Graduate Electives

Graduate elective courses open to all students at The Creative School for the current term can be found below.

• This list is updated at the start of each term.
• Courses are offered subject to faculty availability and are subject to change without notice.
• Preference will be given to students enrolled in the program offering the course.

1. Review available courses below and identify the course you are interested in.
   
2. Reach out to your Supervisor/Advisor and Program Director to get permission to take the course for credit in your program.
3. Complete the  (PDF file) Course Substitution form (opens in new window) , it must be signed by your Supervisor/Advisor* and Program Director.
   
4. Complete the Enrollment Request Form (link below) and submit the signed Course Substitution form**.

*If you don't have a Supervisor/Advisor, your Program Director can sign on behalf of both. 

** Submit one form per course request.

Deadline to submit a request for Winter 2027:  January 13, 2026 (noon)

The Admin team will review your enrollment request, and confirm via email.
It may not be possible to accommodate late requests.

Timeline:

• November 24
  Course enrollment begins for all programs, required and elctive courses. The process is expected to last 2- 3 weeks.
• December 7
  Enrollment for student taking electives outside of their program (except for Digital Media) begins.
• December 21
  Enrollment for non-Digital Media student interested in taking Digital Media electives begins.
• January 15 
  First day of classes (for students with class on Friday). All enrollment should be complete by this time.

Courses Requiring Special Permission

For any courses listed with a note "Permission to enroll required", please complete the submission process and submit the enrollment request. 

Then the program office will contact you with instructions about additional requirements after December 7. 
 

Communication & Culture courses require an additional step to enroll

(ie: CC8849, CC8960, CC8921, CC8828, CC8836, CC8838)

1. Complete the Course Substitution form (same as above).
   
2. Submit the Enrollment request form (same as above).
   
3. Your request will be reviewed and you will be contacted via email about next steps. 
   

Unless shown below, course descriptions can be found in the YSGPS calendar.

For your convenience, the links to each graduate program calendar at The Creative School are listed below. 

CD8360 Research Methods

This course prepares students for the complexity of discipline-specific research and interdisciplinary collaboration. Students will learn both the history of the field of research methods and its embeddedness in canon formation, as well as useful approaches for elucidating research questions and proposal development

DG8010 Selected Topics in Digital Media:
Game Design, Prototyping & Testing

In this course, students will work together to co-develop a game in a game studio format, using software engineering principles. Students will take on specialized roles within the class and, over the course of five Sprints, iteratively develop a polished game ready for publication.

DG8010 Selected Topics in Digital Media:
AI for Experience Design

This course explores the intersection of artificial intelligence and interactive media, focusing on developing creative and innovative experiences.

Students will delve into the design and implementation of AI-driven interactive experiences, including interactive fiction, artificial characters, avatars, and AI tools themselves. Through a combination of theoretical study and hands-on prototypes, participants will gain a deep understanding of how AI can enhance and transform user interactions in creative contexts.

The course will cover key concepts in machine learning, natural language processing, and interaction design, with an emphasis on their application in imaginative and engaging digital experiences.

Students will learn to critically analyze existing AI-driven interactive systems, identify opportunities for innovation, explore ethical considerations, and develop their own creative prototypes that push the boundaries of what's possible in this rapidly evolving field.

By the end of the course, students will have developed a nuanced understanding of the ethical, technical, and design considerations involved in crafting AI-enhanced interactive experiences.

DG8116 Zone Learning

An elective for graduate students who want to make progress on projects that matter to them.

Graduate school can also be an opportunity to pursue ideas that matter to you. DG 8116 gives you something that's difficult to find: time, accountability, and a supportive community to make meaningful progress on a self-directed real-world project alongside your studies.

You'll work independently while benefiting from a cross-disciplinary community of graduate students from across the university. Some develop technologies inspired by their research. Others strengthen a creative practice, build a professional portfolio, or advance initiatives connected to their professional or personal interests. Every project is different, but each is grounded in work that's meaningful to the student behind it.

The course runs on a two-week cycle. One week, a three-hour class with the full group for presentations, demos, and discussions; the next, a one-hour session with other peers to debrief on progress and plan ahead. Expect at least three hours of project work each week outside class. You'll be assessed on your learning process rather than on producing a perfect final outcome, giving you the freedom to experiment, refine your ideas, and adapt your project as it evolves.

DG 8116 is not a course to find a project, so come with one in mind. Not sure whether yours fits? The FAQ at torontomu.ca/dg8116 (opens in new window)  walks through what works well.

MP8120 Spec Tpcs: Interdisciplinary :
First Draft

In this course, writers will develop a polished first draft of a short story or novel chapters. Through workshops, students will refine their personal practice, craft outlines, develop story hooks, and write query letters. By term’s end, each participant will complete a polished draft of their project. A writing sample is required to enrol in this course.

First Draft is a small, prose-based writing workshop aimed at helping students work on the same piece of writing (typically first few chapters of a novel) over the course of the term. We revise, edit, workshop, and work with one another, and have visits from novelists, agents, and screenwriters, who are happy to answer questions you may have about the writing industry (many screenwriters also write novels and vice versa). I will also be open about whatever stage of my journey I'm in at the time, depending on the novel I'm working on (could be drafting stage, could be editing/revising, could be marketing), and often share the contents of communications I receive from my own agents, editors, and publicists. We talk about what happens when a book is optioned or sold for the screen, and the variety of ways your writing career might go.

At the start of several of our classes, we do writing prompts or other exercises simply aimed at warming up your writing muscles. Sometimes we leave the room to listen in on sample dialogue in the real world, sometimes we draw the settings of our written worlds on paper, sometimes we write a sample argument between characters, or have characters fill out questionnaires. The class becomes close-knit and friendly, and students rely on one another for helpful encouragement and feedback. 

MP8995 Special Topics in Media Production:
Embodied Digital Media

Few digital technologies make use of the connection between our bodies and minds to support creativity and knowledge production. This research and design centered course provides students with the unique opportunity to envision the shape of research-based education in digital and embodied media, while working in the Synaesthetic Media Lab (Synlab) on cutting edge projects in Tangible and Embodied Interaction for creativity, discovery and expression.