Oct 12, 2024  
2020-2021 Academic Calendar Mount Royal University 
    
2020-2021 Academic Calendar Mount Royal University [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

First-Year Advising Guide - Bachelor of Communication


Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Program listing by credential

Welcome to the School of Communication Studies at Mount Royal University!

Congratulations on your admission to the Communication Degree! As a student in the Bachelor of Communication degree, you will be able to open doors to a wide range of learning and career opportunities in your chosen Major of Broadcast Media Studies, Information Design, Journalism, or Public Relations.

If you are eager to register in your courses, below are the recommended first-year courses for each major. However, the rest of the information on this page is equally important, so please continue to read the full guide. 

Degree overview


Major - 24 courses Each baccalaureate degree has a major (core program requirements). The number of courses required for each major varies.
General Education - 10 courses You choose your Gen Ed courses from four clusters:
  • numeracy and scientific literacy,
  • values, beliefs and identity,
  • community and society, and
  • communication
Electives - 6 courses

You are also required to take a certain number of electives for your degree. An elective is any course that does not fulfill a requirement for either your Major or General Education. There are hundreds of courses to choose from depending on your program.

First-year courses


All core courses must be taken in the sequence shown. For information on how to choose your General Education courses, please see your advisor.

General Education courses


What are General Education courses?

A great education doesn’t just make you an expert in one area - it gives you a well-rounded knowledge base in a variety of areas. That is why all of Mount Royal’s baccalaureate degree and diploma programs will include General Education, a collection of courses in a range of subjects that will complement studies in your chosen field.

Foundation

As you start your studies, you take a total of four GNED foundation courses. Choose one from each cluster.

Cluster 1: Numeracy and Scientific Literacy

Cluster 2: Values, Beliefs and Identity

Cluster 3: Community and Society

Cluster 4: Communication

Tier 2

As you progress through your degree you will choose from a wider variety of courses. In Tier 2 you will take a total of three courses:

  • one Tier 2 course from cluster 1, and
  • two Tier 2 courses from two different clusters (2, 3, or 4)

Tier 3

You must take three Tier 3 courses. These three courses must be from at least two different clusters.

You could take:

  • three Tier 3 courses, each from a different cluster (Total 3); or
  • two Tier 3 courses from one cluster, plus one more from a different cluster (Total 3).

Registering for courses


It is your responsibility to register in your courses and ensure that the courses you select meet the program and graduation requirements as outlined in the information above.

Use the online Academic Calendar to explore possible courses of interest and to check that you meet prerequisites. You will register for courses using the registration system found in mymru.ca, Register & Pay tab.

Visit our Tutorials page for useful videos to guide you on using mymru, our degree audit system (mruGradU8), course descriptions and how to register for your courses.

Tracking your degree progress


mruGradU8 is a program audit system and advising tool designed to assist you in reviewing your academic history, identifying requirements you completed and those that are still needed for graduation. As you move through your degree, mruGradU8 will become a great planning tool for you to measure your progress.

You will log in to mruGradU8 through your mymru.ca account, under the ‘My Program’ tab. When you click on the icon or follow the link, your audit will open.

In order to ensure that your curriculum is current, please click the ‘Process New’ tab at the top of the audit every time that you login to mruGradU8.

The information in your audit is separated into three sections:

  • Core and/or Major Requirements
  • General Education (GNED) Requirements
  • Electives
  • If you declare a minor, which is optional, this will be added to the bottom of your audit.

Each semester, information about your course registration will be added to your audit so you can see which courses you register in and which ones you complete. This will be a great tool for you and your advisor to use to ensure that the courses you are taking will meet graduation requirements for your program.

Please visit this page for more information about mruGradU8, including frequently asked questions.

Your advisor


 New Student Registration

Your advisor has carefully prepared your advising information and is eager to begin working with you on your Mount Royal experience.  After reading through this information carefully, you should be able to register for both your Fall and Winter semesters. Should you have questions, you may contact Alyssa Ficaccio by email: commadvising@mtroyal.ca or make an appointment here.

You can also read through your Welcome Guide which contains great information about transitioning to MRU and the support services that are available.

Return to {$returnto_text} Return to: Program listing by credential