Social Science 300.A0

Program Information

The Social Science program at Dawson College is an exciting and diverse pre-university program that prepares students for university studies in the social sciences, as well as law, education and administration by offering a variety of courses in Anthropology, Biology, Business Administration, Classics, Economics, English, French, Geography, History, Humanities, Mathematics, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Religion and Sociology.

To complete the DEC Social Science program through Continuing Education, students may need to select a limited number of advanced option courses that are offered only in the day.

Students entering Social Science may take one, two or three mathematics courses.

Admission Requirements

Diploma of Secondary Studies (DES), including:

  • Secondary V Language of Instruction
  • Secondary V Second Language
  • Secondary IV Science
  • Secondary IV Mathematics
  • Secondary IV History

or academic background judged equivalent to the DES.

(Students with a DES missing any of the above subjects may be admitted, space permitting, but may be required to complete remedial courses.)

Specific ministerial admission requirements

  • Sec IV Mathematics – Cultural, Social & Technical option 563-404/414

*For students graduating before June 2010 or from an Adult Education Centre, the pre-requisite is Mathematics 416


Objectives of the Program

The Social Science program seeks to develop the abilities of students to research, analyze, and communicate within the context of a wider awareness of the world.

The goals of the Social Science Program are:

  • to acquaint students with the principal concepts and practices in the social science disciplines
  • to help students develop an understanding of the scientific method and the objectives and current methods of social science research
  • to develop the language skills of the students so that they can communicate at an appropriate level generally, and specifically, in the vocabulary of the social sciences
  • to equip the students with the capacity to establish relationships between the principal elements and concepts of the social science disciplines
  • to help students integrate the disciplinary knowledge into a coherent framework.

University / Careers

A Diploma of College Studies (DEC) in Social Science allows students to pursue university studies in any social science field, provided the appropriate pre-requisite courses have been taken. Graduates then go on to rewarding careers in archeology, business, criminology, international development, education, journalism, law, politics, psychology, tourism and urban planning, among many others.



Last Modified: October 21, 2015