition to McMaster University’s entrance scholarships Wilson College offers dedicated funding opportunities for both domestic and international students through AwardSpring.
Students may also be eligible for McMaster University entrance awards, including the McMaster Entrance Scholarship of up to $3,000 for Wilson College students entering with a 95%+ admission average.
Combine Leadership & Civic Studies with a Humanities or Social Sciences discipline of your choice.
Your Combined Honours BA gives you depth in a discipline you care about alongside the leadership, communication, critical thinking and problem-solving skills to apply that knowledge in the real world. Whether your interests lead you toward policy, law, business, community development, communications, research or another field, you’ll graduate with a combination of your passions to drive positive change.
Combined Honours BA in Leadership & Civic Studies and …
^Limited Enrolment program. *Grade 12 Calculus and Vectors and Advanced Functions recommended. ** Grade 12 Biology, Calculus and Vectors and Advanced Functions recommended.
“After seeing what leadership does for other people, from the other side, that’s really pushed me to get involved in everything I can and help out where help is needed.”
– Sean, Combined Honours BA Leadership & Civic Studies and Philosophy
“Wilson College provides a good base to build upon if you are interested in working in policy, community, administration, civic engagement.”
Hear more from our students.
You’ll enroll in:
WILSON 1A03 – Introduction to Leadership and Civic Studies
Discover how leadership and civic engagement take shape across cultures, histories and perspectives from Indigeneity to the Global South.
WILSON 1B03 – Inquiry & Contemporary Issues
Learn how to ask powerful questions, build strong research skills and table real-world issues in leadership and civic engagement.
24 units (8 classes) from Humanities and Social Sciences level one & electives
Level 2 and above is where your interests come together. You’ll remain connected to your Wilson College cohort through required courses and programming while continuing to build expertise in your second subject. Your dedicated Academic Advisor will support you with course planning, degree requirements and navigating your Combined Honours program throughout your degree.
WILSON 2LP0 and 3LP0 – Leadership Portfolio
These courses support students in developing the foundational knowledge and skills needed to become effective leaders in the civic realm. Students will build a portfolio that documents their academic learning, community engagement and professional goals. Students explore strategies for personal and professional development, communication, collaboration, digital engagement and community participation, while connecting their learning and experiences to their developing leadership identity.
WILSON 2D03 – Deconstructing Leadership: Leadership and Diversity
Examines theories and practices of leadership from diverse, critical perspectives including Indigeneity, class, gender, race, age, and ability. Students will gain a critical, historical understanding of group and social dynamics with the aim of being able to assess and mobilize different civic engagement strategies.
WILSON 3E03 – Future of Canada Challenges
This topics-based course will be structured around a series of guest speakers who will talk to students about pressing issues of contemporary concern to Canadian societies and the world. Possible topics include climate change, Indigenous struggles, ethnic and racial discrimination, civic cohesion, and democratic recession. The course will have an experiential, community-based element that takes students outside of the classroom to discuss issues of concern with pertinent communities.
WILSON 3F03 – Leadership and Civic Engagement Skills and Methods
This experiential, project-based course will provide students with training in ethical quantitative and qualitative methods to develop solutions to a specific societal challenge, need or concern. Students will gain such skills as project management, gathering, analysing, and communicating data, and responsible reporting to stakeholders.
WILSON 4A06 – Civic Leadership Placement & Project
This course provides supports, resources, and mentorship to complete a major independent or group project related to civic engagement and leadership. The project will combine research and community-informed work and will include volunteer placements in community-based organizations. Final projects will be presented at a year-end symposium where key stakeholders, including the larger public, will be invited to share in students’ findings and accomplishments.
Your Wilson experience extends beyond academics. Find your people, explore your interests and take on opportunities to shape the communities you’re part of. Whether you want to build connections within Wilson, get involved across McMaster or step into a leadership role, there are plenty of ways to make your university experience your own.