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Important notes: Liberal Studies course requirements

The following sections include details of the Liberal Studies course restrictions, how to complete the courses through Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU)’s Chang School, and completing the courses at another university.

 Important Disclaimer: TMU is not responsible for enrolment in and/or completion of unacceptable Liberal Studies courses, either at TMU or another university, nor any impact to an application for admission. Official confirmation of course acceptability may only be obtained from authorized admissions personnel in Undergraduate Admissions and Recruitment at TMU.

Liberal Studies courses are a specific type of course at TMU, and include courses in the Social Sciences or Humanities areas (e.g. History, Geography, Philosophy, Languages, Religion, Psychology, Sociology, Music, etc.).

Liberal Studies courses have a separate designation in the university's Academic Calendar and the Chang School of Continuing Education course calendar.

  • In the Academic Calendar Liberal Studies courses are listed in a separate labeled section, and each course description includes an acronym of “LL” or “UL” for lower-level or upper-level courses, respectively.
  • In the Chang School course calendar all Liberal Studies course descriptions include a label of either “Lower-level liberal studies elective” or “Upper-level liberal studies elective.”
  • Applicants may choose from either Lower- or Upper- Level Liberal Studies courses, but Lower-Level courses are recommended.

A list of Liberal Studies courses can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar. Please note that course selections in the Chang School varies by term, and not all Liberal Studies courses may be offered, details are available online in the Chang School Course Calendar (opens in new window) .

Most applicants complete the Liberal Studies course requirements through TMU’s Chang School of Continuing Education. Course enrolment details, including processes and deadlines may be found on the Chang School Important Dates (opens in new window)  page.

Use the Course Search (opens in new window)  function, found in the Course and Programs drop-down menu to establish liberal studies course offerings. Choose 'Lower Level' or 'Upper Level' from the Liberal Studies drop-down menu, the relevant term from the Term menu, and hit Search. The criteria can be further refined to search for distance education courses using the Instruction Mode menu.

One of the courses must be an English Literature course. At the Chang School, the applicable course prefix is "CENG." Core and professionally-related elective English courses (eg. CENG 108, CENG 222 and CENG 224) are not acceptable. Courses that begin with "CLNG" are acceptable as Liberal Studies courses, but do not fulfill the English Literature Liberal Studies requirement. Courses from other universities must be English Literature courses, other related disciplines are not accepted.

  • Any courses (from any university) closely related to "children" or the "field of education" (for e.g.: "Children's Literature" or "The Education System of Canada") are not acceptable as Liberal Studies courses.
  • Any courses designated as Professionally-Related or Core Curriculum from other TMU programs or an equivalent course from any other university may not be used to fulfill the Liberal Studies requirements. See information above regarding TMU's Liberal Studies acronyms and labels. For example; Business/Commerce, Design, Engineering, Math, Nutrition, Nursing, Science, Social Work and Visual Arts courses from any university are not acceptable as Liberal Studies courses.
  • Introductory level Psychology and Introductory level Sociology courses from any university may not be used to fulfill the Liberal Studies requirements. The following TMU introductory level Psychology and introductory level Sociology courses are not acceptable as Liberal Studies courses:

CSOC 103 - How Society Works
CSOC 104 - Understanding Society
COCR 929 - Understanding Society
CSOC 11A/B - The Social World
CPSY 011 - Introductory Psychology

CPSY 105 - Perspectives in Psychology
CPSY 102 - Introduction to Psychology I
CPSY 202 - Introduction to Psychology II
COCR 931 - Psychology: The Study of Human Behavior

  • Any Liberal Studies courses, completed at TMU or another university, used to gain advanced standing/transfer credits in the ECE College Diploma Studies may not be used to fulfill the Liberal Studies requirement. Applicants must complete additional Liberal Studies to meet the admission requirements. Applicants are required to submit a letter from the college specifying which courses, from which institution, were used to grant advanced standing/transfer credits toward the ECE Diploma.

TMU accepts Liberal Studies courses completed at another university. However, please be advised that there is no guarantee that a course completed at another university will be accepted for admission to the ECS: Direct Entry program. Please refer to the applicable section below for further details.

 Intending to complete courses at another university

Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Undergraduate Admissions and Recruitment at TMU, prior to enrolling in the courses, to confirm that they will be acceptable. The following information is required for an assessment of non-TMU courses: name of the institution where the course will be taken, the course code, the course name and the credit value of the course (e.g. 1 credit, 0.5 credits, one-term, two-term etc.). See above for course information and restrictions.

 Courses currently being completed at another university

Courses already completed, or in progress, at another university may be acceptable to fulfill the Liberal Studies course requirements, if they meet the requirements as stated. See above for course information and restrictions. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Undergraduate Admissions and Recruitment, prior to applying for admission, to confirm if the courses are acceptable. A copy of the university transcript will be required for assessment.