General Education

What are General Education courses?

General Education courses are a required part of all Ontario college diploma programs and are designed to complement your program specific learning by helping you explore perspectives and disciplines beyond your main field of study. General Education courses provide you with opportunities to engage with contemporary social, cultural, and civic issues while strengthening transferable skills such as critical thinking, creativity, inclusivity, communication, collaboration, self-awareness, and ethical reasoning. These skills are highly valued by employers and essential for success in both work and everyday life.

General Education courses are organized around broad themes established by the Ministry in the Framework for Programs of Instruction (2009): Arts in Society, Civic Life, Social and Cultural Understanding, Personal Understanding, and Science and Technology. Through these themes, students are encouraged to think critically about issues connected to Truth and Reconciliation, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging, Environmental Sustainability, and Emerging Technologies. Ultimately, General Education helps you become a more informed, adaptable, and well-rounded individual who is prepared to navigate an increasingly complex and rapidly changing world.

General Education Themes

Arts in Society

Image of Kanaktí:yo Indigenous gathering space at Mohawk College

Image: Mural by Philip Cote, Kanaktí:yo Indigenous Gathering Space, Mohawk College Fennell Campus

Arts in Society involves exploring the ways artistic and creative expression reflect, influence, and challenge individuals, cultures, and society. Courses in this theme examine the social-cultural significance of visual art, literature, media, performance, and other forms of creative expression while fostering creativity and cultural awareness. (Adapted from Ontario General Education Program Requirements, 2023).

Civic Life

Civic Life involves an understanding of the systems, institutions, and relationships that shape society and public life at the local, national, and global level. Courses in this theme explore citizenship, rights, freedoms, community participation, and social responsibility within diverse communities (Adapted from Ontario General Education Program Requirements, 2023).

Social & Cultural Understanding

Social and Cultural Understanding involves an examination of the historical and societal forces that shape human experience, relationships, and communities. Courses in this theme examine how history, language, ethnicity, beliefs, traditions, and other social-cultural influences shape society (Adapted from Ontario General Education Program Requirements, 2023).

Personal Understanding

Personal Understanding involves lifelong self-awareness and reflection on the factors that shape who we are and how we think, feel, behave, relate to others, and find meaning in our lives. Courses in this theme explore human nature and the emotional, psychological, physical, social, and spiritual dimensions of human experience (Adapted from Ontario General Education Program Requirements, 2023).

Science & Technology

Science and Technology involves exploring the natural world, understanding scientific inquiry, and examining how technological developments shape individuals, society, and the environment. Courses in this theme examine foundational scientific concepts and the broader social, ethical, environmental, and philosophical impacts of emerging technology(Adapted from Ontario General Education Program Requirements, 2023).

Current List of General Education Electives

Below is a list of courses that may be offered as General Education Electives to full-time students throughout the 2026-2027 academic year. Please note that course offerings are subject to change, and some courses are not eligible as electives for all programs. View program restrictions for the current academic year.

Course Code

Course Name

BLDG 10043History of Ontario Architecture
EDIS 10000Belonging: Equity & Inclusion in a Diverse World
GNED 10000Sports Stories
GNED 10002Living Together: Sustainable Human-Animal Relations
GNED 10004 Art and Activism
GNED 10005Exploring Anatomy & Physiology
GNED 10007Professional Branding for a Changing World
GNED 10008Beyond Borders: Building Global Skills and Cultural Competence
GNED 10009The AI User Playbook
INDS 10030First Nations, Metis, and Inuit Perspectives
INDS 10032Indigenous Peoples Evolving Media & Artistic Images
INDS 10034Indigenous Wholistic Practices
LITR 10001Movies, Identity & Culture
PSYC 10028Positive Psychology
PSYC SS156Introduction to Psychology
SSCI 10037Environmental Sustainability
SSCI 10090Creating Sustainable Cities
SSCI 10092Your Voice Matters: Power & Influence in Canadian Democracy
SSCI SS108Introduction to Sociology
SSCI SS299Society, Technology and Social Issues
SSCI 10084Digital Wellness

General Education Exemptions

Students who have previous learning experience and want to have that experience assessed for General Education exemption have two options:

  1. Students who have successfully completed a General Education course(s) at an accredited college/university can apply online for a General Education exemption/credit transfer. Please see General Education Exemptions FAQ for more information on the exemption process.
  2. Mohawk College also recognizes that not all education is gained through formal means, so If you have exceptional and potentially relevant work/life experience you may wish to explore the possibility of having your learning assessed through Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR).

 

General Education Exemption FAQ

I’ve taken previous courses at Mohawk College; can I be exempted from taking my General Education elective(s)?

Most General Education electives taken at Mohawk college will automatically transfer if you change from one Mohawk College program to another (or register in another Mohawk program after you have completed one). This means that most students who have already completed General Education electives at Mohawk College are not required to apply for exemptions.

If you have previously completed General Education electives at Mohawk College, please check your MAP (My Academic Progress) report through MyMohawk to see if your Electives have been applied to the General Education spaces for your current program of study. If your previously completed Electives are under the “Other Course Activity” section of the MAP report, contact gened [at] mohawkcollege.ca (gened[at]mohawkcollege[dot]ca) to inquire about the eligibility of your prior Mohawk College credits for General Education credit.

I’ve completed courses at another College/University; can I be exempted from taking my General Education elective(s)?

If you completed courses at another post-secondary institution you might be eligible for exemption from one or more of your General Education electives. There are several factors to consider when selecting a course to use for a General Education exemption request. To qualify for General Education credit, the transfer course must meet all the following requirements.

  • The credit was awarded by an accredited post-secondary College/University.
  • The credit is a minimum of 3 credits or 36 contact hours.
  • The final grade on the official transcript is 60% (C) or higher for external credits (50% for courses taken at Mohawk College). Courses evaluated on a pass/fail basis are not eligible for credit transfer.
  • The course supports learning in one or more of the five General Education themes: Arts in Society, Civic Life, Social and Cultural Understanding, Personal Understanding, Science and Technology. Note: Most courses in Humanities, Social Sciences, or introductory sciences qualify as General Education.
  • The content of the course is unrelated to the curriculum or vocational outcomes for your current program of study.
  • The course does not focus primarily on vocational, professional, technical, general interest, or applied skills and knowledge. Note: Courses in language instruction, advanced science or mathematics, computer training, applied arts, placement, practicum, or laboratory-based learning do not qualify as general education.
  • There is no time limitation on the assessment of past credentials for General Education exemption.

 

Note: To receive transfer credit/ exemption for a program mandated General Education course (i.e., a specific general education course embedded into the POS for a specific program) the transferring course must match approximately 80% of the learning outcomes for the respective Mohawk College course.

I have real-world learning/experience that has taken place outside of a classroom; can I get General Education credit for that?

If you have work/life or educational experience that does not meet the criteria for credit transfer/ exemption, you may wish to explore the possibility of having your learning assessed through Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition. PLAR is available for most of our General Education courses. Please note that there is a non-refundable PLAR challenge fee. To obtain further assistance and information about PLAR, please contact the college’s Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition office at: plar [at] mohawkcollege.ca (plar[at]mohawkcollege[dot]ca) 

How do I apply for a General Education elective exemption?

You can apply for a General Education exemption online via MyMohawk. For step by step instructions please see: Apply for an Exemption in 5 Easy Steps.  For General Education exemptions, please select "General Education" when completing your request. For program mandatory courses, please select "Regular" course as the exemption type. 

Note: Do not assume your exemption request will be approved. If you are scheduled to take your General Education elective, register and remain in your course until you are notified about the outcome of your request. If approved, your Elective will be automatically dropped from your timetable.

When should I submit my General Education exemption request(s)?

If you are not currently registered in an General Education elective and/or you are requesting an exemption for a General Education elective that you are scheduled to take in a future semester, you can apply for the exemption(s) at any time. If you are trying to exempt from a General Education course that you are currently registered in, your application should be received before classes begin in order to be processed before the drop deadline.

How soon will my General Education exemption request be processed?

Approval timelines can vary depending on the time of year; however, requests are normally assessed within 10 business days from the time the assessing department receives your request.

Do I need to register for a scheduled General Education elective if I applied for an exemption?

Yes. Please do not assume your exemption request will be approved. If you are scheduled to take a General Education elective, register and remain in a General Education elective course until you have been notified about the outcome of your exemption request. If your exemption request is approved, your course will be dropped automatically from your timetable.

Can I apply for multiple General Education elective exemptions at the same time?

Yes. Each credit sought through exemption requires its own Exemption Request form.

Do grades from course exemptions count towards my GPA (Grade Point Average)?

General Education Exemptions are represented as “E” on your transcript/MAP and are not calculated as part of your overall GPA.