CEGEP Prerequisites for Nursing, Social Science and Business DEC Programs
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 19, 2026 • Admissions & Applications, Canadian Universities & Colleges
Quebec CEGEPs set Secondary 4 and 5 course prerequisites that differ by program and by CEGEP, but three patterns hold across most schools: Nursing wants a strong science background, Business wants a specific math stream, and Social Science stays open to any Secondary 5 diploma with standard math.
🎓 Nursing (Soins infirmiers) generally needs Secondary 4 Science and Technology plus Secondary 5 Chemistry, and often Physics.
💵 Business/Administration DEC programs generally need a Secondary 4 math course from the Technical and Science (TS) or Science Natural (SN) stream, though some accept the Cultural, Social and Technical (CST) stream.
📩 Social Science DEC programs are usually open to any Secondary 5 diploma holder with a standard Secondary 4 or 5 math course.
⏱️ Always confirm the exact list on the specific CEGEP's program page. The same DEC name carries different prerequisites at different CEGEPs.
Quebec's math and science streams
Quebec's Secondary 4 and 5 curriculum splits math into three streams : Cultural, Social and Technical (CST), Technical and Science (TS), and Science Natural (SN). SN is the most advanced stream and TS sits above CST. CEGEP programs list which stream (or streams) they accept as a prerequisite, and a program that lists TS or SN as a requirement will not accept a CST-only transcript.
Science prerequisites follow a similar pattern. Secondary 4 Science and Technology (or the Applied Science option) is the baseline, and Secondary 5 adds specific Chemistry and Physics courses that some DEC programs require on top of it.
Nursing DEC (Soins infirmiers)
| Typical requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Secondary 4 Science and Technology | Baseline science requirement at most CEGEPs |
| Secondary 5 Chemistry | Commonly required; some CEGEPs also want Physics |
| Secondary 4 or 5 math, TS or SN stream | Stream requirement varies by CEGEP |
Nursing is a contingented program at most larger CEGEPs, so meeting the minimum prerequisite courses gets your application into the ranking pool. It does not guarantee a seat on its own.
Business and Administration DEC
| Typical requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Secondary 4 math, TS or SN stream | Some CEGEPs accept CST as a minimum; SN or TS strengthens your file |
| Secondary 5 English or French | Standard language requirement for any DEC |
Business programs vary the most between CEGEPs on how strict the math stream requirement is. A CEGEP with a competitive Business profile tends to prefer SN, while a smaller program accepts CST.
Social Science DEC
| Typical requirement | Notes |
|---|---|
| Secondary 5 diploma | General diploma completion, no specific science courses |
| Standard Secondary 4 or 5 math | CST stream usually accepted |
Social Science is the most accessible of the three for students without a strong science or advanced math background, since most CEGEPs treat it as an open program rather than a contingented one.
If you are applying from outside Quebec
Grade equivalency between provinces is not one-to-one on math and science course levels, so map your own transcript against Quebec's course levels rather than assuming a Grade 11 course automatically covers a Secondary 4 or 5 requirement. Quebec's Secondary 5 lines up roughly with Grade 12 in other provinces, and Secondary 4 lines up roughly with Grade 11, but the content covered inside each math stream does not match any single course from another province's curriculum.
Send your full high school transcript with your application so the CEGEP assesses which stream your completed math and science courses correspond to. If a course you took does not clearly map to a required stream, contact the CEGEP's admissions office before you submit rather than after, since this determines which programs you are eligible to rank for.
Confirm before you apply
These patterns hold across most CEGEPs, but each institution sets its own final prerequisite list for each DEC program, and lists change between admission cycles. Use the specific program page on your target CEGEP's website, or the course-prerequisite lookup on your regional admission portal (SRAM , SRACQ or SRASL ), to confirm the exact Secondary 4 and 5 courses required before you submit your application.