George Brown Polytechnic is located on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and other Indigenous peoples who have lived here over time. We are grateful to share this land as treaty people who learn, work and live in the community with each other.
Contact
General Arts and Science Programs (R101) and (R104)
- Email: GAS@georgebrown.ca
- 200 King Street East, 5th Floor, Room 524A, Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm
General Education and Liberal Studies courses:
- Email: LASelectives@georgebrown.ca
- Virtual Service Desk (Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 12 noon)
- 200 King Street East, 5th Floor, Room 524A, Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm
Important Information About General Education and Liberal Studies Electives:
A. About General Education and Liberal Studies Courses (please read)
General Education and Liberal Studies courses:
- Are a vital component of post-secondary certificate, diploma and degree programs.
- Broaden your knowledge and experience through the study of arts and humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and indigenous studies.
- Enhance your critical thinking and analytic reasoning skills.
- Develop communication, teamwork and problem-solving skills that are essential in your personal and social lives and highly valued in all career fields.
General Education and Liberal Studies courses include:
- Arts and Humanities
- Science, Technology
- Social Science
- Indigenous Studies courses
- various interdisciplinary courses
Liberal studies courses that begin with ‘12’ are considered lower-level and those that begin with ‘13’ are considered upper-level courses.
Course codes begin with:
- GHUM
- GSCI
- GSSC
- ISHU
- ISSS
- LHUM
- LSCI
- LSSC
How many courses do I need to take? What are the requirements?
Please log into Degree Works to see how many general education or liberal studies courses you need to take, and in which semesters.
Students who began their GBC programs before 202401 are required to take general education or liberal studies courses from at least two of the categories in order to satisfy the breadth requirement which is part of the GBC policy.
Some programs include mandatory general education or liberal studies courses as well as electives.
B. What Courses are Offered?
Full-Time Day Courses
Delivery Modes:
Delivery Mode | Description |
|---|---|
Online (Asynchronous) | Asynchronous online learning means students can access their instructional materials at any time of day/night they choose and there are no scheduled “live” components. |
Online (Synchronous) | Synchronous online learning means that students are required to log in and participate in class at a regularly scheduled time. |
In-Person | In-person learning means instructional interaction that occurs “in person” and at a scheduled time at one of our campuses (Casa Loma, St. James, Waterfront). |
In-Person (Offsite) | In-person learning means instructional interaction that occurs “in-person” and at a scheduled time at an offsite location (E.g. TMU). |
In-Person & Online (Synchronous) | In-person and online learning means a combination of in-person instructional interaction and synchronous online learning. |
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS and Schedules:
- Spring/Summer 2026 (202503) General Education Elective
- Spring/Summer 2026 (202503) Liberal Studies Electives
All available general education and liberal studies courses, and their descriptions and schedules, will be accessible on students’ registration pages on STU-VIEW.
Students may also search course outlines on the George Brown web site.
Equivalent Evening/Online Continuing Education Courses
The Continuing Education courses listed on the linked pages below are accepted as credit towards the General Education requirements of most diploma and certificate programs, or as credit towards the Liberal Studies Elective requirements of most degree programs. Please read the information on the Continuing Education web pages carefully as not all courses meet the elective requirements for full-time programs. There are also courses which are not accepted in some specific full-time programs.
- General Education Electives Offered Through Continuing Education
- Liberal Studies Electives Offered Through Continuing Education
Students may register for approved Continuing Education courses directly on the Continuing Education website or by sending an inquiry to the Continuing Education Registration department.
C. How to Apply for Transfer Credit/Course Exemptions
D. How to Access Courses Online
How to Access Courses Online
If you are registered in an online elective, you will access your course through Brightspace, George Brown Polytechnic’s learning management tool.
Logging on to Brightspace
- To log on to Brightspace for the first time, go to the George Brown Polytechnic homepage and click the “Current Students” link. On the dropdown menu, select “Websites, Apps & Tech Support.” Next select “D2L - Brightspace”
- Follow the instructions on the “Brightspace Login Help” page to learn how to log on for the first time and to learn about resetting your password.
Direct Link to Brightspace
- If you’ve logged in before and are familiar with Brightspace, you can go to the direct link learn.georgebrown.ca to log in.
Online Student Help Resources
- If you’ve never used Brightspace before or taken an online course, please take some time to review the various help links and video tutorials.
Brightspace Student Help
- If you have any problems logging on after following the instructions on the links above, please contact GBC helpdesk: helpdesk@georgebrown.ca, phone: 416-415-5000, ext. 4357.
- Be sure to include your full name, student number, course name, course code, CRN with a description of your problem.
Week 1: Getting Started!
Online course(s) are available the first week of classes. Once your online course appears, please log in and review the complete contents of any Getting Started or Welcome Start Here folders. Be sure to make note of required assignments, discussions, tests, any other activities and their due dates.
Courses will include an Announcements link on the left menu. Be sure to review the announcements posted there. Announcements may also be sent out in email. That means you need to access your GBC email regularly.
Most courses will be organized with Weekly Learning Modules. Read and review the contents of the Week 1 module and complete any activities required during the first week of class. If you have any questions about your online course, contact your professor using the email/message system inside Brightspace or post a question on one of the discussion forums provided inside your course.