In all Ryerson programs, students are required to take Liberal Studies courses. These courses are offered at two levels, Lower and Upper. The required number of Lower-level and Upper-level courses will vary according to your program. Please consult the appropriate Full- or Part-time Ryerson Undergraduate calendar for details on liberal studies and other program requirements.

Why do I need to take Liberal Studies courses?

Liberal Studies are central to university education. They broaden your horizons; they open up the world to you; they enable you to look at the world from a variety of perspectives, to pursue ideas and interests beyond your specific career studies. There are courses about the world in all its variety and complexity. As such, Liberal Studies courses form an essential, critical part of the curriculum here at Ryerson.

The broadening experience of Liberal Studies courses will better prepare you not only for your career as a professional but also for your life as an engaged, active citizen of Canada and of the world. Liberal Studies will also provide you with frameworks, with values and types of emotional/intellectual responses that will help you understand yourself and your relationships with others.

Liberal studies courses are a requirement for graduation from Ryerson programs.

What Liberal Studies does Ryerson offer?

Students are offered a wide range of lower- and upper-level courses from the types of disciplines traditionally found in universities: Chinese, Criminal Justice, Economics, English, French, Geography, History, Philosophy, Politics, Psychology, Sociology and Spanish. Students can also access specially designated liberal studies courses on Art History, Astronomy, Biochemistry, Caribbean Studies, Disability Studies, Design, Mathematics, Media, Music, Physics, Theatre, etc.

What liberal studies can I choose from?

1. Look at your program's curriculum in the calendar for exact information.

2. Your Liberal Studies choices must fulfill the lower- and upper-level requirements for your program (consult the current calendar).

3. There is a complete list of both lower-level (Table A) and upper-level (Table B) liberal studies courses in the calendar that are planned for that particular academic year. Not all of these courses are offered each term or year. The balance of Liberal Studies courses not listed in the current Tables, can be found in the course description section.

4. The course description section of the calendar tells you if courses are lower-level (LL) or upper-level (UL). Not all courses taught by the Faculty of Arts are Liberal Studies electives. If an Arts course does not have LL or UL after the description, it is not available as a Liberal Studies elective.

Courses not identified as either (LL) or (UL) are NOT Liberal Studies and will not be used towards the fulfillment of a Liberal Studies requirement for graduation purposes.

5. Some Liberal Studies courses, due to their close relation to the professional fields, may be restricted to specific programs. See Liberal Studies (Table A and B) Restrictions in the Full- and Part-time Undergraduate calendar.

More information on Liberal Studies can be found on the Faculty of Arts Liberal Studies website, www.ryerson.ca/arts/liberalstudies/

Where can I get more information about Liberal Studies?

General Information on Liberal Studies,

Christopher De Barros, JOR-119

416-979-5000, ext. 5190

Christopher.DeBarros@arts.ryerson.ca

See also: Academic Matters: Curriculum Advising Office, Academic Matters: Course Intention, Academic Matters: Course Enrollment.