Dear Aska,

I am currently a second year student enrolled in the Archaeology Specialist program. It was not my program of choice when I first enrolled in UofT, but as my first year ended, only then did I find out that what I originally wanted to study was no longer offered. What I’m enrolled in now was simply out of panic, and what I’ve been calling a “placeholder Subject POSt.” I picked it just so I would be enrolled in something and would be allowed to choose courses as I search for another subject to pursue.

As of right now, I’ve decided that I would change the Specialist into a Major so that the courses I had taken in my first year would not go to waste. Given that the Specialist program requisites are higher and I have already been accepted into that, I should be able to switch to a Major without any problems, right? And on that note, is changing my Subject POSt as easy as changing my courses? Do I simply change/delete my current one on ROSI and request another?

If that plan goes through, I’ll only have one Major and have to pick up another. To do so, I’m planning on picking up a second Major, which I’ve decided to be Psychology. I’m currently sitting comfortably at a 92% in PSY100, and feel quite confident that I will be accepted into the program. However, on the 2012-2013 Calendar, there’s a question I have with regards to the required courses. Requirement number 9 states that I need “1.5 FCEs from Groups 1 and/or 2 at any level.” Does this overlap with the courses I take to satisfy requirements 3 and 4, or will I need to take another 1.5 FCEs outside of that?

And now, a more general question to wrap things up… Am I allowed to take a course and it’s prerequisite at the same time? I’m currently taking ANT203Y1 which is a prereq for ANT334 and ANT335. However, I’d like to get a head start on 334 and 335 if I can, instead of waiting for next year. I currently have a grade somewhere in the ballpark of 88 or 89% and don’t feel like there’s anyways for my to mess it up and drop below 50%. This is a rather specific example, but I’d probably have to use this knowledge elsewhere somewhere down the road.

This was an extremely long email filled with a ton of questions and you have my sincerest of thank you’s for reading it all and putting up with my lack of knowledge. You and your site have been of great help to me countless times, unlike that of certain offices. I have gone searching for answers elsewhere before I came here, but all I was met with was “toobadsosad” when my desired program was removed and “come in and make an appointment” when I asked anyone else (which is what I was trying to avoid altogether. Being a commuter, my schedule is hectic enough as it is.) Now I know better. This will now always be my first stop when I need questions answered. Once again, thank you so much. I owe you a coffee or something.

Yours truly,
M

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Dearest M,

Funny story: I literally copied your message into a word doc and highlighted your questions to figure out what I?m writing. Lots of background info here! I’m not sure if I love that or not… Anyhow, let’s get down to the nitty gritty.

Question 1: “I have already been accepted into [the Archaeology Specialist program so] I should be able to switch to a Major without any problems, right? And on that note, is changing my Subject POSt as easy as changing my courses? Do I simply change/delete my current one on ROSI and request another?”

Looking at the program website, I’d say that yes, switching over to the Major program should be perfectly fine. As long as you’ve completed ANT200Y with a 70, which both the Specialist and Major programs seem to call for, everything should be fine! And yup, changing your POSt will be nice and easy. Basically you’ll go on ROSI on April 1st at the earliest, when Subject POSt enrolement begins! You’ll have to first drop the Archaeology Specialist and then request the Archaeology Major. You won’t necessarily be “switching” over so much as you’ll be dropping and reapplying, meaning you’ll be accepted into the Major program as long as you have the requirements (which you do) by around mid-June at the latest.

Question 2: “Does [requirement 9] overlap with the courses I take to satisfy requirements 3 and 4 [of my Psychology Major], or will I need to take another 1.5 FCEs outside of that?”

Nope, no extra courses! They can definitely overlap. I mean, they should. I’d hate to be wrong, but I’m like 99% sure. I mean, I’ve fulfilled a “Literature since the 18th century” requirement and a 400-level ENG requirement in one go by taking a seminar in that field, so I don’t see why that rule wouldn’t spread among departments. So assuming I am correct (just doublecheck with the Psychology undergraduate advisor), you can take PSY260H to fulfill requirements 4 and 9 at the same time.

Question 3: “Am I allowed to take a course and it’s prerequisite at the same time?”

No. Prerequisites have to go beforehand, hence the “pre.” The ones that you can take at the same time are corequisties.

Anyhow, I’m glad askastudent has been helpful for you! And I know what you mean. Sometimes it’s easier to get a fellow student to verify what you’re like 99% sure of from what you read in the Calender than to go to some mean secratary or counsellor who seems to really dislike her job and the students that come to her… because UofT kind of has a lot of those.

all out of answers,

aska

Hey,

I’ll be a first year student in September 2012 at UTM and I’m really confused as to how credits work. How many credits is a course worth? I was accepted into the Communications, Culture, and Information Technology program at UTM and I want to double major with Commerce as my second major. I’m told I can only take 6.0 level 100 credits that would count towards my degree requirements. Does this mean that a course that will only take a semester (F/S courses) to complete is worth 0.5 credits and a course that takes both semesters (Y courses) to complete is worth 1 full credit?

I’m also confused with how double majors actually work. Each degree requires 20.0 credits. Does this mean I take a total of 40.0 credits or just 20.0 credits and that all my courses I take within my four years at UTM apply to both my degrees?

Also, how do I enrol for a double major? The degree requirements state that for my Bachelor of Arts I require to take either 1 Specialist, or 2 Majors, or 1 Major plus 2 Minors. I’ve decided that I’ll be doing 2 majors, but then for Commerce it requires me to do a Specialist in Commerce & Finance. For my Bachelor of Arts degree do I take Commerce and disregard the Specialist in Commerce & Finance or do I have to do both the double major and the specialist program for Commerce?

I’m super confused, I don’t know what I’m doing with my life, and I need your help!

Please and thank you!! 🙂

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Hey there,

One course is worth 0.5 credits if it lasts for only one semester and a full 1.0 if it?s year-long. So basically in one year, most people will take an average of 5.0 FCEs, which can be a combination of say two year-long courses and six half-credit courses.

Now double majors are a great way to train students to be proficient in multiple fields. Majors usually require anywhere between 6.0 and 8.0 credits depending on the specific program. Assuming you plan your schedule out strategically, you should be able to finish the requirements for both majors within your four years at UTM.

As for your programs of interest, to be completely honest, I?m a little confused about what you?re trying to say. You want to double major in Communications, Culture, and Information Technology, along with Commerce, right? But you think you can?t just do a major in Commerce, it has to be a specialist? If that?s the case, I don?t see why you can?t do the double major you?re aiming for since according to UTM?s Department of Management, a major in Commerce to go with your B.A. is available. Once you figure out what the Subject POSts you want to pursue are, you declare them on ROSI. You’re still in first year though, so you won’t have to deal with that until around April.

But don?t stress! And if you?re still confused and lost and in need of help, give your registrar a call and make an appointment to get some guidance.

also a little confused,

aska

Hello Aska,

I am a second year student currently enrolled as a political science and urban studies major with a minor in human geography. I’ve been doing a lot of questioning over what to study and have decided to flip my urban studies to a minor and human geography to a major. no big deal.

But I’m a) a bit confused on when I can change my posts, b) unsure of how I will be able to fit in all the necessary courses, and c) how this will change the courses I can take from the urban studies department in my upper years. But most importantly I have no idea which academic service to go to with all these questions?

The registrar? or would they just direct me to the urban studies and geography department?

Thank you,

Ali

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Hello there Ambitious Ali,

Subject POSts are chosen during two periods for Types 2, 2L, and 3 (Type 1s last from early April to late September in just one session). These three types have a first round where students may request entry to a program between early April and mid-May. Invitations then usually come around late June/early July and must be accepted by early August. The second period follows the same pattern but takes place a little later. Thus, you won?t be able to change your POSts until April 2013.

Now after you change POSts, remember that to graduate with an Honours Bachelor of Arts you need to complete either a) one specialist, b) two majors, or c) one major and two minors. So if you can only fit in the courses necessary for your Political Science major and Human Geography major, you?ll be fine.

But you may be able to complete all the requirements for the three programs if you choose courses strategically. For example, you can try taking Human Geography courses that also work for your Urban Studies minor. The courses you can take for that minor in your upper years, however, is completely up to you and what you decide to take. But for the most part, as long as you take INI235Y1 (which you should since it?s a requirement), most courses are available to you.

If you have any further questions, head first to your registrar. 🙂

Cheers!

aska