4 programs, side by side

Rows marked with a dot are where these differ. Everything is each university’s own published wording; the “your average” row is yours, calculated the way each program does it.

Full	McMaster Social Sciences I OUAC ML Remove	Carleton Bachelor of Arts (BA) – Non-Honours (3 years) OUAC CA Remove	Western Social Science OUAC EO Remove	Waterloo Honours Arts and Business (Regular/Co-op) OUAC WAB Remove
Your average, their wayrequired courses forced in
Published rangetheir exact wording	80–87%“Low-to mid-80s”	75%	80–87%“Low to mid 80s”	77–80%“High 70s”
Required coursesforced into your top 6 — options are the row below	ENG4U	ENG4U SBI4U SCH4U	ENG4U	ENG4U
Choose one ofany of these satisfies it	—	—	—	—
Prerequisitesas published	English 4U * Completion of Advanced Functions 4U and Calculus & Vectors 4U are strongly recommended for students interested in Economics. * Completion of Calculus & Vectors 4U and Biology 4U are strongly recommended for students interested in Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour.	Programs: African Studies, Anthropology, Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies, Art History, Biology ,* Childhood and Youth Studies, English, Environmental and Climate Change Studies, European and Russian Studies, Film Studies, French, Geography, Geomatics, Greek and Roman Studies, History, History and Theory of Architecture, Human Rights and Social Justice, Indigenous Studies, Law, Linguistics, Music, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Religion, Sociology, and Women's and Gender Studies. You can also apply to the BA Undeclared for first year, or our new 15-credit online program in General Studies. +4 more on the program page	English, ENG4U Notes: All Honours Specializations and Majors in Psychology require a first-year university Math course; therefore any Grade 12 U-level Math is highly recommended for this program. Math is helpful in preparation for Sociology and Geography programs. MFH4U and MCV4U are required for all Economics modules. +1 more on the program page	Any Grade 12 U English (min. 70%)
More than marks?supplementary application	Marks only	Marks only	Marks only	Marks only
Co-op	Available	No	Available	Available
Degree	Bachelor of Arts, BA, Bachelor of Social Work, BSW	—	Bachelor of Arts, BA, Bachelor of Science, BSc	—
First-year intakewhere published	950	—	850	298
What you study	Anthropology Economics Health Informatics Human Geography	Aboriginal Studies African Studies Anthropology Classical Studies	Aboriginal Studies Accounting Animal Science Anthropology	Anthropology Archaeology Business Studies Classical Greek Studies
What it is	Social Sciences I is a first-year entry point where you explore human behaviour, society, and social systems through subjects like economics, sociology, anthropology, politics, and social work. Unlike a specialized program, you sample multiple disciplines before declaring a focus, letting you discover which area — from international development to health policy — matches your interests. It suits students curious about how societies work and drawn to understanding people and social issues from different angles.	A three-year Bachelor of Arts lets you choose from humanities and social science subjects like history, English, anthropology, geography, and environmental studies. Unlike an honours degree, you complete fewer credits overall and have more flexibility to explore different fields or combine subjects without specializing deeply in one. This suits students who want a broad liberal arts education or who are still deciding what to focus on.	Social Science is a broad study of how people, societies, and economies work. You choose a focus like economics, anthropology, history, or business studies, then take courses across that field. Western offers this as either a BA or BSc depending on your focus, and you can do it with co-op, meaning you alternate between school terms and paid work placements in your field.	This program combines arts courses — drawn from fields like English, history, economics, and creative writing — with business studies to prepare you for careers that value both analytical and communication skills. The co-op option lets you alternate study terms with paid work placements at real companies, giving you experience before you graduate. It suits students who want a broader education than straight business but need practical skills for the job market.
The door tomajors you reach through it	criminology geography political science psychology sociology	Applied to directly	criminology economics geography history political science psychology sociology	marketing
Entrance awardsat this campus, by average	5 published, 3 with no applicationfrom 75%See them	16 published, 9 with no applicationfrom 75%See them	6 published, 5 with no applicationfrom 85%See them	4 published, 3 with no applicationfrom 80%See them
Source	McMaster University on OUInfo	Carleton University on OUInfo	Western University on OUInfo	University of Waterloo on OUInfo

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