The institution was first founded as the Royal Roads Military College (RRMC) in 1940. RRMC was owned and operated by the Department of National Defence, and provided a valuable military education initially to reserve officers in World War II, and then members of the army, navy, and air force. In 1975 the institution was given the right to grant degrees to its students, with the first bachelor’s degree being earned in 1977.
The College offered a Physics and Physical oceanography program from 1975 onward, and a Master program in Oceanography and Acoustics from 1977 onward.
The RRMC was decommissioned in 1995 and the Government of British Columbia created the Royal Roads University as a public university with an applied and professional degree-granting focus. The university now offers an Environment and Sustainability program (Science in Environmental Practice).
