If, after reading through the following questions, you have any additional queries, please email deptofenglish.graduate@utoronto.ca
NEW as of September 2011: Over the course of the year (September 1 to August 31) incoming MA stream students will need to complete 4 full (Y) or 8 half (H) courses, including ENG6999YF Critical Topographies (which is equivalent to one full course or two half-credit courses). A common distribution of courseload for the MA stream is 4 half courses in the fall and 4 half courses in the winter. However, as no additional costs are incurred by taking summer courses (fees cover all three terms) some students prefer to spread the courseload over three sessions. Students in the combined JD/MA program will need to complete 3 full (Y) or 6 half (H) courses, including ENG6999YF Critical Topographies and 1 full (2 half) or 1 half course from a set of English designated “Law and Literature" courses. Courseload distribution is flexible since students are enrolled 2 years in the MA program. Students in the MA in the Field of Creative Writing program will need to complete 3 full (Y) or 6 half (H) courses which includes ENG6950Y (which is equivalent to one full course or two half-credit courses) and 2 full (Y) or 4 half (H) courses in their first year. A common distribution of courseload for the MA in the Field of Creative Writing students is 3 half courses in the fall and 3 half courses in the winter.
NOTE: MA CRW students are not required to take ENG6999Y1Y. PhD students should plan on taking 3 half courses in both the fall and winter terms, leaving the summer for Comprehensive Exam preparation. All incoming PhD students must add the CR/NRC course ENG9400H Essential Skills Workshop Series to their fall session; PhD Direct Admits must also take ENG6999YF Critical Topographies in Year 1 and ENG9400H Essential Skills Workshop Series in Year 2. Both PhD and MA students should, in planning a timetable, remember to factor in preparation time for external awards and PhD applications.
NOTE: One course is equivalent to one credit; a half course is equivalent to a half credit.
ACORN and the SWS now have the capability to maintain waiting lists in courses. If the course you have chosen is full, you can choose to join a waiting list. You can only be on one waiting list. We also recommend that you look again at your 2nd and 3rd choices – they may look more attractive! Check ACORN regularly (but not obsessively) there WILL be movement in courses, particularly by the end of the first week of classes.
You should enrol in your top choices, irrespective of the session.
The number of spaces available can be misleading - if you are denied enrolment it usually means all the English Dept. spaces are taken. Keep in mind (a) one place in every course is allocated for an out-of-the-department student (b) instructors cross-appointed with another department or centre will hold spaces for students in that department/centre (c) in courses that are cross-listed with another department/centre our allocation will be proportionate.
RST 9999Y (and RST 8888Y) are ROSI-generated devices for ensuring students are registered in a course for each session of the year (useful for income tax and OSAP purposes). They do not affect your course load; they are supplementary to it and will disappear once you have completed your degree and convocated.
Students wishing to take 1 course (or 2 half-courses) outside the department should obtain in writing the approval of the Associate Director, MA or PhD. Not all graduate departments allow students to enrol in courses via the web so check local enrolment procedures. It is not too late to begin this process in Orientation week but you should finalize your timetable before the start of fall term classes.
Yes, courses taught by English faculty in other graduate units are considered cross listed courses and will count as English courses which means a student has the option of taking either 0.5 or 1.0 courses outside the department towards completing their coursework requirements. Please note that students must receive in writing the approval of the MA or PhD Associate Director for courses taken outside the department with the exception of cross listed courses taught by English faculty or courses required for a collaborative program.
Yes, ACORN is set up to handle course enrolment before fees payment. Fees should be paid by September 16th, however (unless deferred through a fellowship or a TAship) – ACORN is quite patient, but eventually you will be removed from courses.
You will need to drop one of your other courses right away. ACORN will not arbitrarily remove you from a course, but the success of the wait-list depends on how quickly spaces are freed up for others.
In the SWS, go into Course Enrolment, List of Courses, Wait-list. You can also remove yourself from a wait-list at this point.
No, we don't. With a 4 (full) courseload, many students in the MA literature stream will wish to complete in fall and spring and take the summer off.
Graduate enrolment definitely doesn't have the kind of movement that undergraduate enrolment does, but the first 3 students on a wait-list may attend the first class. With graduate enrolment, what seems to be key is students being flexible and being considerate of each other. If you don’t panic or hoard courses or shop around in the first week of class, the process goes surprisingly smoothly!