Student FAQS​

Registration, Courses, and Program of Study

Remember that most policies dealing with courses and programs of study are determined at the institutional (OISE) and departmental levels. Unless the question is very specific to CIDE consult your departmental Academic Liaison first.

In October 2016, the Ontario Universities Council on Quality Assurance (the “Quality Council”) approved a proposal from the Ontario Council on Graduate Studies (OCGS) to update the nomenclature and definition of intra-university collaborative learning opportunities for graduate students.

The term “Collaborative Specialization” will be used instead of the “Collaborative Program”. This change applies to all intra-university collaborative offerings at Ontario universities. These changes are not retroactive and will only affect any incoming students (September 2017). As well, there may be other changes to the requirements in some of these collaborative specializations. In the case of the Collaborative Specialization in Comparative, International, and Development Education (CIDE) the change only involves the name change from ‘program’ to ‘specialization’ as other requirements already meet the new standards.

Other CIDE collaborative specialization requirements remain the same.

Examples of questions that CIDE policies would not address would be:

  • How do I register?
  • Does my department require any particular courses?
  • How do I form a thesis committee?
  • What are the Safety Abroad Office* guidelines if I am traveling on U of T sanctioned activities?

Examples of questions CIDE policies do cover would include:

  • Do I have enough CIDE credits?
  • Is this a CIDE course?
  • Who are the CIDE participating faculty?

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I complete my requirements for CIDE and my home department?

Most often we receive similar questions along these lines, including The CIDE requirements say I must do at least four CIDE courses. Is this possible given that I am also required to do specific courses for my department and program?

Our answer to these questions is: yes, this is possible. CIDE students are required to fulfill both their home program and department requirements as well as the CIDE requirements. You will notice in the list of CIDE core and elective classes that each class has a departmental affiliation. Therefore, any CIDE course you take will also count as a class in the home department in which it is offered (but this may not be your home department). For example, if you take SJE1922H Sociology of Race and Ethnicity, this class will count as both a CIDE core course and an SJE course.

Your home department usually requires that you complete at least four classes in that Department. CIDE requires that you complete four CIDE-related classes. Many times these requirements overlap and one class gives you credit for both your home department and CIDE.

Here is a hypothetical class list for an MA-level student in Curriculum, Teaching, and Learning (CTL) with a program requirement of eight courses: 

CTL 1000H Foundation of Curriculum Studies

    • Qualifies as Home Department Course: YES
    • Qualifies as CIDE Core or Specialization Course: NO

CIE1001H Introduction to Comparative, International and Development Education

    • Qualifies as Home Department Course: YES
    • Qualifies as CIDE Core or Specialization Course: YES

CTL1863H Controversial Issues in Development Education

    • Qualifies as Home Department Course: YES
    • Qualifies as CIDE Core or Specialization Course: YES

CTL1605H Internet Resources in Education

    • Qualifies as Home Department Course: YES
    • Qualifies as CIDE Core or Specialization Course: NO

SJE1956H Social Relation of Cultural Production in Education

    • Qualifies as Home Department Course: NO
    • Qualifies as CIDE Core or Specialization Course: YES

JPG1509H Gender Planning and International Development

    • Qualifies as Home Department Course: NO
    • Qualifies as CIDE Core or Specialization Course: YES

LHA3045H Educational Policy and Program Evaluation

    • Qualifies as Home Department Course: NO
    • Qualifies as CIDE Core or Specialization Course: YES

Total Courses:

    • 4 CTL Courses: COMPLETE
    • CIE1001H + one core course + two additional core or specialization courses: COMPLETE
    • Met the requirements of home department CTL and the CIDE program: YES

Can I take Doctoral-level courses if I am a Masters-level student?

Yes, you can take Doctoral-level courses if you are a Masters-level student and you can take Masters-level courses if you are a Doctoral student. You should inform the professor of your degree if you are not at the level of the class.

I only just discovered the CIDE specialization but I’m already registered. Can I still get into the CIDE program?

Yes, provided you meet the CIDE admission criteria, which requires that you have one year of international or cross-cultural experience. Please see the Mid-Degree Transfer in page on our website for further information.

If you meet the CIDE qualifications, you will be required to submit a statement of intent to the CIDE Specialization Director noting why you wish to enroll in CIDE. This will be much like the statement of intent you wrote for admission to OISE. If the CIDE Faculty Committee determines that you are admissible to CIDE, you will need to pick up an internal add collaborative specialization request form.

Your departmental Academic Liaison will need to approve the addition of CIDE to your program of study.

Please note that due to increased enrolment in CIDE, there may restrictions on the number of add collaboratives accepted.

Can I ask to add a course to meet my CIDE requirements if it is not on the CIDE course list?

We receive numerous requests each year from students asking to have additional courses credited to CIDEC, usually mid-course or after the course has been taken.  Because CIDE students all have an international and comparative interest, they can naturally make links between the courses they take and their personal interests, regardless of the course affiliation with the CIDE program.  On that basis, we would have to accredit every course a CIDE student takes for the program, which would not honor the integrity of the program.  The recognition of a course as a CIDEC course is based on an appraisal of what the instructor brings to the course in terms of content, materials, etc., that incorporate issues, topics, content and experiences connected to the CIDE program. Any request to cross-list a course to the CIDE program would need to come from a professor and would need to include a copy of the course syllabus and reading lists.  Furthermore, we expect the professors affiliated with the program to have some commitment to the program and its work.  If a professor is interested in becoming affiliated with CIDE and adding courses to our roster they are welcome to contact cidec.oise@utoronto.ca.

I have realized that CIDE does not quite match my research interests and would like to withdraw from the specialization. How do I accomplish this?

Students wishing to withdraw from the CIDE collaborative specialization must submit an original, signed letter to the CIDEC office stating the following:

– Reason for withdrawal
– Home department and program
– Student number
– Enrolment dates/possible grad dates

For more information contact: cidec.oise@utoronto.ca

Can an IRR count as a CIDE elective?

It is valid to recognize the potential need/usefulness of IRR’s for certain students given their particular academic or career interests. An IRR in CIDE provides a graduate student with an opportunity to pursue an area of special interest that is not offered in a regular course. The student and the CIDE participating faculty have an opportunity to explore shared interests.

In order to ensure that there is a clear and genuine intent to link the IRR to CIDE program, the approval for the course must be sought AT THE SAME TIME AS THE ORIGINAL IRR REQUEST, not after the course is already underway or has been completed. The IRR course proposal must include a specific rationale for recognition as a CIDE course, not just as a home program course. A student wanting to write a comparative paper in a course where there is not a substantive element of comparative, international or development education would be insufficient reason to approve the course as replacement for a listed CIDE course.

Approval of IRRs as CIDE elective courses will be limited to IRRs supervised by CIDE elective faculty
Guidelines for OISE/UT Individual Reading and research Courses must be followed:

The course must be approved by the CIDE Director in addition to the student’s advisor and the RO.