Science X Arts Undergrads
Science undergraduate programs are for certain, among some of the most competitive, prestigious, and challenging programs for Canadian students to pursue, and they are increasingly becoming sought out by many high school students amongst different communities within Canada. Given their reputation and highly competitive nature, it may be implied that these programs help students achieve success in pursuing their careers and will increase their chances of entering the workplace with a secure employment position post-graduation. However, in reality, for students entering the workforce with a science undergraduate, it can become challenging to secure an employment position or find an area of work that they find interesting if students are unsure of the specific field they would enjoy working in. For many students, although four years may seem like a long time to figure out what area of science they want to pursue, or if they want to attend graduate school, it is safe to say that those four years go by with the blink of an eye, and it is not uncommon for students to find themselves without any direction or guidance as to where they may want to go after receiving their degree. In this series, Science x Undergrads, we will be talking about Science and Art undergraduate programs that may help guide students who are unsure of what they want to pursue in science, or if they want to perhaps explore science through a different perspective, like art, to increase their skills and abilities after they graduate to open up more doors and potential employment opportunities not restricted to only science-degree seeking employment positions. The Arts and Science undergraduate program at McMaster University has become increasingly popular among students as it targets those who are both left and right-brained individuals and provides an interdisciplinary approach to methods and strategies to which they learn and develop their skills.
The Program
To begin talking about this amazing dual-focus program offered at McMaster, it is important that I fill you in on what the program is, and some of the important things to note in terms of program length, courses, focus, and all of the necessary information to help you determine if this program is for you! From the university itself, the Arts and Science program at McMaster is “a highly regarded and challenging interdisciplinary program that equips its graduates to excel in work and/or further study in a wide range of fields” (McMaster University, 2022). This program is exactly what it sounds like and is targeted towards students who enjoy both the creative opportunities that they have when creating beautiful pieces of art and music, and studying science and the limitless areas to research from a scientific lens. The Honours Bachelor of Arts and Science undergraduate program is a four-year program that only selects students with high academic achievements and who meet the minimum Grade 12 U and M requirements including:
- English U
- One of Advanced Function U or Calculus and Vectors U
- Completion of four additional U or M courses of which two must be at the U level
In addition to the academic requirements listed above, students who wish to be granted acceptance into the program must fill out a supplementary application. This second part of the application process is mainly due to the small and selective admissions process that allows around a target of 70 students into the program. As you can see, this program only allows admission for a select number of individuals, and therefore it serves students who pursue this degree with a number of different advantages post-graduation. These advantages include creative skills, problem-solving skills, enhanced levels of communication, and many others, that can be applicable to a wide variety of different workplaces outside of solely science.
Exclusive Courses and Opportunities
If it is not already obvious enough, the Arts and Science program is targeted to provide students with limitless opportunities to pursue experiential learning, for post-graduation opportunities in the workplace. Although students may enter university with a fixed mindset on where, how, and why they want to pursue, it is not uncommon, in fact it is definitely more probable, that you will meet another student, who is going through similar dilemmas, centring around what they want to pursue in their career. Over half of the undergraduate students surveyed by Allaboutcareers.com, specifically 52% of undergraduates, agreed with the statement claiming that they have no idea what they want to pursue as their career, post-graduation (Concrete 2022). As a university student myself, this number does not shock me, and I find myself meeting new people every day who fall within the category that majority of students are unsure of where they want their education to take them. Specifically, students in STEM may often battle with indecisiveness, imposter syndrome, and even the fact that they have not yet found their passion, and with a degree that is primarily founded upon a scientific education, it can be limiting in terms of opportunities that students can experience in the workplace. One of the main reasons why the Arts and Science program is held in such high regard, especially among employers after students have graduated, is because of the interdisciplinarity and wide range of skills that students learn after pursuing this degree. Although studying science can provide you with a limitless number of skills including logistical, critical-reasoning, and communication skills, it may be difficult to always apply a scientific approach or scientific lens to solving problems that may arise in other areas of the job. The program offers students exclusive courses that are integrated with science and art applications, including Argumentation (ARTSSCI 1BB3), Social and Political Thought (ARTSSCI 2A06), Literature (ARTSSCI 3A06), Technology and Society II (ARTSSCI 3BB3), and many others. And fear not, the program’s interdisciplinary nature makes room for students to pursue many other areas of interest, as well as your foundational science courses like Chemistry, Biology, and Physics, because it would not be a science program without those key courses! One final thing that I want to mention that I think makes this program stand out, even more, is the three objectives that provide the foundation for this program and will dictate your success in this program. Directly from the program’s website (which you can also learn more about the program on, by clicking here) are the three objectives that make up the curriculum that students pursue:
- To enable substantial work in both the arts and sciences (McMaster University, 2022)
- To develop skills in writing, speaking, and critical reasoning (McMaster University, 2022)
- To foster the art of scholarly inquiry into issues of public concern (McMaster University, 2022)
These three objectives are what contribute to both the challenging, and both enjoyable components of this program, and are what provide students with an advantage in both science- or art-focused careers, by providing them with an alternate skill set that can be applicable in a wide variety of career pathways.
Career Pathways
I find myself constantly stressing the wide variety of career opportunities that students who pursue an art and science degree will have after graduation, however, what truly are these careers, and how do they involve both science and art? Arts and Science students often pursue further education in a diverse range of fields that allow them to showcase and apply both the scientific, and artistic skills that they have developed throughout their undergraduate careers. Some of these programs include teaching, social work, theater, urban planning, epidemiology, environmental studies, comparative literature, and the list goes on and on. As an Arts and Science student, what makes your skills set stand out on an application, is the ability to critically reason in a wide range of situations, apply your knowledge of both scientific perspectives, and contemporary approaches, to problem-solve and work together with other members of a group, and finally apply an artistic lens to a scientific problem, and vice versa.
To conclude, the Arts and Science program at McMaster University is among one of the most diverse and experiential programs that provide students with an education like no other program at any other Canadian university. It is unique and one of the first joint arts and science-based programs, and certainly provides students with some assurance post-graduation with the many doors that it opens for them to explore and find what they are truly passionate about. If any of you have been accepted into this program and are debating between other programs, I would encourage you to take a second look at this and truly look at the amazing opportunities and initiatives it provides you as well as the well-rounded student, learner, and person that you will become post-graduation.
About the Writer: Wynter Sutchy is a first-year undergraduate student at McMaster University studying Life Sciences and is from King City, ON. She is very passionate about the healthcare field and enjoys sharing her volunteering experiences through writing. She plans to pursue a career in medicine in the future and plans to explore the field of healthcare through research and volunteering throughout her undergraduate career. In her free time, you can expect her to be watching her favorite show, Greys Anatomy, teaching children how to swim, or baking some delicious desserts!
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