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 (booking links available below)


Shannon Robinson

Areas: BComm and BSc
Book an appointment with Shannon


Stephanie Richard

Areas: BA, BFA, BMus, and BASc
Book an appointment with Stephanie

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. Akiko Yoshizawa
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 Dr. Bruce Robertson
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. Leslie Kern
lkern@mta.ca

 

Social sciences Programs advisor
Aviation (Commerce)          Susan Sparrow
         ssparrow@mta.ca
Canadian Public Policy

Dr. Mario Levesque
malevesque@mta.ca

Commerce

Dr. Carol Pomare
commerce@mta.ca

Economics

Dr. Carla VanBeselaere
economics@mta.ca

Environmental Studies

Dr. Brad Walters
geography@mta.ca

Geocomputing

Dr. Dave Lieske
geography@mta.ca

Geography

Dr. Dave Lieske
geography@mta.ca

Interdisciplinary Health Studies          Dr. Jane Dryden
         jdryden@mta.ca
International Economics and Business

Dr. Carla VanBeselaere
economics@mta.ca

International Relations

Dr. James Devine
jtdevine@mta.ca

Dr. Loralea Michaelis
lmichaelis@mta.ca

Mathematical Economics

Dr. Carla VanBeselaere
economics@mta.ca

Philosophy, Politics, and Economics

Politics Stream:      Dr. Dave Thomas
Economics Stream: Dr. Stephen Law
Philosophy Stream: Dr. Roopen Majitihia

Inquiries:
​​​​​ppe@mta.ca
​​

Political Science

Dr. Loralea Michaelis
lmichaelis@mta.ca

Sociology

Dr. Erin Steuter
sociology@mta.ca

 

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 Dr. Bruce Robertson
broberts@mta.ca
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. Leslie Kern (acting director)
lkern@mta.ca
Social Sciences Dean: Dr. Jennifer Tomes (Acting)
Commerce

Dr. Carol Pomare
cpomare@mta.ca

Economics

Dr. Carla VanBeselaere
cvanbese@mta.ca

Geography and Environment

Dr. Brad Walters
bwalters@mta.ca

Interdisciplinary Health Studies          Dr. Jane Dryden (acting director)
         jdryden@mta.ca 
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics

Dr. Dave Thomas 
dthomas@mta.ca

Politics and International Relations

Dr. Loralee Michaelis
lmichael@mta.ca

Sociology

Dr. Erin Steuter (acting)
esteuter@mta.ca

Science Dean: Dr. Jennifer Tomes 
Biology Dr. Diana Hamilton
dhamilton@mta.ca
Biopsychology Dr. Karen Crosby (director)
kcrosby@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. Genevieve Desmarais (acting)
gdesmarais@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.