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Enrol in a Subject POSt

For additional information on collaborative life science and bioinformatics & computational biology subject POSts, see below.

A subject POSt, or program of study, is a group of courses in a specific discipline. There are three levels of programs:

  • specialist program
  • major program
  • minor program

You should check the Calendar for specific admission requirements for each subject POSt. St. George campus, Arts & Science students are required to enrol in subject POSt(s) at the end of the session in which they complete their fourth full-course equivalent. Students can only enrol in subject POSts offered on the St. George campus.

You must enrol in the minimum appropriate combination of subject POSts for your degree before your course enrolment period starts, or you will be prevented from enrolling in courses on ROSI. The appropriate minimum combinations are shown in the chart below:

If your intended degree is: You must be enrolled in at least:
Hon. B.A. or Hon. B.Sc. 1 specialist or
2 majors or
1 major + 2 minors
B.Com. Specialist in Commerce and Finance
B.A or B.Sc. 1 major or
2 minors

Please note: Students whose first registration in an Arts and Science degree program is in the 2001 Summer session or later are not eligible to pursue a B.A. or B.Sc.; they must pursue an Honours B.A. or Honours B.Sc., or B.Com. degree.

Please note that you can enrol in no more than three subject POSts, of which only two can be majors or specialists.

Enrolment in a subject POSt is also important for these reasons:

  • course selection - for a number of courses the departments give priority to students based on their subject POSt
  • graduation - among the requirements for your degree, you must complete the required number of subject POSts for that degree as listed in the table above

A complete list of subject POSts (with codes and contact information) offered in the Faculty of Arts & Science, St. George campus, can be found starting on page 20; enrolment criteria are listed in the Calendar.

Subject POSt types

There are three types of subject POSts; check the “Type” column in the subject POSt listings starting on page 20.

Type 1 subject POSts

Type 1 programs have no enrolment requirements other than successful completion of four full-course equivalents. No application is required.

To enrol in a Type 1 subject POSt, log on to the SWS at www.rosi.utoronto.ca and select "subject POSts" from the main menu. Select "add a subject POSt", and enter the subject POSt code for the program you want to enrol in; for example, if you want to enrol in the major program in English, enter the code "ASMAJ1645". Codes are listed starting on page 20.

After you confirm the addition, the SWS will display the message "You have successfully added the following subject POSt", and will list the subject POSt code and title. The status field will read "ACTIVE -You are enrolled in this subject POSt" if the enrolment was successful. If the enrolment was not successful, you will see the message "A problem was encountered" with details about the error.

The following enrolment dates apply to Type 1 subject POSts.

  • April 1 - first day to enrol on the SWS
  • September 24 - last day to enrol on the SWS

Type 2 subject POSts

Type 2 programs require a specific course(s), GPA and/or grades, and may have a finite number of spaces. There are 3 steps to enrolling in a type 2 subject POSt:

  • Step 1: submit a request on the SWS
  • Step 2: check the SWS to see if the department has given you an “invitation” to enrol
  • Step 3: accept the invitation to enrol.

There are two request periods for Type 2 subject POSts. If you expect to complete the required courses during the 2005-2006 fall-winter session, you should submit your subject POSt request during the first period. If you expect to complete the required courses during the 2006 summer session, you should submit your request during the second request period. Remember that once you have completed 4.0 full-course equivalents, you will not be able to enrol in further courses until you have enrolled in the minimum appropriate combination of subject POSts. While you are waiting for the results of your subject POSt requests, you may need to enrol in interim backup subject POSt(s) if you want to enrol in courses. If you need help, contact your college registrar’s office.

No late requests will be accepted by departments; if you miss the deadline for the first request period, you must wait until the second period to submit your request.

Type 2 first request period: April 1 to May 21

The following enrolment dates apply to the first request period:

  • Requests should be made between April 1 and May 21
  • Results of these requests can be obtained starting July 4
  • August 14 is the last day to complete the enrolment process

Step 1: Submit a request on the SWS

Log on to the SWS and select "subject POSts" from the main menu. Select "add a subject POSt", and enter the subject POSt code for the program you want to request. For example, if you want to request the specialist program in history, enter the code "ASSPE0652". Codes are listed starting on page 20.

Once you’ve confirmed the request, the status field next to the subject POSt code for the program you’re requesting will read "REQUESTED - You have applied for admission to this subject POSt" if the request was successful. You can add requests for as many subject POSts as you wish, but remember—if you are invited to all of them, you can enrol in no more than three, of which only two can be majors or specialists. You should only request subject POSts for which you meet the admission requirements (as listed in the 2006-2007 Calendar).

Step 2: Check results of your requests

Beginning July 4, you must return to the SWS and select "subject POSts" from the main menu. A list of your subject POSts will appear, which will show those you've requested (with a status listed next to them) as well as those in which you are "active", or enrolled.

Step 3: Accept invitation to subject POSt

If you have been given an "invitation" to enrol in the type 2 subject POSts that you requested on the SWS, the status field next to the subject POSt code will read "INVITED- You have been offered admission to this subject POSt".

To accept the invitation to enrol, select "accept". Once you've confirmed your acceptance, the status will change to "ACTIVE -You are enrolled in this subject POSt" if the enrolment was successful. If the enrolment was not successful, you will see the message "A problem was encountered" with details about the error. To decline an invitation to enrol select "delete".

The deadline for accepting an invitation is August 14. If you do not complete the enrolment process by that date you may be given the option to reapply or you will have to submit another request during the second request period (see below).

If you have been refused permission to enrol, the status will be "REFUSED". No further action is required.

If a decision has not been made, the status will remain as "REQUESTED". You should contact the department/sponsor of the program for instructions.

Type 2 second request period:

  • July 10 to August 27

The procedures for the second period of Type 2 subject POSt enrolment are the same as the first period.

The following enrolment dates apply to the second request period:

  • Requests should be made between July 10 and August 27
  • Results of these requests can be obtained starting September 12
  • September 24 is the last day to complete the enrolment process

Type 3 subject POSts

Type 3 subject POSts require completion of specific course(s), have a finite number of spaces and additional information is required by the subject POSt sponsor. To enrol in Type 3 subject POSts, there are 3 steps involved:

  • Step 1: apply to the type 3 subject POSt on the Faculty of Arts & Science Registrar's web site
  • Step 2: check the SWS to see if the department has given you an "invitation" to enrol
  • Step 3: accept the invitation to enrol on the SWS

Remember that once you have completed 4.0 full-course equivalents, you will not be able to enrol in further courses until you have enrolled in the minimum appropriate combination of subject POSts. While you are waiting for the results of your type 3 subject POSt requests, you may need to enrol in interim backup subject POSt(s) if you want to enrol in courses. If you need help, contact your college registrar’s office.

Type 3 first request period: April 1 to May 21

The following enrolment dates apply to the first request period:

  • Requests should be made between April 1 and May 21
  • Results of these requests can be obtained starting July 4
  • August 14 is the last day to complete the enrolment process.

Step 1: Apply to the type 3 subject POSt on the Faculty of Arts & Science Registrar’s web site

Go to the Arts & Science Registrar’s Office web site at www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current, and select "Subject POSt Enrolment". Detailed instructions will be available on the site beginning April 1.

Please note: applications to Type 3 subject POSts will NOT be shown on ROSI in the subject POSt listing until mid-June, when departments consider your application.

Step 2: Check results of your requests

Beginning July 4, you must log on to the SWS and select "subject POSts" from the main menu. A list of your subject POSts will appear, which will show those you’ve requested as well as those in which you are "active", or enrolled.

Step 3: Accept invitation to subject POSt

If you have been given an "invitation" to enrol in the type 3 subject POSts that you requested on the A&S registrar's web site, the status field next to the subject POSt code on ROSI will read "INVITED- You have been offered admission to this subject POSt".

To accept the invitation to enrol, select "accept". Once you've confirmed your acceptance, the subject POSt, the status will change to "ACTIVE -You are enrolled in this subject POSt", if the enrolment was successful. If the enrolment was not successful, you will see the message "A problem was encountered" with details about the error. To decline an invitation to enrol select "delete". The deadline for accepting an invitation is August 14. If you do not complete the enrolment process by that date you will have to submit another request during the second request period (see next column). If you have been refused permission to enrol, the status will be "REFUSED". No further action is required.

If a decision has not been made then the status will remain as "REQUESTED". You should contact the department/sponsor of the program for instructions.

Type 3 second request period: July 10 to August 27

The following enrolment dates apply to the second request period:

  • Requests should be made between July 10 and August 27
  • Results of these requests can be obtained starting September 12
  • September 24 is the last day to complete the enrolment process

If you are unable to submit your request during the first request period, go to the Arts & Science Registrar's Office web site at www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current, and select "Subject POSt Enrolment". If the Type 3 subject POSt you want is listed there, follow the instructions. Do not make requests for Type 3 subject POSt using the SWS—these will not be considered. Only requests made through the Arts & Scienced Registrar's Office website will be considered.

Not all departments/sponsors will be accepting second round applications. If the Type 3 subject POSt you want is not listed there, contact the department/sponsor directly for instructions.

Special Notes: Collaborative Life Science Subject POSts

This group includes subject POSts which are given in collaboration with the Faculty of Medicine:

  • Biochemistry specialist
  • Bioinformatics and Computational Biology specialist
  • Human Biology: Genes, Genetics & Biotechnology specialist
  • Human Biology: Global Health specialist
  • Human Biology: Health & Disease specialist
  • Human Biology: Human Behavioural Biology specialist
  • Immunology specialist
  • Molecular Genetics and Microbiology specialist
  • Pathobiology specialist
  • Pharmacology specialist
  • Pharmacology and Toxicology specialist
  • Physiology specialist
  • Toxicology specialist

You should request these subject POSts during the first request period—there is no formal request period in the second round. Refer to the instructions for Type 3 subject POSts above. Please note: you must rank these programs in order of preference when you apply on the Arts & Science Registrar's Office web site; the departments will consider your requests in that order. Once accepted into one specialist, the other requests will not be considered. All requests for majors will be considered, but remember the acceptable combinations listed below when accepting enrolment into the subject POSts.

Acceptable combinations of Life Science subject POSts

You may enrol in only one specialist program from the list on the previous page (you can apply for as many as you want). You may combine one of the specialist programs listed on the previous page with the following majors:

  • Biochemistry major (cannot be combined with Specialist in Immunology or Specialist in Molecular Genetics & Microbiology)
  • Human Biology major
  • Nutritional Science major
  • Pharmacology major (cannot be combined with Specialist in Pharmacology or Specialist in Toxicology)
  • Toxicology major (cannot be combined with Specialist in Pharmacology or Specialist in Toxicology)

You CANNOT combine any of the specialist programs listed above with a major in Physiology. Combinations of two majors are permissible, with the exception of a double major in Pharmacology and Toxicology.

Bioinformatics & Computational Biology

The Bioinformatics & Computational Biology specialist is subject to deregulated academic fees. Please refer to Academic Fees for Commerce, Computer Science, and Bioinformatics & Computational Biology Subject POSts.

Admission with transfer credits?

If you have received 4.0 transfer credits (full-course equivalents) or more, you must enrol in a subject POSt within your first session in the Faculty in order to continue your studies. If you indicated a choice of subject POSt on your application for admission, the transfer credit section will enrol you in a subject POSt where possible. If this has been done, your Transfer Credit Assessment will state the subject POSt you have been enrolled in. Please note that in some cases, you will be enrolled in a major only—you will have to enrol in another major (or two minors) because you are required to enrol in the appropriate combination of subject POSts for your degree. If you don’t, you will be prevented from enrolling in courses on ROSI in future sessions. If you did not indicate a subject POSt choice, or noted a broad-based area (e.g. “humanities”) on your application for admission, you should choose a Type 1 subject POSt and enrol in it on ROSI. Information on Type 1 subject POSts can be found on page 11.

If you wish to use a transfer credit to qualify for a Type 2 or 3 program, you must take your transcript and transfer credit assessment to the department/sponsor offering the program as soon as possible after you’ve made a request for the subject POSt. If you do not do so, your request to enrol in the subject POSt will be refused by the department/sponsor. If you do not meet the criteria for enrolment, you must seek counselling at your college registrar’s office to review your options. Changing subject POSts

If you would like to change to a Type 1 subject POSt, you can use the "CHANGE" feature on the SWS. You can also simply delete an active subject POSt, and use the "Add a New Subject POSt" feature to enrol in a new one.

There are some subject POSt groupings which allow you to change among the members with no reapplication or departmental approval required. For example, if you are enrolled in the specialist in Philosophy and Political Science, you can switch to the major in Political Science, or vice-versa. You can find a listing of Type 2 and 3 subject POSt groups that allow this type of changing on page 29. Use the "CHANGE" feature on the SWS to switch amongst members on the same groups.

If your active subject POSt and the one you would like to change to are not in one of the groups on page 29 you must request the new one on the SWS or contact the appropriate department/sponsor for approval to change.

Summary of subject POSt status codes which appear on ROSI

  • REQUESTED
    • you have applied for admission to the subject POSt
  • INVITED
    • you have been offered admission (given an invitation) to the subject POSt
  • REFUSED
    • you have been refused admission to the subject POSt
  • ACTIVE
    • you are officially enrolled in the subject POSt