General Studies

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Explore courses from across academic and professional disciplines that include humanities like literature, history, philosophy, social sciences like anthropology, sociology or psychology, sciences including astronomy, biology, geography, geology, and environmental studies, business administration and political science, and more. Learn what moves you and take off from there!

General Studies

Yukon University made changes to the way its courses are delivered as a result of COVID-19.

Scheduled courses will be offered face-to-face and online this academic year. Some courses may have weekly scheduled video-conferenced sessions, while others may run entirely face to face or a combination. See the course pages and course outlines for details.

2023 at YukonU: We are pleased to welcome our students, faculty, staff and public back to our 13 campuses. Some of our classes have resumed in-person. YukonU COVID-related health and safety measures have been developed in consultation with the Yukon Chief Medical Office of Health.

Program description

The General Studies programs integrate general knowledge and intellectual skills with specific occupational or professional skills. They are designed and intended for those who do not plan on pursuing a university degree or those who wish to develop an individualized program from a variety of programming areas at the University.

Students who wish to complete a university degree at a later time are encouraged either to limit their choices in the General Studies programs to courses in the School of Liberal Arts and School of Science or to pursue a Liberal Arts certificate or diploma.

Admission requirements
  • Grade 12 graduation with English 12

If students do not meet either admission requirement, they should explore entry options with a program advisor.

Graduation requirements

To graduate, certificate students must

  • complete ENGL 100 and ENGL 101 (6 credits)
  • complete eight electives (24 credits), including a minimum of two Liberal Arts, Science or university-transferable electives (6 credits)

In addition, certificate students must

Diploma students must

  • complete all certificate requirements (30 credits)
  • complete ten electives (30 credits), including a minimum of four Liberal Arts, Science or university-transferable electives (12 credits)

In addition, diploma students must

  • complete a minimum of six courses (18 credits) beyond the 100 level (i.e., courses numbered 200 and above)
  • complete at least 50% of the work at Yukon University
  • maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.0 (C average)

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT LIBERAL ARTS/SCIENCE AND OPEN ELECTIVES: General Studies certificate students may take up to 18 credits, and diploma students up to 36 credits, from outside the School of Liberal Arts and School of Science (but excluding Continuing Education).

However, students must recognize that such coursework may not be transferable to programs at other post-secondary institutions and may result in a credit shortfall upon transfer. Students working towards a degree or college program at another institution or planning to continue in the future should check their course selection with a Program Advisor.

Yukon First Nations Core Competency

Yukon University recognizes that a greater understanding and awareness of Yukon First Nations history, culture and journey towards self-determination will help to build positive relationships among all Yukon citizens. As a result, you will be required to achieve core competency in knowledge of Yukon First Nations.

For details, visit Yukon First Nations Core Competency.

Transferability

For transfer information on a specific Yukon University course, click on the program’s course list tab, select the course in question by clicking its link, and then click the check the BC Transfer Options link on the course’s information page. For additional information, consult a Program Advisor.

Money matters

Fees

Tuition for credit programs is calculated per course credit. See Money Matters for more information.

Some programs and courses have additional fees -  see Ancillary Fees.


Student financial awards

Education is an investment in your future, your family and your community. Yukon University is pleased to support that investment by offering some of the most competitive tuition rates in the country, as well as several student financial awards to help offset your educational and living costs.


Financial assistance

There are government programs, scholarships, bursaries, awards and First Nation funding available to financially support you throughout your academic career.

See money matters for more information, or talk to our financial advising staff in the Student Services Centre. Email or call 867 668 5209 to make an appointment.

Course delivery explained
Table image of delivery methods. Synchronous Face-to-face is F.S.; Synchronous online is O.S.; Synchronous blended is B.S. Asynchronous face-to-face is F.A.; Asynchronous online is O.A.; Asynchronous blended is B.A.; Self-paced face-to-face is F.P. ; Self-paced online is O.P.;  Self-paced blended is B. P.; Synchronous an asynchronous delivery is O.A.S.; Hyflex (high flex) is H.F.X..s

Source: Registering for academic courses

Face to face

Denoted by an F in the first letter of the delivery code (e.g., FS, FA, FP).

Students and the instructors to be present in the same physical location for class time, either in a classroom, lecture theatre or another learning environment.

Online

Denoted by an O in the first letter of the delivery code (e.g., OS, OA, OP).

Students and instructor connect through online tools and are not required to be in the same physical space for any portion of the course. Students will access and submit all coursework over the internet.

Blended

Denoted by a B in the first letter of the delivery code (e.g., BS, BA, BP).

Includes a combination of online and face to face learning activities and may require connecting with instructors and other students at specific prescheduled times through the course. For example, students can complete online self-paced assignments by a certain date, then meet on-site or online for additional learning activities.

Synchronous

Denoted by an S in the second letter of the delivery code (e.g., FS, OS, BS).

Students are expected to participate in course activities at specific scheduled times, either on-line through video conference or in person for face to face sessions.

Asynchronous

Denoted by an A in the second letter of the delivery code (e.g., FA, OA, BA).

Students are not required to connect with instructors and other students at specific pre-scheduled times but must submit course work according to a schedule set by the instructor, often on a weekly basis. Meeting times may be scheduled between instructor and students or between students as needed through the course.

Self-paced

Denoted by a P in the second letter of the delivery code (e.g., FP, OP, BP).

Students are not required to connect with instructors and other students at specific times and may complete their course work at their own pace within the timeframe of the course, set by the instructor. Meeting times may be scheduled between instructor and students or between students as needed through the course.

Online asynchronous/synchronous

Denoted by an AS in the second and thirds letters of the delivery code (e.g., OAS)

Course is delivered online with a combination of real-time (synchronous) instruction and independent (asynchronous) instruction.

HyFlex

Denoted by HFX

Courses are delivered both in person and online at the same time by the same faculty member. Students can then choose for each and every class meeting whether to show up for class in person or to join it online. The underlying design ethos behind the HyFlex Model is flexibility and student choice.

Program Guides

A program planning guide lays out the courses and requirements needed to graduate from a particular program. It guides you through course selection options for each term, provides a sample program pathway and acts as a tool to track your progress.

Courses

Core
Title Campus Scheduled
ENGL 100 - Academic Writing and Critical Thinking Whitehorse (Ayamdigut), Online/Video
W
S
ENGL 101 - Introduction to the Study of Literature Whitehorse (Ayamdigut), Online/Video
W
S

Astronomy

Elective
Title Campus Scheduled
ASTR 100 - Introduction to Astronomy Whitehorse (Ayamdigut)
W

Communications

Elective
Title Campus Scheduled
COMM 100 - Business Communications Whitehorse (Ayamdigut)
W
S
COMM 204 - Introduction to Scientific and Technical Communication Whitehorse (Ayamdigut)
W

Computer Science

Elective
Title Campus Scheduled
CPSC 128 - Object Oriented Programming I Whitehorse (Ayamdigut)
W

Creative Writing

Economics

Elective
Title Campus Scheduled
ECON 100 - Introduction to Microeconomics
ECON 101 - Introduction to Macroeconomics Whitehorse (Ayamdigut)
W

Environmental Studies

Elective
Title Campus Scheduled
ENST 200 - Environmental Perspectives
ENST 201 - Environmental Ethics Whitehorse (Ayamdigut)
W

First Nations Studies

Elective
Title Campus Scheduled
FNST 140 - Preservation of Traditional Knowledge

Kinesiology

Elective
Title Campus Scheduled
KINE 100 - Introduction to Human Physiology

Linguistics

Elective
Title Campus Scheduled
LANG 140 - Language and Culture Preservation

Mathematics

Open Electives. List is not exhaustive; consult a program advisor for more options.

Philosophy

Elective
Title Campus Scheduled
PHIL 120 - Introduction to Ethics

Physical Education

Religious Studies

Social Work

Elective
Title Campus Scheduled
SW 200 - Introduction to Social Work Online/Video
W

Theatre

Elective
Title Campus Scheduled
THEA 200 - Introduction to Acting 1 Whitehorse (Ayamdigut), Online/Video
W
S