General Information

Open Studies provides a highly flexible opportunity for students to explore their educational options at Mount Royal. It is designed for students who would like to combine different types of study and/or for students who may be undecided about their post-secondary goals. Students may choose to combine post-secondary credit classes with non-credit academic upgrading courses. Open Studies provides full- or part-time learning opportunities for students who:

• wish to participate in post-secondary education but do not wish to enter a specific program of study at this time;
• would like to sample courses in order to determine what program of study to pursue;
• wish to take courses for professional development or personal interest;
• need to pick up a course(s) to meet the admission requirements for their intended program of interest;
• wish to improve high school grades to become competitive for admission;
• may have missed an admission deadline for a specific program; or
• are returning to school and wish to refresh skills after an absence.

NOTE: Students can complete a maximum of 30 credits (normally ten courses) as an Open Studies and/or University Entrance student. Any awarded grade (including F) will count towards the limitation but withdrawals do not. Academic upgrading courses do not carry any credit value and, as such, do not count towards the 30 credit limit. Students who reach this limit and who have not been admitted into a Mount Royal program will not be permitted to register in additional credit courses. There is no appeal process to extend this limit. Students are strongly encouraged to consult with an advisor before they reach the limit.

Admission Requirements

Open Studies applicants are not required to meet the General Admission Requirements for Mount Royal programs. Open Studies does not have specific course-based admission criteria, thereby providing students with an opportunity to upgrade and prepare for further post-secondary studies.

Applicants are required to provide the appropriate official documentation to meet the English Language Proficiency Requirement if their mother tongue (first language spoken as a child) is not English (see English Language Proficiency Requirement). In addition, official transcripts from all high school and post-secondary institutions attended are required for admission.

Curriculum

Open Studies students:

• may take upgrading courses alone or in combination with university-level courses,
• are allowed to earn a maximum of 30 credits (typically 10-three credit courses) in Open Studies and/or the University Entrance Option (Any awarded grade (including F) will count towards the limitation but withdrawals do not.),
• are not eligible to receive a Letter of Permission to take a course or courses from other institutions,
• do not have access to restricted courses (i.e., those reserved for program students).

Students who wish to upgrade their high school courses may enroll in various credit-free high school equivalency courses offered at Mount Royal. While these courses are not eligible for Alberta Education graduation credits or transcript purposes, they are accepted as alternative entrance requirements for undergraduate programs offered by Mount Royal and other Alberta universities.

Open Studies students often will take courses that lead towards program requirements for a Mount Royal University program. Please consult the appropriate section in this calendar for course requirements for Mount Royal programs, and/or Academic Advising Services.

Graduation Requirements

Academic Upgrading and Open Studies are access routes to undergraduate studies. As such, there are no graduation requirements.