“The unexamined life is not worth living” – Socrates.
As a Humanities student, you’ll bring artistic, historical, critical and philosophical reflection to bear while you explore and examine our past and present, our thought, our cultures, and societies, as well as our existence. You’ll learn about the world and learn about yourself.
- Gain knowledge and learn to question.
- Grapple with how to make sense of experiences, how to achieve understanding, and how to live well.
- Learn how to think, inquire, weigh evidence, read critically, make arguments, write and speak thoughtfully.
- Practice the skills you learn in the classroom, lab, theatre and studio through community engagement, international experience, field study and internships
Why Humanities at McMaster?
Dean Swett reflects on the top ten things that students say when we ask them “Why did you choose Humanities at Mac?”
Humanities at McMaster
Join our close-knit community in the Faculty of Humanities — where you aren’t just a number. There are lots of supports to help you succeed, both while you’re in university, and beyond.
That is the power of the arts — to remind us of what we each have to offer, and what we all have in common; to help us understand our history and imagine our future; to give us hope in the moments of struggle; and to bring us together when nothing else will.
— MICHELLE OBAMA FORMER FIRST LADY, UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Information Box Group
Humanities grads are needed now more than ever. The world needs people who have these essential skills.
Think critically
Lead change
Exercise social and emotional intelligence
Communicate effectively
Think ethically and make a difference
The question isn’t “What can I do with a Humanities education?” It’s “What can’t I do?”
While the skills you’ll learn while you’re at McMaster are essential for the 21st century workplace, a university education is far more than vocational training: it’s designed to foster personal growth and intellectual development.
Remember – in Humanities, there isn’t always a direct link between the subject you study and the career path you follow after graduating.
The academic fields that study the human condition – prepare young adults for the most essential aspects of work: getting along with other people, understanding multiple points of view and coming to terms with one’s place in the world. As such, students of all majors need exposure to the humanities to be adequately — and practically — prepared for the working world. The skills learned in the humanities are practical, and, even better they are timeless.
— Elizabeth H. Bradley President of Vassar College
Humanities during a time of global change
Investing in Humanities is key to post-pandemic recovery Read article
In our rapidly changing world, government policymakers will need to recognize the important insights gained through humanities and social sciences research to drive COVID-19 recovery and secure a better future for Canadians.
Why Science Needs The Humanities To Solve Climate Change Read article
Going beyond science, humanists can define cultural forces driving climate change and uncover the root of complex problems. Society needs humanists and their “soft” technologies – intangible tools for solving problems based on non-scientific knowledge.
Humanities provides career benefits Read article
Oxford study: Humanities benefits young people’s future careers and wider society. New research shows how studying the humanities benefits young people’s future careers and wider society – despite challenges of COVID-19 and employment changes.
Literature is unbelievably helpful because no matter what business you are in, you are dealing with interpersonal relationships. It gives you an appreciation of what makes people tick.
– Michael Eisner Former Chairman and CEO, the Walt Disney Company
Information Box Group
Careers
Employers across Canada and around the world choose Humanities graduates because of their adaptability, flexibility, empathy and critical thinking skills — essential knowledge in the 21st-century workplace.