Program decision · Queen's University
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Queen's University Programs & Pathways
Kingston, Ontario
Program strengths and how to compare pathways. This focused guide keeps the detailed tables, official sources, and practical next steps in one manageable reading path.
Reviewed August 14, 2026 · Information checked against official university sources · How we review guides
Programs and Pathways
Current undergraduate program map · re-verified August 14, 2026
Queen's University programs, faculties, and degree pathways
Queen's uses several different entry models. Many Arts and Science students enter a broad first year and choose a plan later; Computing students enter the School before selecting a plan; Engineering combines common-first-year and direct-entry routes; and Commerce, Health Sciences, Nursing, Life Science & Biochemistry, Kinesiology, Music, and Concurrent Education have more structured application decisions. Compare when the choice is made before comparing program names.
Arts & Science
Plan after first year
Most students preserve gateway courses, complete at least 24.0 units, and request an eligible plan through Plan Selection.
Computing
School first, plan later
Students enter Computing, then compare the current Major sub-plans and specializations after first year.
Engineering
General or direct entry
General-first-year students choose among ten disciplines later; six direct-entry routes place students in a discipline from day one.
Professional routes
Apply to the credential
Commerce, on-campus Health Sciences, and four-year Nursing also require their current program-specific supplementary application.
Compare Queen's program entry paths
The application choice and the final subject are not always the same decision. This table separates the high-school entry route from the later plan, discipline, or curriculum decision.
| Program or pathway | Application entry | Later decision | Planning note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arts (QA) and Science (QS) | Apply to the broad Arts or Science entry category rather than to most individual majors. | After first year, students with at least 24.0 completed units participate in Plan Selection for a major, minor, specialization, or permitted combination. | Choose first-year gateway courses for every realistic plan. Bachelor of Music and Kinesiology are direct-entry exceptions, and Concurrent Education/French students begin with French Studies already on the record. |
| Computing (QD) | Apply to the School of Computing and begin the common first-year Computing foundation. | Select a Computing plan after first year, including the Computing Major with a sub-plan or a listed specialization. | Current major sub-plans include Artificial Intelligence, Fundamental Computation, and Security; specializations include Cognitive Science, Creative Arts, Computing/Mathematics/Analytics, and Software Design. |
| Life Science & Biochemistry (QL) | Apply through the distinct Life Science & Biochemistry admission code rather than assuming general Science and Health Sciences are interchangeable. | Follow the first-year science pathway and the applicable Arts and Science plan-selection requirements for the intended Life Sciences or Biochemistry route. | This Faculty of Arts and Science pathway emphasizes biomedical disciplines; it is not the Bachelor of Health Sciences degree. |
| Smith Engineering | Choose the general first-year entry (QE) or one of six current direct-entry programs: Mechatronics and Robotics (QEM), Computer (QEC), Chemical (QEH), Civil (QEV), Mechanical (QET), and Mining (QEN) Engineering. | General-first-year students receive guaranteed discipline choice among ten disciplines: Smith Engineering says students who pass all their classes and apply by the February discipline-selection deadline get their discipline of choice. | The general first year covers mathematics, physics, programming, design, and shared engineering foundations. Direct-entry students are placed in their discipline from day one, so compare those application codes separately before applying. |
| Smith Commerce (QC) | Apply directly to the four-year Bachelor of Commerce and complete the mandatory program-specific supplementary application. | Build the business core first, then personalize the degree through Commerce and non-Commerce electives, exchange, certificates, minors, or approved combined options. | Commerce is not an Arts and Science plan selected after first year. Use the separate Smith Commerce guide for prerequisites and the current Kira assessment. |
| Health Sciences (QH) | Apply to the Bachelor of Health Sciences in its on-campus or online delivery mode; only the on-campus high-school route currently requires the supplementary application. | Complete the interdisciplinary health-science core and use electives or learning tracks to shape the degree rather than switching it into the Life Sciences plan. | Health Sciences balances biomedical and social-science perspectives on health. Verify the delivery mode because admission and supplementary rules differ. |
| Nursing (QN) | High-school applicants apply to the four-year Bachelor of Nursing Science; Queen's also offers an accelerated stream for applicants with prior university study. | Follow the prescribed nursing and clinical sequence rather than selecting an Arts and Science major after first year. | The four-year first-entry program currently requires a supplementary application. Clinical, placement, certification, and health requirements must be checked directly with Nursing. |
| Concurrent Education | Apply to Concurrent Education with an eligible Arts, Science, Kinesiology, Music, or French Studies route and work toward an honours degree and a BEd together. | Choose teaching divisions and, where applicable, Arts and Science plans while completing Education courses and placements alongside the first degree. | Queen's says prospective students applying in Fall 2026 enter the shortened five-year plus one-summer format. Music routes also require the applicable audition. |
Source-verified program facts
Every card below states one changing fact, its cycle, its status, and the live first-party page it was checked against on August 14, 2026.
Current process
Arts and Science Plan Selection rules
Students with 24.0 or more completed units request a major, minor, or specialization toward a 120.0-unit degree. In the current cycle, first-year students selected plans May 19–29 with three outcomes: automatic acceptance at the plan's threshold, a pending list reviewed manually by the department, or denial and reapplication. Students not accepted to a plan by late July cannot register in courses for the upcoming year.
Queen's University Faculty of Arts and Science: Arts and Science Plan Selection · Verified August 14, 2026
Current structure
Smith Engineering entry model
Smith Engineering runs a general first year (OUAC code QE) leading to ten disciplines — Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Mechanical, Mining, Engineering Chemistry, Engineering Physics, Geological, and Mathematics and Engineering — plus six direct-entry programs: Mechatronics and Robotics (QEM), Computer (QEC), Chemical (QEH), Civil (QEV), Mechanical (QET), and Mining (QEN). Direct-entry students are placed in their discipline from day one and do not select in February.
Smith Engineering at Queen's University: Smith Engineering undergraduate programs and direct entry · Verified August 14, 2026
Current policy
Guaranteed discipline choice after the general first year
Smith Engineering states that students are guaranteed their discipline of choice provided they pass all their classes and apply in second semester by the given discipline selection deadline in February. The guarantee applies to the general-first-year route, not to switching out of a direct-entry program.
Smith Engineering at Queen's University: Smith Engineering first-year guide and discipline guarantee · Verified August 14, 2026
Prior September cycle
Published prior-cycle minimum averages
For the last published September cycle: low 80s for Arts (QA), Science (QS), and Music; mid 80s for Computing (QD), Life Science & Biochemistry (QL), general Engineering (QE), and Kinesiology (QK); high 80s for direct-entry Computer Engineering (QEC), Mechatronics (QEM), and Concurrent Education/Arts; low 90s for Nursing (QN), Health Sciences (QH), and Concurrent Education/Kinesiology; and 90+ for Smith Commerce (QC). Queen's warns the minimums vary by year and can be higher than published.
Queen's University Undergraduate Admission and Recruitment: Published competitive admission averages · Verified August 14, 2026
Latest published profiles
Smith Commerce class size trend
Smith publishes entering-class profiles showing 627 students in the Class of 2029, 595 in the Class of 2028, 525 in the Class of 2027, and 494 in the Class of 2026. Commerce is a direct-entry Bachelor of Commerce with a mandatory supplementary application and the highest published minimum average (90+) among Queen's first-entry programs.
Smith School of Business: Smith Commerce entering-class profiles · Verified August 14, 2026
Current requirements
Programs with a mandatory supplementary application
Commerce, the on-campus Health Sciences program, and the four-year Bachelor of Nursing program require a supplementary application delivered through the Kira Talent platform, which includes a practice environment. High-school applicants to Concurrent Education are not required to complete a supplement, and Queen's will not accept late submissions. The page's February 15 fall-entry deadline is the standing pattern.
Confirm the exact supplementary deadline for the Fall 2027 cycle when Queen's posts the new dates rather than reusing a prior year's calendar.
Queen's University Undergraduate Admission and Recruitment: Supplementary application programs and the Kira platform · Verified August 14, 2026
Current structure
Concurrent Education no longer runs in its prior form
Concurrent Education is still offered but has been redesigned as an accelerated five-year plus one-summer-term program, completed by August of year 5, shortened to align with announced Ministry of Education changes to teacher education. Prospective students applying in Fall 2026 apply to the shortened program, and the Faculty of Education says more updates will be made as details are confirmed.
Fall 2027 applicants should re-verify the program length and eligible degree pairings on the live page because the redesign is still being confirmed.
Queen's University Faculty of Education: Concurrent Education program structure · Verified August 14, 2026
Arts, Science, Computing, and plan selection
Queen's Plan Selection occurs after students have had a first year to test subjects. That flexibility still requires advance planning: each intended plan can require specific 100-level gateway courses and current automatic-acceptance or pending-list thresholds. Computing follows the same broad timing but has its own current Major sub-plans and specializations.
Life Science & Biochemistry is a distinct admission path within Arts and Science, while Bachelor of Music and Kinesiology are direct-entry exceptions. The useful question is therefore not only “What major do I want?” but “Which first-year entry and courses keep that plan available?”
Choose by academic goal, not by label alone
Explore before committing to a subject
Start with Arts or Science, preserve multiple first-year gateway courses, and compare the published plan thresholds before Plan Selection.
Build a computing degree
Apply to Computing, then compare the Major sub-plans and specializations by required courses, diploma/transcript naming, and room for another plan.
Choose an engineering discipline
Use the general first year when broad exploration is valuable; compare the six direct-entry programs — Mechatronics, Computer, Chemical, Civil, Mechanical, and Mining — when that commitment is already clear.
Study business
Apply directly to Smith Commerce and plan separately for its mandatory supplement, core curriculum, electives, exchange, and combined-degree options.
Prepare for health-related study
Compare Health Sciences, Life Science & Biochemistry, Nursing, and Kinesiology by curriculum and credential—not by the shared word 'health'.
Become a teacher
Apply to the Concurrent Education route paired with the intended honours degree and confirm the teaching division, teachable-subject, and placement plan.
Program-choice checklist
- 1.Start with the actual Queen's application code and credential, not only a possible major name.
- 2.Classify the route as broad first-year entry, school entry with later plan selection, common Engineering, or structured direct entry.
- 3.Map every first-year gateway course required for the intended plan, discipline, or professional sequence.
- 4.Check whether the later choice uses automatic, pending-list, capacity, audition, supplementary, or clinical requirements.
- 5.Compare Health Sciences, Life Sciences, Nursing, and Kinesiology by curriculum and degree rather than treating them as one pre-med route.
- 6.Recheck the live program directory, academic calendar, prerequisites, and deadlines before applying or registering.
Official Queen's sources
- Queen's undergraduate program directory
- Arts and Science Plan Selection
- Arts and Science first-year registration guide
- Queen's Engineering study options
- Smith Engineering programs and direct entry
- Queen's Computing programs
- Queen's Computing program timeline
- Smith Bachelor of Commerce
- Queen's Health Sciences program directory
- Queen's Life Sciences and Nursing directory
- Queen's Concurrent Education
- Queen's Undergraduate Internship Program
- Queen's supplementary application requirements
Official Sources and Next Steps
Stellar keeps this guide structured for comparison, but official university pages remain the source of truth for program requirements, tuition, residence, scholarships, deadlines, and policy changes.
Prepared by Stellar Advisers Editorial Team · Reviewed August 14, 2026 · Editorial, corrections, and source methodology