Return to: Academic Faculties & Programs

General Information

A Bachelor of Arts degree opens doors to a wide range of learning and career opportunities.

Features of the Mount Royal Bachelor of Arts program include the following:

• high academic standards;
• relevant, current, and rigorous curriculum based on clearly articulated outcomes;
• strong General Education/breadth component;
• special emphasis on developing communication and critical thinking skills;
• high level of student-teacher interaction;
• highly qualified faculty dedicated to excellent instruction;
• both Major and Honours streams available in several disciplines to accommodate career-oriented students as well as those planning further study;
• use of leading-edge technology to enhance learning and classroom delivery;
• experiential learning components where applicable (such as internships); and
• opportunities for international study.

As well as obtaining a breadth of knowledge, students in the Mount Royal Bachelor of Arts program will achieve depth of knowledge in the subject area they select for their Major. BA students also have the option of selecting a Minor area of concentrated study in addition to their Major. Qualified students planning to pursue graduate school or wishing to explore their selected field in more depth can apply to the Honours stream.

BA students at Mount Royal can pursue a Major, an Honours stream, and/or a Minor. 

Opportunities For Further Study

Entrance into graduate or professional school is competitive. The Bachelor of Arts degree, including the Honours stream, does not guarantee admission into graduate or professional school. Graduates must meet the individual university’s admission requirements in a competitive process. Students considering graduate school or professional school are encouraged to investigate their postgraduate educational plans with an academic advisor at the institution in which they are seeking to enrol.

International Education Opportunities

Qualified Mount Royal students have the opportunity to take part in international education experiences such as international field schools and semesters abroad. For more information, contact an Advisor or the Mount Royal Office of International Education.

Declaration of Major

Students must declare their Major field of study within one year (ten courses) of enroling in the program. Students who have decided on their Major are advised to declare it as soon as possible to facilitate proper course selection and access to core courses.

Double Majors

Double majors must be chosen within the six majors offered as part of the Bachelor of Arts and include

1. 10-12 General Education courses, of which, four can fulfill the requirements of the double major.
2. All core courses specified for each major (a minimum of thirty-two courses), with the following exception:
   A double major in Psychology and Sociology; 16 core courses in each discipline, including:
   • PSYC 2210 - Statistical Methods for Psychology I  or SLGY 3321 - Quantitative Methods  
   • PSYC 2213 - Research Methods I  or SLGY 2232 - Introduction to Sociological Research Methods  
   • PSYC 2211 - Statistical Methods for Psychology II  
   • SLGY 3323 - Qualitative Research Methods  
   • Students who take PSYC 2210  and PSYC 2213  must take an additional two options in Sociology
   • Students who take SLGY 3321  and SLGY 3323  must take an additional two options in Psychology

Residency Requirement

Normally, 50% of the academic work completed toward the award of a Mount Royal parchment must be completed at the University, except where written approval has been given by the dean/director of the appropriate faculty/centre/school.

In addition, students should be aware that various experiential components, such as the internship in Policy Studies and Interior Design and the practicum in Criminal Justice, must normally be completed as a student of Mount Royal.

Time Limitation

All graduation requirements for the BA degree program must be completed within eight years of initial admission to and enrolment in the program. The prior learning of all students entering baccalaureate programs will be fully assessed at the point of admission for possible advanced standing or transfer credit. Applicable credit for prior learning which is recognized at the point of entry into the program will remain valid for the same time limit (eight years) as is permitted to complete the program.

Continuance Requirements

Students accepted into the Mount Royal Bachelor of Arts program must comply with all Mount Royal policies and regulations regarding academic progress and continuance.

Eligibility To Graduate

To be eligible to graduate from a Mount Royal program, a student must have been officially admitted into the program and must normally complete at least 25% of the graduation requirements as a student within the program, except where written approval has been given by the dean/director of the faculty/centre/school.

Application for Honours after receiving a Bachelor of Arts in the same discipline.

A student who has graduated with a Bachelor of Arts may not apply to enter Honours in the same discipline in which he or she has received the Bachelor of Arts degree.

General Admission Requirements

All students must meet the general admission requirements for Mount Royal University programs, as indicated in the Admission section of this calendar.

Additional Admission Requirements

In addition to meeting the general admission requirements indicated in the Admission section of this calendar, applicants must also satisfy the following criteria for each Major.

Academic Course Requirements

The following specific courses (or their equivalencies) with the specified minimum grades are required for admission into the Bachelor of Arts program:

Majors: Anthropology, English, History and Sociology

• English Language Arts 30-1 - 60%
• Mathematics 30-1 or 30-2 or a 30-level language

Major: Psychology

• English Language Arts 30-1 - 60%
• Mathematics 30-1 or 30-2 - 60%

Major: Policy Studies

• English Language Arts 30-1 - 60%
• Mathematics 30-1 or 30-2 - 60%

Although Conditional Admission may be granted in advance of receipt of final/official transcripts, confirmation of the achievement of specified minimum grades will take place after all final/official transcripts have been received by the University. Applicants who do not meet these minimum grade requirements will be denied admission.

Indigenous Student Admission

Each year, 7% of the seats in the Bachelor of Arts program will be reserved for Indigenous applicants through an Indigenous admission target. To be considered for admission under the Indigenous admission target, the applicant must:

1. self-identify as an Indigenous applicant on the Application for Admission
2. meet the definition of an Indigenous Applicant
3. meet the minimum admission requirements as indicated in the general admission requirements for Mount Royal University as well as any program level admission requirements

Designated seats for this special consideration target will be filled by Indigenous applicants on a competitive basis. Applicants are encouraged to apply during Early Admission period. Any unfilled designated seats will be released on June 15 to students applying under the general admission requirements.

See general admission requirements in the Admission  section of this calendar for further information.

Program Structure for Mount Royal Bachelor of Arts Degrees

1. Total number of three-credit courses (or equivalent) - 40 courses minimum
2. Program Core/General Education/Electives
   1. Program Core (See each Major for specific core course requirements) - 16-20 courses*
   2. General Education - 10-12 courses minimum*
   3. Electives - 6-14 courses*
3. First-year course limit (1000 level) - 16 courses maximum
4. Maximum number of courses outside of the Faculty of Arts, and/or the Faculty of Science and Technology, and/or courses designated as General Education courses - 8 courses
5. Course limit in a single discipline - 24 courses maximum
6. Grade Point Average (GPA) to graduate 2.00 minimum

Program Structure for Mount Royal Bachelor of Arts Degrees (Honours)

1. Total number of three-credit courses (or equivalent) - 40 courses minimum
2. Program Core/General Education/Electives
   1. Program Core (See each Honours program for specific core course requirements) - 20-22 courses*
   2. General Education - 10-12 courses minimum*
   3. Electives - 5-10 courses*
3. First-year course limit (1000 level) - 16 courses maximum
4. Maximum number of courses outside of the Faculty of Arts, and/or the Faculty of Science and Technology, and/or courses designated as General Education courses - 8 courses**
5. Course limit in a single discipline - 24 courses maximum
6. Grade Point Average (GPA) for last 20 courses completed 3.00 minimum

_{* Each major in the Bachelor of Arts has an exact number of program core, general education, and elective courses. See each major for specific program requirements. 
** Thirty-two courses selected from the Faculties of Arts or Science, or courses designated as General Education courses. The thirty-two courses mentioned above may include the following:}

• _{Faculty of Arts: Any university-level course in Anthropology, Art History, Canadian Studies, Chinese, Classics, Creative Writing, Criminal Justice, Economics, English, Film Studies, French, History, Humanities, Indigenous Studies, Interior Design, Italian, Japanese, Latin American Cultures, Linguistics, Mediterranean Cultures, Philosophy, Policy Studies, Political Science, Psychology, Religious Studies, Sociology, Spanish, and Women’s & Gender Studies.} 
• _{Faculty of Science and Technology: Any university-level course in Astronomy, Biochemistry, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science, Ecology, Ecotourism and Outdoor Leadership, Environmental Science, Geography, Geology, Mathematics, Microbiology, Natural Science, Physics.} 
• _{General Education: Any university-level course with the General Education prefix (GNED) or any courses labelled as General Education [G] in the Mount Royal Calendar.} 

Return to: Academic Faculties & Programs