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General Education Electives
Your pathway to experiencing our Graduate Attributes

What is General Education?

General Education (GNED) electives give you the opportunity to explore a topic that interests you. The elective must be outside the vocational outcomes of your program and will provide a general overview of a topic. Choosing electives that interest you will help broaden your sense of self and the world around you, giving you adaptability for the constantly changing, diverse world in which we live. We offer a range of courses that not only align to one of the Ministry themes, but also to our six Graduate Attributes. These attributes are intentional and seek to help you craft your professional identity while at Loyalist to champion Big Things!

What are Graduate Attributes?

Our Graduate Attributes enhance your Loyalist experience! Indigenous Understanding; Cross-Cultural Understanding; Citizenship and Global Responsibility; Entrepreneurship and Technology; Health and Wellness; and Ecological Literacy are our areas of focus. Some of these attributes will be acquired through program learning outcomes in accordance with understood teaching and learning principles, while other elements will be realized through co-curricular activities and monitored through a tracking process to encourage student self-reflection. To guide our collective actions, we’re driven by five core values, including inclusive, caring, accountable, creative, and engaging, which we aspire to instill in our students. Some of our GNED courses are mapped to our attributes. While your GNED courses will broaden your understanding, it's really the Loyalist experience that will strengthen and define your character in helping to demonstrate these attributes.

Please note: For all diploma and feeder certificate programs starting in Fall 2023, there's a prescribed GNED course in either semester 1 (Fall) or 2 (Winter). Self-registration is not required for this course as it's been included with your program's core registration block.

*NEW MANDATORY ELECTIVE* GNED 1100: Becoming a Global Changemaker

This Loyalist College graduate attributes course will help shape your perspectives, broaden your understanding of important issues affecting our societies today, and equip you with invaluable knowledge and skills that will inform your ability to influence your community in a meaningful and impactful way. By exploring topics such as cultural competency, Indigenous education, entrepreneurship, sustainability, health and wellness, and ecological literacy, you'll be equipped with a powerful toolkit that extends far beyond the classroom.

Other Examples

Indigenous Understanding
  • GNED1037 Indigenous Culture and History
  • GNED1061 Indigenous Approaches to Wellness
  • GNED1057 Indigenous Storytelling
  • GNED1056 Indigenous Food Systems

    Cross-Cultural Understanding
  • GNED1024 Diversity
  • GNED1081 Exploring Deaf Culture
  • GNED1022 The Art of Human Communication
  • GNED1077 Modern Discourse and Debate

    Citizenship and Global Responsibility
  • GNED1055 Global Challenges and the UN's Sustainable Development Goals
  • GNED1018 Political Foundations: Governance, Engagement, and Activism

    Entrepreneurship and Technology
  • GNED1052 Technology’s Impact on the Modern World
  • GNED1049 Gaming Technology
  • GNED1009 Freelance & Entrepreneurship

    Health and Wellness
  • GNED1026 Health Psychology
  • GNED1060 Designer DNA: The Age of Genetic Advancement
  • GNED1076 The Science of Alternative and Integrated Medicine
  • GNED1023 Wellness

    Ecological Literacy
  • GNED1040 Off Grid Living
  • GNED1004 Living Green! Practical Ways to Start Today

    The Ministry of Colleges and Universities requires all students in diploma and advanced diploma programs to successfully complete a minimum of three GNED electives to graduate. According to the Framework for Programs of Instruction, "General Education strengthens student’s generic skills, such as critical analysis, problem solving, and communication, in the context of an exploration of topics with broad-based personal and/or societal importance” (Framework for Programs of Instruction, Revised July 2009, p. 21).

    Each program determines in which semesters the GNED electives are included, and students can self-enrol through the GNED Registration Portal on myLoyalist. Please find details about learning options below.

    • Location
      • Belleville Campus

    Should you neglect to complete three GNED electives during your program of study in the semesters determined by your program you will be required to make these up at an additional cost in order to graduate.

    Learning options

    Students in a diploma or advanced diploma program must successfully complete three General Education courses to qualify for graduation. Information on when GNED courses should be taken can be found on the program map in each program’s manual.

    Additional fees may be charged to students who take General Education courses off cycle with their program map. Please see AOP 233 for further information.

    General education courses are delivered in a classroom or online. Please consider the following when making your selections:

      • Online learning requires good time management, adherence to deadlines, minimal interaction with the instructor, and is suitable for those who enjoy independent study. 
      • For the most part, online learning allows you to study wherever and whenever you choose.
      • Traditional delivery in a classroom includes an independent study component the last four weeks, which requires good time management, adherence to deadlines, and minimal interaction with the professor. 

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