The Electives Office Virtual Service Desk is now open! Speak with one of our team members during virtual office hours:
Tuesday to Friday: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
(subject to change without notice)
Alternatively, contact us via email:
- For General and Liberal studies electives: laselectives@georgebrown.ca
- For GAS programs: gas@georgebrown.ca
The English and Communications Office Virtual Service Desk is now OPEN! Speak with one of our team members during virtual office hours:
Monday to Friday: 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. (subject to change without notice)
Alternatively, contact us at: comm@georgebrown.ca
General Education and Liberal Studies Electives
A. Key Information (please read)
What are Elective Courses?
General Education and Liberal Studies courses:
- Are a vital component of post-secondary certificate, diploma and degree programs.
- Broaden your knowledge and experience through the study of arts and humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and indigenous studies.
- Enhance your critical thinking and analytic reasoning skills.
- Develop communication, teamwork and problem-solving skills that are essential in your personal and social lives and highly valued in all career fields.
General Education and Liberal Studies courses are grouped into Four broad categories:
Categories | Course codes for Diploma & Certificate programs | Course codes for Degree programs |
|---|---|---|
Arts and Humanities | GHUM / *ISHU | LHUM / *ILHU |
Science and Technology | GSCI / ISSC | LSCI / ILSC |
Social Science | GSSC / ISSS | LSSC / ILSS |
*IS = Indigenous Studies. For example, ISHU1035 is an indigenous studies humanities course.
General Education and Liberal Studies courses are NOT your program-related electives. Your program-specific electives/options will have different course codes.
How many electives do I need to take? What are the requirements?
Please log into Degree Works to see how many general education or liberal studies courses you need to take, and in which semesters.
Students who began their GBC programs before 202401 are required to take general education or liberal studies courses from at least two of the three categories in order to satisfy the breadth requirement which is part of the GBC policy.
Students beginning their GBC program in 202401 (Fall 2024) or later are not required to take their general education or liberal studies courses from multiple categories.
B. What Courses are Offered?
Full-Time Day Courses
Elective Delivery Modes for Fall 2024
Delivery Mode | Description |
|---|---|
Online (Asynchronous) | Asynchronous online learning means students can access their instructional materials at any time of day/night they choose and there are no scheduled “live” components. |
Online (Synchronous) | Synchronous online learning means that students are required to log in and participate in class at a regularly scheduled time. |
In-Person | In-person learning means instructional interaction that occurs “in person” and at a scheduled time at one of our three campuses (Casa Loma, St. James, Waterfront). |
In-Person (Offsite) | In-person learning means instructional interaction that occurs “in-person” and at a scheduled time at an offsite location. |
In-Person & Online (Synchronous) | In-person and online learning means a combination of in-person instructional interaction and synchronous online learning. |
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
All available general education and liberal studies courses, and their descriptions, will be accessible on students’ registration pages on StuView.
General Education Course Descriptions (PDF)
Lower Level Liberal Studies Course Descriptions (PDF)
Upper Level Liberal Studies Course Descriptions (PDF)
Fall Electives Schedules
General Education Electives for Diploma and Certificate programs (PDF)
Lower Level Liberal Studies Electives for Degree programs (PDF)
Upper Level Liberal Studies Electives for Degree programs (PDF)
Equivalent Evening/Online Continuing Education Courses
The Continuing Education courses listed on the linked pages below are accepted as credit towards the General Education or Liberal Studies Elective requirements of most diploma and certificate programs.
Other courses on the Continuing Education website do NOT qualify for a General Education elective credit.
General Education Electives Offered Through Continuing Education Fall 2024 (website)
Liberal Studies Electives Offered Through Continuing Education Fall 2024 (website)
Students may register for approved Continuing Education courses directly on Continuing Education's website or by sending an inquiry to the Continuing Education Registration department.
C. How to Register for an Elective
How to Register for an Elective Course
- As planned for your program: Each program selects and schedules specific semesters for students to take elective courses. See your program’s web page for which semesters electives are scheduled.
- In any semester: You need to finish all your electives before you can graduate. If you have missed, failed or dropped an elective in a previous semester, you will be able to make up that missing credit any time during your program. See your registration page on StuView for options.
**Note: Taking a course out of your program pathway/schedule may result in changes in your tuition. Please contact the registration office if you have questions regarding your student account.
Continuing Education Equivalent Elective Registration
Another option for taking General Education and Liberal Studies elective courses is through the Continuing Education department. These courses do not contribute to your course load and do not qualify for OSAP, but they do count as credit towards Elective requirements in a full-time program. Click here to view Elective courses that are offered through the Continuing Education department. If a course is open and available, you can register for the course now. Please note that you will have to pay for the course at the time of registering. Please note the Program Exclusions column to ensure that you do not register for a course that will not be accepted as an elective for your program.
How to register:
- Continuing Education courses do not contribute to your course load. Please contact the registration office to check your status.
- Review elective requirements in section A.
- Select only courses that will meet your program elective requirements.
General Education Electives Offered Through Continuing Education Fall 2024
Liberal Studies Electives Offered Through Continuing Education Fall 2024
- Register for approved Continuing Education courses directly on the Continuing Education’s website or by sending an inquiry to the Continuing Education Registration department.
D. How to Apply for Transfer Credit/Course Exemptions
E. How to Access Courses Online
How to Access Courses Online
If you are registered in an online elective, you will access your course through Brightspace, George Brown College’s learning management tool.
Logging on to Brightspace
To log on to Brightspace for the first time, go to the George Brown College homepage and click the “Current Students” link. On the dropdown menu, select “Websites, Apps & Tech Support.” Next select “D2L - Brightspace”
Follow the instructions on the “Brightspace Login Help” page to learn how to log on for the first time and to learn about resetting your password.
Direct Link to Brightspace
If you’ve logged in before and are familiar with Brightspace, you can go to the direct link learn.georgebrown.ca to log in.
Online Student Help Resources
If you’ve never used Brightspace before or taken an online course, please take some time to review the various help links and video tutorials.
Brightspace Student Help
If you have any problems logging on after following the instructions on the links above, please contact GBC helpdesk: helpdesk@georgebrown.ca, phone: 416-415-5000, ext. 4357.
Be sure to include your full name, student number, course name, course code, CRN with a description of your problem.
Week 1: Getting Started!
Online course(s) are available the first week of classes. Once your online course appears, please log in and review the complete contents of any Getting Started or Welcome Start Here folders. Be sure to make note of required assignments, discussions, tests, any other activities and their due dates.
Courses will include an Announcements link on the left menu. Be sure to review the announcements posted there. Announcements may also be sent out in email. That means you need to access your GBC email regularly.
Most courses will be organized with Weekly Learning Modules. Read and review the contents of the Week 1 module and complete any activities required during the first week of class. If you have any questions about your online course, contact your professor using the email/message system inside Brightspace or post a question on one of the discussion forums provided inside your course.
