Department of General Education

Department, General Education: 403.440.8485

Chair, General Education
K. Dharamsi: 403.440.8658

General Education

General Education at Mount Royal is a consciously structured pursuit of the aims of what has traditionally been known as ‘liberal education’. It ensures students achieve both breadth and depth in the skills and knowledge that are relevant to the world in which they will live. Thus, General Education provides students with the opportunity to build their ability to think critically, develop their communication and mathematical skills, stimulate their capacities for creative, innovative thinking, and enrich their knowledge of the wider social, cultural, and natural worlds in which they will live and work.

General Education at Mount Royal recognizes that undergraduate education should also strive to enrich the individual’s life and benefit society apart from the requirements of employment. It should, in particular, foster knowledge and a strong reflective capacity with respect to the social, cultural, and scientific matters of importance to both the individual and the communities in which they live.

General Education courses are organized into four thematic clusters:

Cluster 1 - Numeracy & Scientific Literacy
Cluster 2 - Values, Beliefs & Identity
Cluster 3 - Community & Society
Cluster 4 - Communication

Each thematic cluster has three different tiers: foundation tier, tier two, and tier three. In total, students registered in baccalaureate programs at Mount Royal are normally required to take 12 General Education courses as part of their degree. Normally, the sequence within a baccalaureate degree is as follows:

Transfer Credit

Transfer credit is available for students with prior university-transferable post-secondary coursework.

General Education Courses

There is a wide variety of courses that will satisfy the requirements for General Education. Full descriptions of these courses are listed in the course description section of the calendar or on-line at mtroyal.ca/gened/courses

Degree -Up To 12 Gen Ed Courses Required	Cluster 1: Numeracy and Scientific Literacy	Cluster 2: Values, Beliefs and Identity	Cluster 3: Community and Society	Cluster 4: Communication
Foundation: As you start your studies, you take a total of four Gen Ed foundation courses.	You will take: one Foundation course from this cluster within your first 10 courses.	You will take: one Foundation course from this cluster within your first 20 courses.	You will take: one Foundation course from this cluster within your first 20 courses.	You will take: one Foundation course from this cluster within your first 10 courses.
Tier 2: As you progress through your degree, choose four Gen Ed courses from a wider variety of courses.	You will take: one Tier 2 course from each cluster (Total: 4).
Tier 3: Build your base of knowledge in this tier with four courses from at least two clusters.	You could take: three Tier 3 courses from one cluster and one Tier 3 course from a second cluster (Total: 4); or one Tier 3 course from each cluster (Total: 4); or two Tier 3 courses from two clusters (Total: 4).