Subject POSts
- What are subject POSts and why do I need them?
- Can't you just tell me what to take to graduate?
- What do I need to get into the POSt? What do I need to complete the POSt?
- I've decided to have Sociology as one of my Subject POSts. What do I have to do?
- I have until 22 September to enrol in a SOC Subject POSt. Why should I enrol sooner?
- I requested the SOC minor or major using ROSI. When do I find out if my enrolment on ROSI was successful?
- I want to do a Sociology minor or major, and my SOC101Y mark is close to but not quite 65%. Can I still get in?
- That's great for the minor and major, but I'm interested in the specialist POSt.
- I'm taking SOC101Y in the summer, with the intention of being a SOC major. During course selection this summer, can I select SOC200Y for September?
- For the major, do I really have to take SOC200Y and SOC203Y immediately after taking SOC101Y?
- I'm thinking about Sociology, but what courses can I expect to take in future years?
- This information was useful and answered a lot of my questions. But there's something you haven't covered. My situation is...
1. What are subject POSts and why do I need them?
A subject POSt (Program Of Study, also known as a program) is a recognized sequence of courses. There are many such sequences available in Arts and Science, for example, "minor in sociology" or "specialist in psychology." One POSt does not define your entire degree, and if you decide to "major in sociology" it does not mean all of your courses are rigidly determined for your entire time at U of T.The POSt is a component of your degree, and many students will have two or more POSts as parts of their degree. It may be useful to think of your overall degree as a large container. Each POSt is an ingredient of your degree, and a certain number and combination of POSts is required depending on your degree objective.
2. Can't you just tell me what to take to graduate?
This would be more simple but less advantageous for students. The modular approach of the POSts in the Arts and Science degree offers great flexibility, but that flexibility means you have to sort through many options that might seem complex at first.How do courses make up a program? How do programs make up a degree? Will you complete a three- or four-year degree? What is distribution? If you need answers to these questions, you must consult the very important Degree Requirements information in the Faculty of Arts and Science Calendar. You do not want to wait and read this in your last year and find out that you cannot take anything you like because of incomplete degree requirements, or that you have to stay for an extra session in order to graduate.
We suggest a general-to-specific approach. (1) First, are you pursuing a three-year (15.0 courses) or a four-year (20.0 courses) degree? (2) Second, look in the Calendar for your Degree Requirements and consider how you might like to configure the POSts in your degree. You may decide to concentrate in one discipline and study it more deeply, or do two or more POSts and have a sequence of courses in multiple disciplines. This may take you a while since there is a vast array of subjects in the Calendar. (3) Third, look up your POSts under their Calendar listings, and you will find the exact sequence of courses that make up that POSt.
A reminder: You do not have to decide all of this early on, once and for all time. Your first four or five courses in Arts and Science will be in different disciplines, which will give you time to explore different areas. You do not select any POSt until you complete your fourth full course credit. For most people this is at least a full year of study. Finally, it is possible to change POSt later on if your interests change over time. However, the later you make a change, the more likely it is that you will have to do some extra courses to complete your new POSt choices.
3. What do I need to get into the POSt? What do I need to complete the POSt?
SOC POSts have entry requirements that you need to complete before you enrol in the POSt and go on to complete the rest of the sequence. Make sure you complete these entry requirements early in your degree so that you have plenty of time to complete the rest of the sequence.Once you are enroled, you continue to take the courses that make up the POSt. Some of these are fixed, and some are electives. You can see the completion requirements under your desired program through the Contents Page.
4. I've decided to have Sociology as one of my Subject POSts. What do I have to do?
The instructions for actually enroling are available here.5. I have until 25 September to enrol in a SOC Subject POSt. Why should I enrol sooner?
The deadline for enrolment is 25 September 2005. However, completing your program enrolment before registration is strongly recommended. If you are not in your Subject POSt by this date, you will be at a disadvantage when selecting courses for the following reasons:- Most SOC courses are designated as Priority to SOC students. These have the 'P' indicator in the Timetable. If you are not in the correct SOC POSt when you select these courses during the first round of course selection in July and August 2001, your requests will be rejected by the SWS/STS. The Priority designation is lifted after the first round of course selection, and courses are then opened to non-SOC students. However, by that second round stage SOC students will have had their chance, and there will be fewer remaining spaces to try for, if any.
- A few SOC courses are designated as Restricted. These have the 'R' indicator in the Timetable. If you are not in the correct SOC POSt when you try select these courses, your requests will be rejected by ROSI (SWS/STS). The Restricted designation is not lifted at any time.
The indicator for every course, and the precise dates of the first and second rounds of course selection, are given in this year's Registration Handbook and Timetable.
6. I requested the SOC minor or major using ROSI. When do I find out if my enrolment on ROSI was successful?
These are Type 2 subject POSts. This means that there is no space limit for these POSts. All students who have the requirements are accepted into the program, and all students without the requirements are refused. In other words, there is no competition for a limited number of spaces, no first-come first-served, and no wondering how other students rank compared to you. If you have the required grades and credits, you may enrol, and you will be accepted.
7. I want to do a Sociology minor or major, and my SOC101Y mark is close to but not quite 65%. Can I still get in?
No. Your option is to take SOC101Y over again and achieve 65% or more. There is no other mechanism by which students can enter the Sociology minor or major POSt. See your registrar to enrol in SOC101Y for the second time. Some conditions apply to course re-takes, and you cannot select it on ROSI.8. That's great for the minor and major, but I'm interested in the specialist POSt.
Enroling in the SOC specialist POSt is a two-step process. After you complete SOC101Y with 65% or more, enrol in the Sociology major. When you have completed SOC200Y and SOC203Y as a SOC major (for most students these are taken immediately following SOC101Y), and have achieved 70% or more in both of those second-year courses, then you are eligible for the SOC specialist POSt.The above also applies to the joint specialist POSts. Furthermore, joint specialists may have other requirements to satisfy for the other POSt sponsor (for example, ECO or POL). See the Calendar for the entry requirements of the different joint programs.
9. I'm taking SOC101Y in the summer, with the intention of being a SOC major. During course selection this summer, can I select SOC200Y for September?
No. Since you do not qualify for the major POSt until after you achieve 65% or more in SOC101Y, you will be in the group of people trying for SOC200Y at the end of summer. As soon as your qualifying SOC101Y grade is official, enrol in the SOC major. You have until 21 September to enrol, but don't wait that long as courses will continue to fill up. Then you will be eligible to select SOC200Y, which is Restricted to majors in September. While we anticipate enough space in SOC200Y for all SOC majors, including those enroling in the major at the end of their summer course, we cannot guarantee this. You may have to take it in a later session.10. For the major, do I really have to take SOC200Y and SOC203Y immediately after taking SOC101Y?
There is no penalty for not doing this, but we strongly recommend this sequence of courses. If you do not follow this advice, you may find yourself taking an extra session to complete your SOC POSt, especially if you are considering going on to do the specialist. The specialist courses build on each other and follow a sequence, as you can see from the prerequisites of each required course.Another consideration is how theory and research methods provide a strong foundation for understanding material you will encounter in later sociology courses. Feedback from students who have taken SOC courses both before and after SOC200Y and SOC203Y confirms that the educational experience in the later courses was enhanced by their increased understanding of theory and research methods.