Current Students FAQs

The Business Advisors are available by email and one-on-one appointments to assist current MRU students by:

• providing clear and accurate explanations of MRU policies, procedures and resources
• helping students understand degree and program requirements and why they exist
• engaging students in the academic planning process
• making appropriate referrals to other services on campus
• advocating for students when the student requires further assistance.

Advisors can give you options, things to think about and provide you referrals to various MRU services. Advisors cannot pick your courses, tell you what to major in, or make decisions for you.

Academic Advising Services (AAS) has put together a great FAQ page with information on registering for courses, General Education, prerequisites, important dates and much more. Check out the AAS FAQ online.

Advisors are available to talk to current MRU students (both those in the BBA, and those interested in switching into the program). Students are encouraged to email businessadvising@mtroyal.ca with their questions.

As outlined in the BBA New Student Advising Guide, the courses you should complete in your first year are exactly the same no matter what major/minor/concentration you plan to pursue.

If you have transferred into the BBA from another post-secondary institution and have transfer equivalencies, please read the paragraph especially for students with previous postsecondary in the above Guide, review your mrugradu8, and contact businessadvising@mtroyal.ca for help with course selection.

Since you are not yet in the BBA, your priority should be to choose courses that will help you gain admission to the BBA, rather than on what are the 'right' courses for business. The Central Advising office helps students create an admissions strategy. Please view their New Student webpage for Open Studies students or UEO students for a guide on how to choose courses that will help you gain admission to the BBA.  If you have further questions, please email the Central Advising office.  

Students may transfer in up to 50% of the required coursework for the BBA. Normally, this means that students can transfer in up to 20 courses. mruGradU8 is an excellent tool to see how your transfer credit fits into the BBA - if you have questions about how your transfer credit is being applied to your degree, please see an Advisor. For information on how to transfer courses to MRU, please check out the information on transfer equivalencies online.

It is the student's responsibility to ensure that all pre-requisites are met prior to the first day of classes. If there is red warning text on your registration page next to a course or if you received emails from the Registrar’s Office about a missing prerequisite, and you think you have met the prerequisite, you need to take action. Otherwise, you will be dropped from that course. Please review the course description carefully to see the prerequisites listed, and contact businessdvising@mtroyal.ca if you are sure you meet those those requirements but are receiving emails saying you are missing them.

If you are presently completing the prerequisite course at MRU, as long as you successfully complete the course you will be fine. If you are presently completing the prerequisite elsewhere on Letter of Permission, you will need to arrange to have official transcripts sent to MRU asap. If the equivalency does not appear on mruGradU8 before the first day of classes, but you have completed the course, businessadvising@mtroyal.ca may be able to help you stay in the course.

In some cases, a course may include a notation of "departmental approval", in which case a student may request an override for a pre-requisite directly from the Department Chair. 

If you register/wait list for your needed courses on your Registration Access Date, you should be able to take them when you need them. In unusual circumstances, you may find yourself wanting to add yourself to a course that is full. 

In very special circumstances, an overload into an already full course may be considered. For example, if a student needed to adjust their schedule last minute due to a family emergency. These requests are not based on wants or to fix a student’s poor planning or last minute registration. Considerations include physical classroom size, budget, instructor course loads, student group formation and others... Even online courses are not easily or automatically overloaded.

1. First, ensure you are wait listed for the course. If you are not sure how to waitlist (there are two ways), view the information on the Registrar's Office web page. 

2. Then send a detailed email to businessadvising@mtroyal.ca outlining the course and section number you want access to, why you need that particular course/section, the reason(s) you did not register earlier and how you have tried to problem solve (eg, looked at possible re-arranging of schedule).

3. The Department Chair will review your situation and decide.

Fall/Winter

The program is built on five courses per semester, so if you maintained a regular course load in high school, you should be able to take five courses per semester at MRU. Alternatively, you can consider four courses per semester and make up missing courses in the Spring or Summer semesters. This plan sets a student up to graduate in four years. For every additional year it takes you to graduate, you forfeit full-time professional earnings, plus additional school costs (estimate $50,000).

Other ways to "catch up" or accommodate other commitments:

• block week courses (course offered in a single week in-class, plus online activities),
• online offerings (limited at MRU),
• offerings at other institutions (you need to request and receive a Letter of Permission prior to registering in a course elsewhere)

Spring/Summer
Two courses is considered full-time in either a Spring or Summer semester at MRU. Classes are condensed to about six hours per week, so you progress through the coursework much faster than in a regular semester. Course offerings are limited, so you will likely be able to choose electives and GNED courses, not major-specific courses.

You won’t find these courses in the schedule of classes! You need to approach a professor with your request/idea, and if approved by the Chair, register directly with the Office of the Registrar, prior to the last day to add/drop courses. Work with your advisor to know where it can be used in your program.

Directed Readings are intended to provide a more flexible approach for students who want to pursue and receive credit in areas of study which are of particular interest to them. Two Directed Reading courses can be used for graduation purposes but they must be in different disciplines. A Directed Reading cannot replicate an existing course. The objectives of the Directed Reading course(s) must be filed in the Office of the Registrar and will be made available to any institution requesting them for evaluation purposes. 

Be prepared to work one on one with a professor for the term to produce the agreed-upon learning outcomes in your course outline. There is no specific class time commitment, but you will need to connect regularly with your professor. Depending on your involvement with published research, you may be credited.

Upon completion of the course, you will receive a letter grade. In most cases, this course will be used as an elective in your program, unless it is specified in the program curriculum.

More information on directed readings can be found on the Directed Readings for BBA Students Tip Sheet.

More considerations, and other opportunities for student research are outlined here.

Students are encouraged to check their exam schedules as soon as possible once posted online (approximately six weeks prior to the exam period start date each semester).

The Deferred Exam Policy sets out the rules and regulations by which a program Chair may grant or deny a deferred final exam request.  Midterm and quiz deferrals are granted at the discretion of the course instructor.

Please contact your instructor to receive specifc instructions on how to defer your exam.

Tutorials are available online to help students access and utilize the many online services that are used at MRU, including mymru.ca, Gmail and Blackboard.  Check out the Technology Tutorials website for more information.

mruGradU8 is a degree audit program that will guide you in your course selection as you move through your program. You can access mruGradU8 through myMRU.ca under the Student Resources tab. In addition to the advice you receive from your Advisor, mruGradU8 is a great way to stay on track! 

If you think there is an issue with your mruGradU8, please email your Business Advisors at businessadvising@mtroyal.ca.  If your mruGradU8 needs to be updated, your Advisor will work with the team in Student Records to make sure that everything is reflecting properly.

When you are admitted to a program, you start a curriculum that was approved for that year (calendar). However, the curriculum continues to evolve each year in response to industry, institutional priorities and new concepts in the field. 

Even though the curriculum keeps changing, you do not have to adopt these changes. As long as you complete your degree requirements in the allowable eight years (including any Allowable absences), you continue in the curriculum you started. 

That said, in most cases, the newer curriculum reflects changes encouraged by industry or new learnings in the field. You may wish to move forward to the newer curriculum instead of completing your original requirements. If this is the case, be sure to discuss this with your advisor to be clear on all of the changes between the two curricula. Once decided, you will need to email studentrecords@mtroyal.ca to ask them to move you forward to the year you want to follow. Do this as soon as you have decided, so that your mruGradU8 accurately reflects your program requirements.

All BBA students are admitted to the General Management major. Students wishing to declare a major in Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, International Business, Marketing or Supply Chain Management should do so as soon as the decision has been made, and once a minimum of ten courses (including one in your intended area of study) have been completed. Newly admitted students must wait until October 1.

Students declaring a Finance major will also have to declare their intention to complete a concentration in either Financial Analysis or Financial Services.

The Declaration of Major forms are available at the Bissett main office and the Registrar's Office. Students can also download the form online and email their request to studentrecords@mtroyal.ca.

Students must be in the General Management major in order to declare a concentration.  Concentrations are available in Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation.

The Declaration of Concentration forms are available at the Bissett main office and the Registrar's Office. Students can also download the form online and email your request to studentrecords@mtroyal.ca.

No. The decision to minor in a subject should be based on a number of reasons: to add depth to your studies, to add breadth to your studies, to explore an area of passion and whether or not you think it will benefit your future career. Students may minor in more than one subject, and may pick a minor from any faculty at MRU. Adding minors to some majors may require that students take courses above the minimum required to complete the BBA.
The Declaration of Minor forms are available on Student Forms. Students can also email Student Records at studentrecords@mtroyal.ca with their intentions.

The BBA Program Planning worksheets for all majors are available in the main Bissett office, on the bookshelf on the far wall.  For copies of the Program Planning worksheets for the majors and concentrations, please visit the Program Planning page on the main Academic Advising website. 

While you can use the program planning sheets and ‘what if’ function to explore possible major/minor options, a current mruGradU8 that accurately reflects your program is the best tool to use when planning your remaining coursework.

Not sure which year you should be using? Send an email businessadvising@mtroyal.ca, and the Business Advisors will help you out.

It depends. If it were me, I'd get more information on which to base my decision. Some of the following questions might help you generate a list of pros and cons.

How much better are you going to do? Did you enjoy the course a bunch the first time, or was it torture? Do you think you'll find value in taking it again (learn something or improve your writing)? At what cost (will retaking this course take time away from studying for your other courses)?

Is there a particular GPA you are aiming for? What difference would this increased GPA bring? Is this a required course (in which case you may have to take it again anyway)? Is this course foundational in your program (ie, will you do better in subsequent courses if you master this one)?

Note that if you retake the exact same course at MRU, only the higher grade will be used in the calculation of your GPA. The lower grade still stays on your transcript as a course you took and a grade you earned, but it no longer brings down your GPA.

In addition to the responses to the FAQs below, and the program planning pages, you should take into consideration the following:

• Balance - easy with hard, numbers with papers, groups with individual, favorites with ones you are not looking forward to, core/major with GNEDs,
• Prerequisites - look ahead to see the prerequisites for higher level courses. Use the longest prerequisite chain to build your long term course taking plan:
  • For example, in ACCT I would know I need to take one of the following courses each term to take the shortest number of terms/or have the most flexibility in my later years:  3220-3221-4222-4225-5370

• Courses required for prior to going out on co-op workterms or preferred by employers for summer work

• course availability/preferred term/format

• best study times

• friends for group work

• commitments outside school

• leaving more flexibility (ie electives) for later in your program

• limited offerings in Spring/Summer terms - Spring and Summer course selection is limited, so try to choose courses in fall/winter that are not offered in spring/summer. There will be something offered in spring that will fill your Tier 2, Cluster 3, but it may not be the course you want to take. 

Not all major/minor option courses are offered each Fall and Winter, as well. If you have your eye on particular courses for the option requirement, review past schedules to see when they are typically offered and plan to take them in that term. 

Course selection after year one depends on the discipline you plan to specialize in. The program planning pages here give a suggested 4 year plan, taking into consideration the prerequisite sequencing of major courses.

First, finish up any remaining first year courses you are missing.

Review the Program Planning Sheet for your Major or intended Major. Each guide outlines the recommended courses for each program for each year. The second page on most sheets also outlines the prerequisite sequencing of major courses.  

If you plan to add a minor (or two!) or double major, honours, etc, please contact your advisor.

Third year - Review mruGradU8 and work with your advisor to ensure you understand your program requirements. Once you choose your third year courses, review what you have left for your final terms (think about balance) and make a plan to complete.

Final year - Review your mruGradU8 (NOT a 'what if') to make sure it looks complete based on your registration.

Check out our tip sheet for building a course taking plan.

Yes.  Students must obtain a Letter of Permission (LOP) in order to take courses elsewhere towards their degree.  The Registrar's Office process to request an LOP can be found online. We also suggest you read our BBA student tip sheet on LOPs.

You should order a copy of your transcripts to be sent to MRU as soon as possible. The address is on the LOP website. If you are planning to use the course that you finished as a prerequisite for a course for the upcoming semester, please contact Business Advising to see if we can waive the prerequisite based on an unofficial transcript or screenshot of a final grade. Please note that in order for a prerequisite to be waived, the LOP course must be compete, not in progress.

You will receive a letter grade from the sending institution, that will show up on the sending institution's transcript.  When the course arrives at MRU (if you've requested a Letter of Permission to take the course), it will appear on mruGradU8 as "TR" (denoting Transfer Credit), followed by the letter grade assigned by MRU (see example below).  The letter grade, however, will not be reflected in or impact your MRU cumulative GPA. 

That said, if you apply to other schools in future, you will need to provide transcripts from all institutions you have attended, and that school may use the grades achieved at all other schools in calculating an admissions GPA for that program.

In order for a course to be used to meet the prerequisite of a future-registered MRU course, transcripts need to arrive on campus for processing no later than:

• August 1 for the Fall semester
• December 1 for the Winter semester
• April 1 for the Spring and Summer semesters

We recommend that you arrange to write any final exams at your LOP institution at least two weeks before the deadlines above, in order to give time for your final grade to be reported, and for you to order a transcript to be sent to MRU.

Once the transcripts arrive on campus, they are processed and uploaded into mruGradU8.  At that time, the course can be used to meet the prerequisite(s) for future coursework.  If you are unable to get a transcript to MRU by the deadline, please contact Business Advising at businessadvising@mtroyal.ca to see if it is possible to waive the prerequisite based on unofficial grades.  To waive a prerequisite, the prerequisite course must be completed, and not still in progress.

Co-operative Education (Co-op) is a program that formally integrates students' academic studies with paid work experience. Students alternate academic semesters at Mount Royal University with periods of experience in appropriate work settings, which are approved by the institution as suitable learning situations. Co-operative Education students are engaged in productive work, are paid for the work performed, and are monitored by Mount Royal University. A students' performance on the job is supervised and evaluated by the employers.

Students should apply for Co-op by March 1 of their first year of studies to ensure that there is enough time to complete the Orientation to Co-operative Education course and three work terms.

Career Services provides opportunities for students to clarify, experience and achieve their career and employment goals. Career Services assists students with researching job opportunities, writing resumes, searching for jobs and finding volunteer opportunities.

Counselling Services offers a structure and process that will take students through all stages of career exploration. Counselling Services explores important factors like aptitudes, motivations and personal circumstances in relation to career paths.

Graduate school is a logical step for people whose ambitions require graduate or professional degrees (doctor, lawyer, professor). It is also a great opportunity for those who enjoy their field of study and want to continue pursuing their love of knowledge in a specific discipline and/or conduct in-depth, comprehensive research in a special field of study.

Ideally, start the process 12 to 18 months prior to the semester you wish to enroll. Career Services has two excellent Tip Sheets for those interested in graduate school:

• Considering Graduate & Professional Studies
• Graduate & Professional Studies - Application Documents

Students wishing to pursue an industry designation after graduation (CPA, CFA, CFP, FITT, etc.) are encouraged to speak directly to the designation in question.

MRU recognizes Community Service Learning as a high impact teaching practice that offers students the opportunity to make a positive impact in local and global communities through a hands-on course based experience. Professors at MRU have employed CSL as a teaching pedagogy for more than twenty years through community based projects where students apply academic theories and processes. Community organizations work with professors to develop deep learning experiences that address real-world challenges and opportunities.

CSL is different from traditional volunteer work in that its focus is not only on providing a service but also on learning. The focus of CSL is different from co-ops, internships or practica, with an emphasis on providing concrete service to community agencies while developing student skills, self-awareness, professional capabilities, and sense of commitment to society.

Students with questions about CSL are encouraged to reach out to the CSL Co-ordinator for more information.

The Bissett School of Business is home to a number of student clubs.  The student clubs list and contact information can be found online.

MRU exchange agreements allow students to study abroad for one semester at over 79 institutions in 24 different countries on an international exchange. BBA students are encouraged to participate on an exchange in their third year of study... that way much of the prerequisite coursework has been completed, and there is ample time remaining to complete any remaining degree requirements back at MRU.

Students should check the International Education website for more information.I want to pursue a designation after graduate, and involve their Advisors in the application process.

Students that are interested in transferring out of the BBA into another MRU program are encouraged to speak with an Academic Advisor in the main Academic Advising Services office.  These advisors are the experts in admission strategy for current students, and are the best people to speak to.  Student can check out the Academic Advising Services website for information, or email advising@mtroyal.ca for assistance.

MRU advisors are experts on MRU programs and advise you on what courses to take if you want to graduate from MRU. If you intend to complete a program elsewhere, you need to contact that institution to understand their program, admissions and transfer credit policies. You may find some information on the Transfer Alberta web page helpful.

Before you decide to leave MRU, you should explore why you want to leave MRU and be sure you understand the program you are heading to. In some cases, students may think the program they are interested in is not available at MRU, but it may just be called a different name here. Even similar programs (business degrees) are structured differently at each institution, so you might want to research and compare curriculum (required courses, areas of specialty, courses offerings) and school amenities first. If you are interested in exploring MRU programs before you decide to look elsewhere, email us! Counselling is also available at the MRU to help with decision making.

Student Learning Services have a number of supports for students, including academic success webinars, online appointments to meet with a Writing & Learning Strategist, the Peer Learning Support program, and a number of mentorship programs.  Students are encouraged to reach out early for assistance.

Students are encouraged to check in with a Business Academic Advisor as they register for their last year of courses to confirm that they are on the right track to graduation.  Once registration has been finalized, students can apply to graduate through their mymru.ca account.

For more information on graduation and convocation, please check out our Graduation & Convocation website, or visit the Graduation & Convocation information provided by the Office of the Registrar.