Academic advising is available to assist all new and returning students from year one to graduation.
Academic advising will help you develop education plans for achieving your goals. It includes:
- receiving advice on academic matters
- taking ownership of your education
- making effective and informed decisions concerning your degree
- connecting university experiences to personal, academic, and career goals
- collaboration and partnership
On this page
Students can get help planning their academics through:
Academic advisors
Our academic advisors can help you with program planning, degree requirements, or if you have questions or concerns about your academics.
Some issues are easily resolved via e-mail while others may require a discussion in person. Remember, advisors will be very busy during peak periods (registration) so plan ahead and book an appointment early!
Contact your academic advisor:
- Email: advisor@mta.ca
- Book an appointment — appointments are being conducted in person or through MS Teams
Sarah Cormier
Areas: BComm and BSc
Stephanie Richard
Areas: BA, BFA, BMus, and BASc
What can my academic advisor help me with?
Academic advisors can:
- assist with course selection and registration
- help interpret academic policies and procedures
- help you consider options for major and minor programs
- clarify degree and program requirements
- assist with program planning and tracking progress towards graduation
- provide guidance in formulating and realizing academic goals
- help you understand the consequences of academic decisions
- respond to concerns related to academic performance and academic standing
- answer your questions on academic matters and regulations
- highlight important dates and deadlines
- make referrals to appropriate resources
When should I meet with an academic advisor?
We suggest that you take the initiative to meet with an advisor at least once a year, and to seek advising when it is needed — whether you are struggling academically or not.
Contact an academic advisor any time you have questions or concerns about academic matters. Some issues are easily resolved via e-mail while others may require a discussion in person.
Students with a declared major or minor are strongly advised to consult with a program advisor prior to seeing an academic advisor.
Program advisors
Program advisors have particular expertise in their discipline and programs. Each academic department and program has a designated faculty member available to advise students.
Contact your program advisor
Once you've declared a major and minor, we strongly recommend you seek academic advising from a program advisor.
We also recommend you consult with program advisors as you consider your choice of major or minor.
Program advisors for 2023-2024 (effective July 1, 2023-June 30, 2024)
| Arts Programs | Advisor |
|---|---|
| Art History | Dr. Anne Koval finearts@mta.ca |
| Drama Studies | Dr. Sarah Fanning drama@mta.ca |
| English | Dr. Janine Rogers english@mta.ca |
| Fine Arts | Prof. Leah Garnett finearts@mta.ca |
| French Studies | Dr. Kirsty Bell mll@mta.ca |
| German Studies | Dr. Renata Schellenberg mll@mta.ca |
| Hispanic Studies | Dr. Juan Carols Martinez mll@mta.ca |
| Japanese Studies | Dr. Kirsty Bell Dr. Tim Reiffenstein Dr. Owen Griffiths mll@mta.ca |
| Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures | Dr. Kirsty Bell mll@mta.ca |
| Music | Dr. Stephen Runge music@mta.ca |
| Visual & Material Culture Studies | Dr. Christina Ionescu cionescu@mta.ca |
| Humanities Programs | advisor |
|---|---|
| American Studies | TBD americanstudies@mta.ca |
| Canadian Studies | Dr. Andrew Nurse canadianstudies@mta.ca |
| Classical Studies | TBD classics@mta.ca |
| Community Engaged Learning | Dr. Fiona Black religion@mta.ca |
| History | Dr. William Lundell wlundell@mta.ca |
| Indigenous Studies | Dr. Karl Hele khele@mta.ca |
| Philosophy | Dr. Jane Dryden philosophy@mta.ca |
| Religious Studies | Dr. Fiona Black religion@mta.ca |
| Women's and Gender Studies | Dr. Krista Johnston krjohnston@mta.ca |
| Social sciences Programs | advisor |
|---|---|
| Aviation (Commerce) | Susan Sparrow ssparrow@mta.ca |
| Canadian Public Policy |
Dr. Mario Levesque |
| Commerce |
Dr. Carol Pomare |
| Economics |
Dr. Carla VanBeselaere |
| Environmental Studies |
Dr. Brad Walters |
| Geocomputing |
Dr. Dave Lieske |
| Geography |
Dr. Dave Lieske |
| Interdisciplinary Health Studies | Dr. Ardath Whynacht awhynacht@mta.ca |
| International Economics and Business |
Dr. Carla VanBeselaere |
| International Relations |
Dr. James Devine |
| Mathematical Economics |
Dr. Carla VanBeselaere |
| Philosophy, Politics, and Economics |
Politics Stream: Dr. Dave Thomas Inquiries: |
| Political Science |
Dr. Loralea Michaelis |
| Sociology |
Dr. Fabrizio Antonelli |
| Science programs | advisors |
|---|---|
| Aviation (Science) | Fraser Turner aviation@mta.ca |
| Biology | Dr. Karen Crosby Dr. Diana Hamilton Dr. Douglas Campbell biology@mta.ca |
| Biochemistry | Dr. Tyson MacCormack chembiochem@mta.ca |
| Chemistry | Dr. Glen Briand chembiochem@mta.ca |
| Cognitive Science | Dr. Genevieve Desmarais psych@mta.ca |
| Computer Science | Dr. Laurie Ricker cs@mta.ca |
| Data Science | Dr. Geoffrey Cruttwell math@mta.ca |
| Environmental Science | Dr. Josh Kurek envsci@mta.ca |
| Mathematics | Dr. Mark Hamilton math@mta.ca |
| Physics | Dr. Ralf Bruening physics@mta.ca |
| Psychology | Dr. Genevieve Desmarais Dr. Alison O'Connor Dr. David Filice psych@mta.ca |
Certificates
Arts Administration - TBD
Biopsychology - Dr. Karen Crosby kcrobsy@mta.ca
Canadian Arts and Culture -Dr. Andrew Nurse anurse@mta.ca
Community Engaged Learning -Dr. Fiona Black fblack@mta.ca
Data Analytics - Dr. M.E. Messinger mmessinger@mta.ca
Data Management -Dr. M.E. Messinger mmessinger@mta.ca
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion -Dr. Erin Steuter esteuter@mta.ca
Foundations of Health - Dr. Ardath Whynacht awhynacht@mta.ca
Mi'kmaq Studies - TBD
Music Education - Dr. Stephen Runge srunge@mta.ca
Social Research Methodologies - Dr. Erin Steuter esteuter@mta.ca
Studies of Indigenous History - TBD
Theatre Arts - Dr. Sarah Fanning sfanning@mta.ca
Visual Literacy and Culture - Dr. Christina Ionescu cionescu@mta.ca
What questions can be directed to program advisors?
- Honours programs
- Independent studies
- Research opportunities
- Graduate/professional studies
- Program curriculum and course content
- Academic requirements and course options for honours/major/minor programs
- Program planning and course selection advice
- Complementary courses for major/honours programs which must be chosen in consultation with the program advisor
Contact your department head
In some cases, the role of department head and program advisor may be filled by the same faculty member but this is not always the case.
Department heads must approve the following:
- Registering for a course without having the prerequisites
Department heads and program coordinators
| Arts and humanities | Dean: Dr. Rachel Rubin (Acting) |
|---|---|
| American Studies | TBD |
| Canadian Studies | Dr. Andrew Nurse (acting) anurse@mta.ca |
| Classics | TBD |
| Drama | Dr. Sarah Fanning (director) sfanning@mta.ca |
| English | Dr. Peter Brown pbrown@mta.ca |
| Fine Arts | Prof. Leah Garnett lgarnett@mta.ca |
| History | Dr. William Wilson wwilson@mta.ca |
| Modern Languages and Literatures | Dr. James Devine jtdevine@mta.ca |
| Music | Dr. Stephen Runge srunge@mta.ca |
| Philosophy | Dr. Roopen Majithia rmajithia@mta.ca |
| Religious Studies | Dr. Barb Clayton bclayton@mta.ca |
| Visual and Material Culture Studies | Dr. Christina Ionescu (director) cionescu@mta.ca |
| Women's and Gender Studies | Dr. Krista Johnston (director) krjohnston@mta.ca |
| Social Sciences | Dean: Dr. Jennifer Tomes (Acting) |
|---|---|
| Commerce |
Dr. Carol Pomare |
| Economics |
Dr. Carla VanBeselaere |
| Geography and Environment |
Dr. Brad Walters |
| Interdisciplinary Health Studies | Dr. Ardath Whynacht (director) awhynacht@mta.ca |
| Philosophy, Politics, and Economics |
Dr. Dave Thomas |
| Politics and International Relations |
Dr. Loralee Michaelis |
| Sociology |
Dr. Erin Steuter (acting) |
| Science | Dean: Dr. Jennifer Tomes |
|---|---|
| Biology | Dr. Diana Hamilton dhamilton@mta.ca |
| Chemistry and Biochemistry | Dr. Vicki Meli vmeli@mta.ca |
| Cognitive Science | Dr. Genevieve Desmarais (coordinator) gdesmarais@mta.ca |
| Mathematics and Computer Science | Dr. Geoffrey Cruttwell gcruttwell@mta.ca |
| Physics | Dr. Ralf Bruening rbruening@mta.ca |
| Psychology | Dr. Gene Ouellette gouellette@mta.ca |
Career advisors
To help you find your way from academic studies to a rewarding future, we provide group programs, individual career advising, and career resources.
For more information, visit career planning and resources.