BSc General
Contact:
Warren Elgersma
Chairperson
Program Information
E-mail: inquire@rdc.ab.ca
Phone: 403.342.3400 OR 1.888.732.4630
One-Year or Two-Year University Transfer Program
For the most current university program and transfer information, please see Planning Guides in Academic Advising.
The Program
The BSc General program gives you a broad education in more than one branch of study. Students either complete two majors or one major and one minor. Majors are chosen from ten science subject areas.
If you enroll in the General program and intend to transfer to a BSc Specialization or Honors program in the Faculty of Science at U of A, carefully follow the requirements for the latter program when selecting your courses (consult an Academic Advisor). This applies to all students intending to transfer to the Universities of Calgary or Lethbridge which do not offer a BSc General program.
Transfer Features
This program transfers to BSc General at U of A and also allows for subsequent transfer to University of Alberta BSc Specialization and Honours programs if admission requirements are met for those programs. It also allows for transfer to University of Calgary BSc Honours and Majors programs and to majors in The University of Lethbridge BSc program.
Note: There are some major/minor combinations which have required courses (usually in the second year) that are not offered at RDC. Students taking these combinations can either take other (transferable) courses during a second year or can transfer after their first year at RDC.
Admission Requirements
- Related Link: Admission requirements for specific programs will often refer to Alberta Grade 12 course groups. Visit the Admissions page for detailed group descriptions.
1. Minimum average of 60% with no mark below 50% in:
a. ELA 30-1
b. Mathematics 30-1
c. Two of Biology 30, Chemistry 30, Mathematics 31, Physics 30
d. Subject from Group A, B, or C
OR
2. Mature Student
You must be 19 years of age or older, out of high school for at least one full year before the program starts, and have a minimum average of 60% with no mark below 50% in:
a. ELA 30-1
b. Mathematics 30-1
c. Two of Biology 30, Chemistry 30, Mathematics 31, Physics 30
Program Content
The following outlines provide a basic understanding of program content but do not contain specific details regarding specific course requirements. This information is current at the time of publication but may change as the universities change their requirements.
University of Alberta
A major subject area is chosen from Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Computer Sciences, Earth & Atmospheric Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, Mathematics, Physical Sciences, Physics, Science Psychology, and Statistics & Applied Probability. A major should be chosen when registering for year two courses.
The student has the option of choosing a minor subject in the faculties of Science, Arts or Business. If the minor subject chosen is from Arts, any requirements as specified by the Faculty of Arts must be met. Please see U of A Calendar for minor subject areas in the Faculty of Arts. See note below concerning the Business Minor.
A major and minor in Sciences may not share courses from the same department. For example, the following combinations are not allowed:
- Earth Sciences/Arts Geography
- Science Psychology/Arts Psychology
Courses in a major or minor subject area may not overlap. For example, if the major is Mathematical Sciences and the minor is Statistics, the major would consist of Mathematics courses and Computing Science courses but no Statistics courses. The minor would consist exclusively of Statistics courses. See U of A Calendar for details on courses required for majors and minors.
Please note these are U of A credits
Suggested Pattern Year 1
- ENGL 219/ENGL 220 (6 credits)
- Two junior MATH, STAT, CMPT (6 credits)
- Two junior PHYS, CHEM, ASTR (6 credits)
- Two junior BIOL, GEOG, PSYC (6 credits)
- Two junior Arts or Science Options (6 credits)
Suggested Pattern Year 2
- 12 credits toward major
- 6 credits toward minor
- 12 credits towards Arts or Science Options, major and/or minor
NOTES:
Students with a major or minor in chemistry are recommended to complete CHEM 211/CHEM 212 in year one and CHEM 351/CHEM 352 in year two.
Options in Arts or Sciences are chosen from transferable courses from ANTH, ASTR, ART, BIOC, BIOL (not 209), CHEM, CLAS, CMPT 201, DRAM, ECON, FILM, FREN, GENE, GEOG, HIST, MATH, MUSE, MUSI, PHIL, PHYS, POLI, PSYC (not 312), SOCI, SPAN, STAT, ZOOL
BSC General with Business Minor
Admission to BSc General with a Business Minor is competitive. Admission to the minor is by application after year one with preference given to those who apply at this point in their program. Applicants must present ENG 219/ENGL 220, ECON 201/ECON 202, MATH 202 or MATH 203, one of MATH, STAT, CMPT 201; and 6 credits in Physical Sciences (Physics or Chemistry) or 6 credits taken from Biology, Science Geography, or Science Psychology. See Planning Guides in Academic Advising for further information.
University of Lethbridge
Please note these are U of L credits
The pattern below is an example of BSc General using Biological Sciences, Chemistry, and Mathematics for the three science streams. See Planning Guides in Academic Advising for further information.
Suggested Pattern Year 1
Suggested Pattern Year 2
- CHEM elective (3 credits)
- BIOL 317/BIOL 318 (6 credits)
- One of MATH 221, STAT 251 (3 credits)
- 2 Fine Arts or Humanities Requirements (6 credits)
- 2 Social Science Requirements (6 credits)
- 2 Electives (6 credits)
U of L’s General Liberal Education Requirement (GLER)
A maximum of four courses from one department may be used in meeting the General Liberal Education Requirement. Math and Computer Science are counted as separate departments for a Science Major. Biology (BIOL), Microbiology (MICR), Zoology (ZOOL), Botany (BOTA), and Genetics (GENE) are considered part of the Biological Sciences Department.
Fine Arts and Humanities transferable courses in ART, DRAM, ENGL, FREN, HIST, MUSI (not MUSI 210, 213, or 214), PHIL, SPAN plus other courses as noted in academic planning guide.
Social Sciences transferable courses in ANTH (all non-Science and non-Humanities ANTH courses), ECON, GEOG 251, GEOG 381, GEOG 382), KNSS (except KNSS 280), POLI, PSYC (excluding PSYC 260 and other Science PSYC courses), SOCI, plus other courses as noted in academic planning guides.
Sciences transferable courses in BIOC, BIOL, CHEM, CMPT, MATH, PHYS, PSIO, STAT, ZOOL plus other courses as noted in academic planning guide.
Program Cost Estimates