Majors/CoreYour major is the academic discipline that is the focus of your degree. A major is a prescribed set of courses ranging from 16 to 31 courses. The designation for your Major will appear on your transcript and degree parchment.
Tip: As a new student, you may have applied directly for a major such as Nursing, Public Relations, chemistry or English, or you may be going into general studies and will need to declare your major in future years of study. Find out more about major declarations by consulting with your advisor or view the Student Forms page.
General Education (GNED)Mount Royal uses a similar General Education system to Harvard's which is designed to provide graduates with a breadth of knowledge outside of their discipline. For the most part, you will take between eight to twelve General Education (GNED) courses that will expose you to ideas and concepts that help you develop your interests, skills and understanding of the world around us. You have an opportunity to enhance your educational experience through careful planning and exploration of courses that can meet your General Education requirements. The General Education program has four areas or "clusters" to choose from:
- Numeric and Scientific Literacy
- Values, Beliefs and Identity
- Community and Society
- Communication
In the first year of your program, you should take four foundation courses (one from each cluster).
Tip: Start to take a look at senior level courses you might be interested in, in order to determine what prerequisites you will need. You can also explore field schools, as they can make up some of your course requirements and provide you with an opportunity to travel at the same time! Electives Electives are courses that you select based on your personal interests and are required to complete your degree. They can range from greek history to script writing to eastern religion studies.
Tip: There is no such thing as an "easy" elective. The courses are meant to be an opportunity for you to step out of your comfort zone or learn a new skill that your program may not necessarily offer.
Number of coursesDegree - 4 years
Major: 16 to 31 courses
Gen Ed: 4 to 12 courses
Electives: 0 - 12 courses
Diploma - 2 years
Core: 14 to 16 courses
Gen Ed: 5 courses
Workplace opportunties
At Mount Royal, we want to prepare you to hit the ground running in your career, and there's no better way than giving you the chance to experience the real world while you complete your studies.
Many of our programs include required or optional work placements. Put new knowledge to work in your field of study and potentially gain credit towards your program.
Minors
Minors are secondary areas of focus that can be completed alongside your major. They are optional and can complement your major depending on your interests. Most minors can be taken with any major. A minor is made up of usually 6 -10 courses and will appear on your transcript but not on your degree parchment. You may pursue up to two Minors within a degree program. Students must declare their intention to minor at the Office of the Registrar or online.
Honours
Certain degrees offer an honours stream to prepare you for academic challenges associated with graduate and professional schools.
Concentrations
For some degrees, concentrations are a way of adding specialization without changing a major. Only students in General Management and General Science, can choose concentrations to add focused areas of study to their program. Concentrations will appear on your transcript, but not on your degree parchment.
Lectures
Lectures are classes taught by faculty members that help you to comprehend your course material. Lectures are generally offered one to three times a week and can be accompanied by labs or tutorials. With an average lecture size of 30 students, these classes facilitate hands-on learning that allow you to develop relationships between yourself and the professor on a first name basis.
Labs
Labs are learning components that are directly linked to lectures and are designed to compliment them.They are often graded components that are a part of your course curriculum.
Tutorials
Like labs, tutorials are complementary components that may or may not be graded. They allow you to apply the material you learn in a practical manner.
Tip: Labs and tutorials are incredibly helpful for practicing key concepts and retaining important information from your lectures.
Course outline (syllabus)
Course outlines are documents for any credit course that detail important course information for the semester, including important dates, mark allocation, technology used in the classroom and academic misconduct information. This is a very important document that you should review carefully.
Midterm examsThis is the first test of what you have learned so far in the semester taking place in mid-October. Tip: Start preparing for your midterms in early October and book a session with Student Learning Services to review your papers.
Final exams
Final exams take place in December and may be cumulative or non-cumulative. These exam times are booked through the Registrar's Office and absences such as holiday planning are not accepted. Your personalized exam schedule will be posted on MyMRU approximately six weeks but no later than five weeks before the last day of classes in the Fall and Winter semesters.You must be available during the entire final exam period, including Saturdays. Stay up-to-date with Mount Royal's Critical Dates calendar.
Assignments
Your assignments will consist of various components that contribute to your final grade and can include papers, online assignments or other projects. They vary significantly by course and have set deadlines.
Presentations and team projects
Public speaking and teamwork are important skills to develop regardless of your discipline. Some courses will require you to complete collaborative research papers with your classmates and then present your findings to the class.
Grade Point Average (GPA)
Your grades are determined by a 4.00 GPA scale. Your GPA can be calculated at the end of your semester or at the end of your cumulative academic career. You require a cumulative GPA of 2.0 to be in Good Standing. You can find your GPA on your transcript and online in MyMRU > My Program > Academic Profile > Transcript.
Early Support
If at any point the semester you feel like you are falling behind, refer yourself to Early Support. Early Support helps ensure that small issues don't turn into big problems and can direct you to the many resources available to you. You can also be referred by a staff or faculty member.
Library Services
The Library offers a variety of computer workstations, services and spaces to support your academic goals. Subject librarians are experts in their field and can provide research support for assignments. The Service Desk is your go-to location for questions about reserving textbooks, borrowing technology and equipment, locating the materials you need, and citing sources.
The Library is home to a number of engaging spaces so you can get creative coursework and gain new skills. Explore the Maker Studio; dive into VR/AR/XR experiences in the Experience Lab; or learn to record video in our intuitive Audio Rooms. In addition to over 2 million journals, books, newspapers and films, there are many cozy study spaces including group study rooms and 24-hour access to the library’s first floor. Group and Presentation Practice Rooms can be booked through the library website to encourage collaboration with peers.
Access and Inclusion Services
Student Learning Services (SLS)
Student Learning Services provides tools to help you have a successful academic experience and develop your skills through workshops, a peer learning program and many other resources. The peer tutor program fills up fast starting September so continue to check the website for updates. To get a head start, you can request to be sent a reminder and explore any academic bootcamp programs which are usually offered in the Fall.
Academic Advising
All students have access to an Academic Advisor who can help you navigate the courses and decision making during your time at Mount Royal. Find out who your advisor is and determine if you need a meeting or if you can just connect via email. Are you in the right courses to be competitive? Are you interested in a minor? Do you realize that you may need to drop a course and wonder what type of impact that will have? Your advisor wants you to succeed, so connect with them early to develop one of the many important relationships you will need at Mount Royal.
MyMRU is Mount Royal's online registration system and one-stop information site for students. On MyMRU, you will be able to access your email, D2L and Google Drive, as well as check your course schedule, find your custom textbook list, rent a locker and keep up-to-date with Mount Royal's Academic Schedule.
An important link under the My Program tab is mruGradU8, which is a tool to track your program progress, see which course requirements you have completed and identify those that are still needed for graduation.Academic Success tabThis is where you can find resources to help you succeed throughout the semester. Book an appointment with a Writing and Learning Strategist, search for a book at the Library or discover the many of support services on campus.
Campus ConnectionsA hand picked list of social, community engagement and personal development opportunities all gathered in one place. The mobile responsive Campus Connections is updated with all the best opportunities at just the right time. Explore this tab to learn about what is happening around Mount Royal and how to get connected.
D2L
D2L is the place where students find announcements, submit assignments, review grades and participate in discussions with the instructor and classmates. D2L also is where instructors post lecture notes, upload assignments and record grades. The icon to access D2L is located on the top right-hand corner on MyMRU.