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Course Selection and Registration

Selection and Registration Instructions: 2023-2024

Students in the MA in Immigration and Settlement Studies program are required to complete eight (8) program courses plus a Major Research Paper (MRP). The program requirements are designed to be completed by full-time students within three consecutive terms and by part-time students within six (6) consecutive terms. Most students do complete the degree requirements within these timelines.

Continuous registration in each term is required for all graduate students unless a student has been approved Leave of Absence1 due to illness, maternity/paternity or compassionate reasons. Graduate students pay program fees based on their status as full-time or part-time students and not based on the number of courses a student is enrolled in.

A part-time student pays about 50% of the full-time program fees in a term. Two master’s part-time terms are equivalent to one master’s full-time term. A part-time student must enroll in the program for a minimum of six (6) terms to equate the minimum program fees paid by a full-time student. If a part-time student completes the degree requirements in less than six terms, the minimum degree fees will be assessed, and the student will be asked to pay the balance before graduation2.

For the maximum time within which the master’s degree must be completed, refer to the Program Options.

 

Graduate Status, Enrolment and Evaluation – Policy 164, Procedures, Section 9, Leave of Absence 
2 Graduate Status, Enrolment and Evaluation – Policy 164, Procedures, Section 12, Minimum Degree Fees

To meet the MA degree requirements of this program, both full-time and part-time students must successfully complete five (5) required courses, three (3) elective courses and the Major Research Paper (MRP). Students are strongly advised to review the program curriculum for the degree requirements published in the online Graduate Studies Calendar. The most up-to-date online calendar should be used. The online calendar also contains calendar course descriptions.

Full-time students will complete four (4) required and three (3) elective courses over the 1st and 2nd Terms (Fall and Winter terms), leaving both the IS8100 Field Placement and the Master’s Major Research Paper (MRP) to be completed in the third term (Spring/Summer term).

 

  Fall (Sept – Dec) Winter (Jan – Apr) S/S (May to Aug)
[a] Required courses IS 8901, IS 8903 IS 8100A, IS8902, IS8904 IS 8100B, MRP
[b] Electives sample 1 2 electives
1 electives
-
[c] Electives sample 2 1 electives
2 electives
-

Full-time students are free to decide in which of the Fall or Winter terms they wish to take 1 or 2 electives in a term. In order to graduate in a timely fashion, however, full-time students must take all required courses when they are offered. Your choice is how to spread your 3 elective courses over the Fall and Winter terms.

The program’s advice is – DO NOT take all 3 electives in the same term (in addition to your required courses). Decide whether you want a heavier course load in the Fall or Winter term. For a heavier load in the Fall term, use the [a+b] pattern above (required courses + 2 electives in Fall). For a heavier load in the Winter term, use the [a+c] pattern (required courses + 2 electives in Winter). Clearly, the preference for particular elective courses will be a factor in a student’s selection.

Part-time students may enroll in up to a maximum of two (2) one-credit courses in a term. The only exception to this rule is described below (section [D]) about “IS 8100 A/B Seminar and Field Placement”.

There is no fixed sequencing for part-time students to follow in course selection. The program’s advice is to complete IS 8904 Research Methods in the first winter term. Part-time students should bear in mind that elective choices may vary from year to year, as will the course timetables of all classes.

Each graduate class is typically scheduled to a 3-hour slot and meets once a week for a total of 12 weeks of classes per term. Significant academic dates in each term are published on the Graduate Studies Significant Dates website. Use the “normal twelve-week term” version.

You are able to look up significant academic dates for each term, such as when classes start, when classes end, the last date to add a course, the last date to drop a course, when final grades are posted online for students’ access etc.

In the Course Selection document, DAY Schedule means that a course will be offered in any 3-hour block between 8 am to 6 pm on any one day between Monday and Friday. EVENING Schedule means that a course will be offered at 6-9 pm on any one day between Monday and Thursday. Course schedules will vary from year to year. The program reserves the right to change these scheduling parameters due to unforeseeable circumstances.

Required courses are offered once in each academic year. A different set of elective courses will be offered each academic year. Not all electives listed in the program’s curriculum are being offered in an academic year. The schedule of a course varies every time when it is offered.

Class schedule information provided in the Course Selection document is TENTATIVE information and is subject to change. Students will know the confirmed class schedules, including the classroom assignments online, AFTER they have enrolled in courses. The “weekly schedules” in a student’s Student Center in MyServiceHub show the courses a student is formally enrolled/registered in, and the schedules are the confirmed course schedules.

Course Choices in 2023-24 (F2023, W2024 and S/S2024)

The course options listed in the course selection form normally do not change.

The ISS program typically does not offer any program courses in the S/S term (May to August) except for the IS8100B Seminar and Field Placement. Part-time students who wish to enroll in a class in May-August may consider courses offered by other social science or arts graduate programs at Toronto Metropolitan University 3; however, formal enrollment in a non-ISS graduate course is subject to (i) space availability in the course, and (ii) the ISS program director’s approval to use the non-program course towards the ISS MA degree.

3 Refer to the ‘Course Substitution Guidelines’

In general, course enrollment is based on space availability and on a first come first served basis. Students are advised to enroll in courses as soon as possible after the online enrollment opens.

Required courses

Full-time students are strongly advised to voluntarily select and enroll in an evening section of one of the required courses in each term.

IS 8904 Research Methods: Full-time students must take this course in the Winter term.

Part-time students are strongly advised to complete this course in the 1st Winter term. This will give them ample time after the first Winter term to prepare/refine the MRP proposal and to look for a suitable MRP faculty supervisor.

IS 8100A/B Seminar and Field Placement 4 is a one-credit required course that needs two consecutive terms of course registration: IS 8100 A in the Winter term and IS 8100 B in the Spring/Summer term.

  • Unlike other program courses, where students can self-enroll, the Program Administrator will enroll all students into IS8100A in the Winter term and IS8100B in the Spring/Summer term.
  • Students who are not enrolled in IS8100 A in the Winter term are not permitted to enroll in IS8100 B in the Spring/Summer term.
  • IS 8100A, in the Winter term, has periodic class meetings; generally every two or three weeks. A schedule of meetings will be provided by the Field Placement Coordinator towards the end of the Fall term. The workload in IS 8100 A in the Winter term will be minimal. The periodic IS8100 meetings in the Winter term aim at preparing students in selecting and applying for a suitable field placement. The actual field placement and a few periodic class meetings will take place in the Spring/Summer term (May-August).
  • Part-time students may choose to complete the IS 8100A/B course in the first year or second year of the program. Those part-time students register in IS 8100 A in a Winter term may enroll in two additional courses in the same term – this is the only time when a part-time student is permitted to enroll in three courses.

Elective courses

The program aims to maintain an optimal class size in each of the elective classes.

Spaces in elective courses are available on a first-come, first-served basis. If one or more of the elective courses are full and not available at the time of registration, you will have to choose one or more of the other electives offered in a particular term.

Non-ISS elective courses have to be registered in via a course substitution process and are not open for self-enrollment for ISS students.

Other requirements

● Major Research Paper (MRP)
Generally, successful completion of IS8904 Research Methods is required before the MRP Milestone enrollment. A research proposal approved by an MRP faculty supervisor is also required for formal enrollment in the research milestone. Refer to the “MRP Guideline” available online for detailed information in the Forms & Guidelines link in the Students menu link on the program website.

● GD 1000
Graduate students, both full-time and part-time, are required to maintain a continuous active registration in the program. GD 1000 is a ‘place-holder course’ and is not a real course; there is no credit or grade attached to it. Graduate students are automatically enrolled in GD1000 by the Program Administrator every term for administrative purposes while they are actively registered in the program.

 

4 Please visit ‘ISS 8100 Field Placement Guide’ on our website

  • The online course enrollment period for Fall 2023 starts on Tuesday, August 15, 2023, and ends on Friday, September 15, 2023.
  • Students can enroll in the courses of their choice (one section of each required course and 1 or 2 electives) on a first-come, first-served basis and subject to space availability. Students are strongly encouraged to enroll in courses as soon as the self-enrollment period starts. Please read the information provided in Sections B and D above before selecting your courses. If you are planning to take only one elective course in the Fall 2023 term, please only enroll in that course and not both, so there is enough space for everyone to enroll, given the limited number of seats in each class.
  • Students can enroll in Fall 2023 term courses only during the online self-enrolment period stated above. Winter 2024 term enrollment will be available later in the Fall 2023 term. The program will inform all students when the online enrollment will open for the Winter 2023 term, including the exact schedule of the Winter term courses.
  • Students may change course registration AFTER they are enrolled in courses (as shown in the Student Centre in MyServiceHub) up to a specific date. Refer to the information in the chart below for the appropriate deadline for adding and/or dropping a course in a term.
  • If the desired course or course section is full, students can place themselves on an automatic waitlist on a first-come, first-served basis. Placing yourself on the waitlist does not guarantee a seat in a particular course or course section, so please make sure to enroll in other available courses at the time of enrollment. For more information on the waitlist function, please visit Course Wait List - Current Students - Toronto Metropolitan University (torontomu.ca)
  • If a student is enrolled in a course that s/he is not attending, a failing grade will be assigned at the end of the academic term. For the final date to drop a course in a term and how you may drop a course, refer to the section below.
  • New students who have admission conditions stated in the formal admission letter should follow instructions and the deadline stated to submit the final official transcript(s) to Graduate Studies Admissions for re-assessment of the conditions. The MyServiceHub system does not allow course registration for new students who have outstanding admissions conditions. For self-enrollment navigation instructions, please visit the following pages: 

 

Find more information on how to use Toronto Metropolitan University’s online MyServiceHub system

Students are strongly advised to familiarize themselves with the step-by-step procedure of online course enrollment prior to starting the process of self-enrollment.

 

  Fall 2023 Winter 2024 SS 2024
Last date to make course registration changes: 
ADDING ***Subject to space availability***

Sep 15

Jan 26

May 10

Last date to make course registration changes: 
DROPPING (in good academic standing)

Nov 17

March 28

July 5

2023-24 Course Selection

Course code

Title

Required/Elective

Professor TENTATIVE Schedule
IS8901 The Canadian Immigration Experience - day section  Required Harald Bauder Thu 14:00-17:00
  The Canadian Immigration Experience - evening section    Harald Bauder Tue 18:00-21:00
IS8903 Immigration Law, Policies, Politics, Practices - day section  Required Anver Saloojee Mon 10:00-13:00
  Immigration Law, Policies, Politics, Practices - evening section    Saad El Hakmi Mon 18:00-21:00

IS8926

Women, Immigration and Settlement 

Elective Sedef Arat-Koc
Wed 08:00-11:00
IS8930

Race and Racialization 

Elective Cheryl Teelucksingh Mon 15:00-18:00
IS8931 Refugee Issues Elective Mehrunnisa Ali Thu 18:00-21:00
Course code Title Required/Elective Professor TENTATIVE Schedule
IS8100A Seminar & Field Placement 1 Required Farishta Dinshaw, f2dinsha@torontomu.ca Thu 18:00-21:00
[Periodic class meetings]
IS8902 The Settlement Experience in Canada - day section Required Sutama Ghosh
Tue 12:00-15:00
  The Settlement Experience in Canada - evening section   Sutama Ghosh
Wed 18:00-21:00
IS8904 Research Methods - day section Required Henry Parada Mon 15:00-18:00
  Research Methods - evening section   Henry Parada Mon 18:30 - 21:30
IS8924 The Economics of Immigration Elective John Isbister Wed 14:00-17:00
IS8925 Global Population Movements Elective Tariq Amin Khan Tue 16:00-19:00
Course Code Title Required/Elective TENTATIVE Schedule
IS8100B Seminar & Field Placement Required Continuous enrollment in both W2024 and SS2024 terms is required.
Periodic class meetings (6-9 pm) in May-August may or may not be scheduled to the same week night as it is in the Winter term

To request formal registration in the MRP research milestone, submit the MRP Proposal Approval form to the Program by the stated deadline. The form must be signed by both the student & the MRP faculty supervisor. See the MRP Guidelines for further information. 

 

For course descriptions of the courses offered in 2023-24, please refer to Yeates School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Calendar.

As a capstone project, students will conduct specialized research on a topic of their choice. A draft proposal for this topic will be developed through the required course IS8904 - Research Methods. The MRP research and writing will be conducted under supervision of a faculty member selected by the student. The MRP will be evaluated by the supervisor and a second reader, and will involve an oral rev iew. This is a “Milestone”. Pass/Fail