BA/BS in Social Sciences I is a bachelor's degree in Social Sciences & Education programme taught at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada. The programme runs for 1 year. Tuition for international students is CAD 47,416 per year (CAD 6,043 per year for local students).
Social Sciences I is a first-year undergraduate pathway for students who want to study in the social sciences but have not yet settled on a specific major. Delivered on campus on a full-time basis, it leads toward a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Social Work, with three- and four-year completion options available once a major is chosen. During the first year, students take a mix of introductory courses, including small-seminar options, that survey topics such as decision-making, social structures, policy, and social change while developing research, communication, and data-analysis skills that carry into upper years. After year one, students move into one of a wide range of specific majors offered within the social sciences, spanning subjects such as anthropology, economics, psychology, political science, sociology, social work, and Indigenous studies, several of which include co-op or applied placement options. The program suits incoming students who know they are drawn to the social sciences broadly but want a year of exploration, along with exposure to research and experiential learning opportunities, before committing to a specific disciplinary major.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: This page does not itemise programme-specific admission requirements and instead points to McMaster's general Admission Requirements Tool and English Proficiency page; the university's own general policy is summarised here. Ontario applicants apply through OUAC with an Ontario Secondary School Diploma comprising six Grade 12 U/M courses, including Grade 12 U English, and are assessed competitively on their top-six average; Social Sciences I carries no additional subject-specific prerequisites beyond English. International applicants present an equivalent secondary credential (e.g. A-Levels or the IB Diploma) with the same English prerequisite and are assessed on the same competitive basis. Applicants whose first language is not English must meet McMaster's English-proficiency requirement: IELTS Academic 6.5 overall with no band below 6.0, or TOEFL iBT 86 overall with a minimum of 20 in each component (for tests taken before 21 January 2026), unless exempt through at least four years of full-time study in English.
Application Details
Application Deadline:McMaster admits Level I students for September entry only. For Fall 2027, deadlines are set per programme: competitive programmes such as Engineering, Computer Science, Health Sciences, Midwifery, iBioMed and Honours Integrated Science close 15 January 2027, while most other Level I programmes (Business, Humanities I, the Life Sciences and Social Sciences gateways) stay open to 1 April 2027, often with an earlier 1 February 2027 'Equal Consideration' review point. These dates are identical for domestic and international applicants for nearly every programme; the sole exception is Nursing, where Ontario high-school applicants close 15 January 2027 and all other applicants, international included, close 1 February 2027. No programme is described as rolling beyond its published deadline. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
