Mount Royal College got one step closer to becoming a university Friday, when the institute made history by handing out its first baccalaureate degrees.

The 99-year-old institution granted 29 degrees in three programs -- bachelor of arts in criminal justice, bachelor of communications and bachelor of business administration.

"The world knows that if you get a degree from a Canadian university, it's top notch," MRC president Dave Marshall told CHQR's AM 770. "There's never any question of any degree from any Canadian institution and that's a credential that the rest of the world will recognize as top notch and Mount Royal will be in that club."

Previously, MRC had granted nursing degrees through a partnership with Athabasca University. MRC is set to become a university later this year, pending government approval.