General Office: 185 Extended Education Complex
Telephone: 204 474 8800

General Studies

General Studies provides opportunities for students to take credit courses at the University of Manitoba without being enrolled in a degree program. General Studies students include professionals developing their careers, students satisfying entrance requirements to professional and other faculties, seniors enriching their lives, students visiting from other institutions, and individuals exploring a career change. Courses are available in the Fall, Winter and Summer terms and are offered on campus, online and /or some form of remote learning.

General Studies Student Advisors are available to assist with course and program planning and to provide admission and registration information throughout the year.

Admission

Prospective students are required to submit an online application to Extended Education in one of the following categories: General Studies Special Student (Regular-Transfer), Auditing Student (Canadian Citizen/Permanent Resident only), Senior (Canadian Citizen or Permanent Resident), Mature Student (Canadian Military only), or Visiting Student. Detailed information on eligibility requirements may be found on the Admissions website or by contacting the General Studies office.

Registration

All General Studies students register for courses using Aurora; for more information on how to register, go to: Registrar's Office website. Registration for Fall & Winter term courses normally begins late July or in August. Registration for Summer Term normally begins around late March or early April.

Please refer to the Registrar's Office website for helpful links regarding registration procedures, fee information, and examinations. Note that applicable prerequisites as outlined in Aurora (Course Catalog) must be fulfilled prior to registering in a course.

You may register for up to a maximum of 30 credit hours in the combined Fall and Winter terms, and up to a maximum of 15 credit hours in any one term, including Summer.

Special Students (Regular (Transfer Student))

To be eligible for admission, students must have completed a minimum of 24 credit hours of post-secondary college or university level studies and be in good standing.

Special students are those taking course(s) for professional development or personal learning, students with a degree taking courses to satisfy entry requirements to a specific faculty, and those wanting to increase their GPA for admission to a faculty, college, or school.

Special Students pay the application fee and provide all official transcripts from external institutions attended. If born outside Canada and now a permanent resident or Canadian citizen, you are required to provide proof of status in Canada. If English is not your first language, you are required to provide English Language Proficiency results.

Transfer credit - A General Studies Student Advisor will enter overrides for external courses that have been evaluated by the University of Manitoba and satisfy prerequisite requirements, provided - the prerequisite grade requirement has been satisfied. To access the Transfer Credit Resource Equivalencies database, visit aurora.umanitoba.ca. Note that external credits are not officially evaluated for transfer credit until an application to a degree granting faculty/school is received by the Admissions Office. For more information regarding evaluation of external courses, contact a General Studies Student Advisor.

Returning Special Students

If you need help with course selection or have any concerns about your status, contact a General Studies Student Advisor.

Visiting Students

Visiting students who have been admitted and registered previously in at least one course are eligible to register in a subsequent session without reapplying for admission, provided your home university has not changed since you last registered in General Studies, you have a Letter of Permission from your home institution approving the selected course(s), and the Letter of Permission has been submitted to a General Studies advisor prior to registering.

The Letter of Permission from your home institution overrides all prerequisites as stated in the course descriptions in the Undergraduate Calendar, except where a course requires Department Head or Instructor approval. Instructor/departmental approvals should be submitted to a General Studies Student Advisor prior to registration. We recommend that you start the process with your home institution early and have a selection of alternate courses approved in case the initial course(s) is/are full.

Auditing Students

This option is available to Canadian Citizens / Permanent Residents only. Auditing students are required to apply to the Division of Extended Education as an Auditor: go to the University of Manitoba Admissions website.

Auditing students should obtain written permission from the course instructor to audit a course. The written permission and your written consent must be submitted to a General Studies Student Advisor who will manually register you for the course(s). Please contact General Studies for more information.

Senior Students

Adults who are 65 years by Sept. 1 (Fall term), Jan. 1 (Winter term), or May 1 (Summer term) and who are Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents will not pay application or tuition fees. Proof of age and citizenship/residence status, and English language proficiency may be required. Seniors can apply to General Studies as a Special Student to take course(s) for credit or as an Auditing Student to take courses for personal interest.

Courses Available to General Studies Students

All courses in the following faculties and schools are available to General Studies students. Prerequisites may be required for some courses as specified in the course descriptions.

• Clayton H. Riddell Faculty of Environment, Earth, and Resources
• Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences
• Faculty of Arts
• Faculty of Science
• I.H. Asper School of Business
• School of Art, first-year courses and Fine Art, Art History courses (visiting students may not register in any course offered by the School of Art)

All courses offered in the following faculties at the 2000 to 5000 level require teaching faculty written approval before registering, with the exception of courses open to all students as listed under University 1:

• Faculty of Architecture
• Faculty of Education (5000 level courses only)
• Price Faculty of Engineering
• Faculty of Health Sciences
• Faculty of Kinesiology and Recreation Management
• College of Nursing
• Faculty of Social Work
• Marcel A. Desautels Faculty of Music

Academic Regulations and Policies Applicable to all General Studies Students

Academic Assessment and Progression Rules

Academic Assessment gauges student success at the University. Formal academic assessment shall be done following each academic term for all General Studies students who have completed 30 credit hours or more of attempts. In order to be in "good standing" in General Studies, a student must achieve a degree Grade Point Average (GPA) of 2.00 or greater at each assessment period. Students in "good standing" may continue in General Studies or, preferably, transfer to a target faculty.

Students who do not achieve a degree GPA of 2.00 will be placed "on probation", which will appear on the student's transcript. Once "on probation", a student will be allowed to register for another term (or terms). At each point of assessment, a student "on probation" must achieve a term GPA of 2.00 in order to proceed. In order to clear probation, a student must achieve a degree GPA of 2.00. While "on probation", students are encouraged to consult a General Studies Student Advisor prior to registration and on a regular basis thereafter.

If a student does not succeed in achieving a term GPA of 2.00 by the end of the probation period, they will be placed on "academic suspension" for one calendar year. A student on "academic suspension" is normally not allowed to register in another faculty or school at the University of Manitoba or to attend any other post-secondary institution during the time of suspension. Following the suspension period, a student may reapply for admission to General Studies.

Credit Hour Policy

In an effort to assist students with academic decisions, all students who have completed 30 credit hours of study with General Studies will be required to meet with a General Studies Student Advisor before being allowed further registration. Until such time as the student meets with an advisor, a block will be placed on their record that prevents further registration.