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2024-2025 Academic Calendar Mount Royal University
First-Year Advising Guide - Bachelor of Communication
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Welcome to the School of Communication Studies at Mount Royal University!
Congratulations on your admission to Bachelor of Communication. As a student in 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 and Digital Media, or Public Relations.
The information in this guide is a useful resource as you learn about your Mount Royal program. During your time in Bachelor of Communication, you will be able to work with your Academic Advisor to discuss your plan for progression in your program. Please see the Academic advising section of this guide for information on how to contact your Academic Advisor.
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Degree overview
Your Bachelor of Communication degree is comprised of three different degree components for a total of 40 courses or 120 credits:
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Major - 24 courses
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Each baccalaureate degree has a major (core program requirements). Bachelor of Communication students can choose from the following majors:
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General Education (Gen Ed) - 10 courses
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You choose your Gen Ed courses from four clusters:
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Electives - 6 courses
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You are also required to take a certain number of electives for your degree. An elective is any course that does not fulfill a major or General Education requirement. There are hundreds of courses to choose from depending on your program.
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Choosing your courses
The patterns below outline a traditional 10-course academic year. Ultimately, it is up to you to decide how many courses you want to take each semester. Full-time student status requires you to be registered in a minimum of three courses or 9 credits per fall and winter semester.
General Education is a breadth and depth component of your new degree. Review the General Education courses section of this guide to understand how to select eligible Gen Ed courses for your degree. Taking General Education courses is a large part of your first year.
Electives are any 3-credit course of interest that you satisfy the prerequisite(s) for and that do not have a program restriction. You can search for electives in two possible ways:
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Use the list of General Education courses in the Academic Calendar. The courses in the cluster lists are all interesting courses that give you a well-rounded knowledge base in a variety of areas. When you read course descriptions, you may see an attribute in the description that says “GNED Cluster X Tier X.” This means this course could be applied to General Education if you still need a course from that cluster and tier. If you have already completed any requirements for courses from that cluster and tier, then the course would be used as an elective.
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Use the master list of courses. Any course can be an elective. When you read course descriptions, you may see an attribute in the description that says “GNED Cluster X Tier X.” This means this course could be applied to General Education if you still need a course from that cluster and tier. If you have already completed any requirements for courses from that cluster and tier, then the course would be used as an elective. You may also see that a course does not have the “GNED Cluster X Tier X” attribute in the description. If this is the case, that course can only apply as an elective in your program.
In addition, courses for your major that are in excess of the number required to fill the major can also be electives in your program. A maximum of 24 courses from one discipline are allowed to apply to degree requirements.
Bachelor of Communication - Broadcast Media Studies
The courses below must be taken in order as outlined. Use the course descriptions in the Academic Calendar to assist you with your course selection. Review the General Education courses section of this guide to understand how to select eligible Gen Ed courses for your degree.
First-year course selection:
Fall semester
Winter semester
See the 4-year planning guide here.
Bachelor of Communication - Information Design
The courses below must be taken in order as outlined. Use the course descriptions in the Academic Calendar to assist you with your course selection. Review the General Education courses section of this guide to understand how to select eligible Gen Ed courses for your degree.
First-year course selection:
Fall semester
Winter semester
See the 4-year planning guide here.
Bachelor of Communication - Journalism and Digital Media
The courses below must be taken in order as outlined. Use the course descriptions in the Academic Calendar to assist you with your course selection. Review the General Education courses section of this guide to understand how to select eligible Gen Ed courses for your degree.
First-year course selection:
Fall semester
Winter semester
See the 4-year planning guide here.
Bachelor of Communication - Public Relations
The courses below must be taken in order as outlined. Use the course descriptions in the Academic Calendar to assist you with your course selection. Review the General Education courses section of this guide to understand how to select eligible Gen Ed courses for your degree.
First-year course selection:
Fall semester
Winter semester
See the 4-year planning guide here.
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. This is why all of Mount Royal’s baccalaureate degree and diploma programs include General Education, a collection of courses in various subjects that will complement studies in your chosen field.
Use the list of approved General Education courses in the General Education section of the Academic Calendar to assist with course selection for the tiers and clusters outlined below. Be sure to follow the suggested pattern for your General Education requirements as outlined in your desired program.
It is your responsibility to register for your courses and ensure that the courses you select meet your desired program and graduation requirements.
Foundation
Throughout your degree, you’ll take a total of four General Education foundation courses. Most students complete these four courses within their first 45 credits. Choose one from each cluster.
Cluster 1: Numeracy and Scientific Literacy
Take one of GNED 1101 - Scientific and Mathematical Literacy for the Modern World , GNED 1102 - Controversies in Science , or GNED 1103 - Innovation
Cluster 2: Values, Beliefs and Identity
Take one of GNED 1201 - Aesthetic Experience and Ideas , GNED 1202 - Texts and Ideas , or GNED 1203 - Nature and Ideas
Cluster 3: Community and Society
Take one of GNED 1301 - Citizenship Without Borders , GNED 1303 - Conflict and the Social Context , or GNED 1304 - Communities and Societies
Cluster 4: Communication
Take one of GNED 1401 - Writing for Academic Success , GNED 1403 - Writing in a Digital Context: Language, Media, Culture , or GNED 1404 - Writing about Images
Tier 2
As you progress through your degree, choose three General Education courses from a wider variety of courses.
You must take:
Tier 3
You must take three tier 3 courses. These three courses must be from at least two different clusters.
You can take:
Registering for courses
It is your responsibility to register for your courses and ensure that the courses you select meet your desired program and graduation requirements.
Use the 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 the MyMRU Register & Pay tab.
Visit our Tutorials page for useful videos to guide you on using MyMRU, using our degree audit system (mruGradU8), and how to register for your courses.
We also have an online tool to help you plan your courses for the year: My Schedule Builder. View schedule options and create a timetable that works best for you. Access My Schedule Builder through your MyMRU account under the Register & Pay in the My Schedule Builder section.
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 have completed, and determining 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 account under the My Program tab. When you click on the icon or follow the link, your audit will open.
To ensure that your curriculum is current, please click the Process New tab at the top of the audit every time you log into mruGradU8.
The information in your audit is separated into three sections:
If you declare a minor, which is optional, it 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 have registered for and which ones you have completed. This will be a great tool for you and your Advisor to use to ensure that the courses you are taking will meet the graduation requirements for your program.
Please visit our website for more information about mruGradU8, including frequently asked questions.
Transfer equivalencies
If you are a student with previously completed transferable post-secondary courses, you may have different needs when it comes to registration. Please carefully review your transfer equivalencies and how they are currently being used in your program.
You can view your transfer equivalencies in MyMRU as well as through mruGradU8.
- Ensuring that your previous coursework is applied to your core and major curriculum is in your best interest. The maximum number of courses and credits that can be applied from institutions outside of MRU is 20 courses or 60 credits, but some programs may allow for less.
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Keep in mind that if you have recently completed winter semester courses at another post-secondary institution, transfer equivalencies will not be established until your official transcripts with final winter grades have been received by Mount Royal (after June 30, 2025). More information about transfer equivalencies can be found online on our website.
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If you receive unspecified equivalencies (UNSP 1XXX, FNCE 1XXX, etc.), these courses can only be used as electives and cannot be used as prerequisites. If you believe a course that has transferred to an unspecified equivalency should be equivalent to a core or major course or should be used as a prerequisite, you will need to submit a course outline to have the course reviewed for direct equivalency. You can learn more about submitting course outlines for direct equivalency review on our website.
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Students with international post-secondary history are only assessed for eight equivalencies as part of the admission process. If you think you have more courses that could be used in your degree, please contact the Transfer Credit department at transfercredit@mtroyal.ca to ask them to evaluate additional courses.
If you have questions about your transfer equivalencies or the articulation process, please contact Transfer Credit at transfercredit@mtroyal.ca.
If you are transferring credit courses to Mount Royal from another post-secondary institution, or are transferring to Bachelor of Communication from another program at Mount Royal, please contact the Communication Academic Advisor, Sam Ulmer-Krol, by email at commadvising@mtroyal.ca. Please ensure you include your name and MRU ID number.
Academic advising
New Student Registration
Your Advisors have carefully prepared your advising information and are eager to begin working with you on your Mount Royal experience. After reading through this information carefully, you should have the information required to register for both your fall and winter semesters. Should you have questions, you may contact the Communication Academic Advisor, Sam Ulmer-Krol, by email at commadvising@mtroyal.ca. Please ensure you include your name and MRU ID number.
You can also read through your Welcome Guide which contains great information about transitioning to MRU and the available support services.
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