New Student FAQs

New students who have not attended post-secondary yet do not need to see an advisor in order to register for courses. All the information you need to know (which courses to register in and how to register into those courses) can be found on the Program Advising Information website.

If you had an IPP in high school, or need accommodations for special needs, please visit the Access and Inclusion Services website. After you have met with an Accessibility Advisor, you may book an appointment with your Program Advisor, if needed.

• providing clear and accurate explanations of MRU policies, procedures and resources
• helping students understand degree and program requirements and why the 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.

Advisors are available to talk to current MRU students. New admits are encouraged to email us at businessadvising@mtroyal.ca if they have any questions.

All new BBA students are accepted to the General Management major, and all majors in the BBA share common first year courses. Once you have completed at least ten courses (including one from your intended area of study), you may declare your intended major, concentration and/or minor by completing the appropriate student form and email it to Student Records at studentrecords@mtroyal.ca or drop it off at the Office of the Registrar. Transfer students may declare their intended major/minor as early as Oct. 1.  

In the meantime, you should use the 'what if' feature on mruGradU8 to see what the major/minor would look like, and see an Advisor if you want to discuss your program options further.

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. View the First-Year Advising Guides for Open Studies or University Entrance Option for a guide on how to choose courses that will help you gain admission to the BBA. If you have further questions, the central Advising office at advising@mtroyal.ca.

The Group Advising Session is designed to lead students through the registration process, highlighting the tools and information provided on the Program Advising Information website.

In the days before your session, you should work through the following checklist to ensure you are prepared to register for classes: 

• log in to your mymru.ca account and explore - the more familiar you are with the site, the easier it will be to register,

• review the first year required courses you should register in and choose the ones you will take this Fall and winter (you have some choice within GNEDs and your business option)

• review the course descriptions,

• take a look at the online registration tutorials, and

• register as best you can. Know that you can change your Fall semester registration up until the add/drop deadline in September, so register for what you think is best, and confirm with an Advisor if need be.

Note that the earlier you register for classes, the more selection in courses and sections you will have.

Bring a writing implement, your log in information and student ID number to the session.

Depending on where and when you took the courses, the transfer credit may already be loaded into your mymru.ca account. If you feel that you've taken some courses that are not listed, or that you deserve different credit than was assessed, you need to take action. You can submit course outlines to be reviewed for more specific equivalency. Check out the information online about Transfer Equivalencies - be sure to watch the deadlines! 

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. 

A list of recommended first year courses for all majors in the BBA is provided on the First-Year Program Advising guide website. Students bringing in transfer credit should consult an advisor after reading the paragraph specifically for them in the BBA New Student Advising Guide.

To be a full-time student, you must be in at least three courses (nine credits) per semester. Students can register for a maximum of five courses (15 credits) per semester.

The program is built on five courses per semester, so if you maintained a regular full-time course load in high school, you should be able to take five courses per semester at MRU. If you are especially worried about the transition and/or have significant outside commitments (sports, work, family, personal), you can consider taking only four and making it up in a future optional spring semester or extend your degree by a year.

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. 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.

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 LOP, 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.

The BBA allows flexibility for a student to customize their program to their interest. Any one of MGMT 2130, ENTR 2301 or SINV 2201 will fulfill the required Business option in the core BBA requirements for any of the majors and/or concentrations.  There is no "best choice option" as none are specifically recommended for a certain major/concentration or minor - we suggest picking the course that you'd be the most interested in by looking at the course description.  To help you choose, detailed information about each course is available in the course descriptions — found in the Academic Calendar.

The Economics lab sections are walk-in tutorial assistance with no formal instruction. When students register for LAB 501 as part of their registration for ECON 1101 or 1103, they will have access to the staffed Economics computer lab in EA 2065 any time between 9:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday for help (when the campus reopens!). Students who take day sections of ECON 1101 and ECON 1103 need not to worry about potential time conflict with the lab as they can do the lab part whenever they want during the posted lab hours. LAB 501 will NOT pose any time conflict to your schedule.

If you are experiencing errors in registering for ECON 1101 or 1103 because the lab is full, but there is room in the lecture, please email Credit Registration at creditregistration@mtroyal.ca from your @mtroyal.ca email address, and include the five-digit CRNs of the courses you'd like to add (both the LEC and LAB), and they will assist you in the process.

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

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! 

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.

Students can complete the form online.

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

Your first year of your BBA should be focused on the course suggestions included in the BBA New Student Advising guide. Your advisors recommend that you avoid taking electives until your second year so you can use them as a part of a minor, Directed Readings, a term abroad or field school.

Courses that are restricted to specific programs (e.g. Nursing, Interior Design, etc.) will not be available to you. It is recommended that in your first year you take 1000–level courses and avoid courses at the 3000–level or higher (unless you have previously completed 10 university–level courses).

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. 

Please note that mruGradU8 is the best tool to use when planning your remaining coursework, as only the most recent Program Planning worksheets are available online, and may not correspond with the curriculum year that you should be following.

If you're not sure which year you should be using please email businessadvising@mtroyal.ca, 

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.

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.

Information on Bissett clubs can be found online - including contact information and websites (if available).

For all other MRU clubs, please check out the SAMRU website.

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 and attend a one hour information session as their first step at least 1 year before they plan to leave. 

The Business 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.