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)
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 2024-2025 (effective July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025)
| 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 mll@mta.ca |
| Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures | Dr. Kirsty Bell mll@mta.ca |
| Music | Dr. Kevin Morse 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 |
| Feminist and Gender Studies | Dr. Krista Johnston kjohnston@mta.ca |
| History | TBD |
| Indigenous Studies | Dr. Andrew Nurse (acting) anurse@mta.ca |
| Philosophy | Dr. Jane Dryden philosophy@mta.ca |
| Religious Studies | Dr. Andrew Wilson religion@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. Niels Anthonisen |
| Environmental Studies |
Dr. Brad Walters |
| Geocomputing |
Dr. Dave Lieske |
| Geography |
Dr. Brad Walters |
| Interdisciplinary Health Studies | Dr. Christiana MacDougall cmacdougall@mta.ca |
| International Economics and Business |
Dr. Niels Anthonisen |
| International Relations |
Dr. James Devine |
| Mathematical Economics |
Dr. Niels Anthonisen |
| 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. Jeffrey Waller 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. Geoff Cruttwell 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. Fabrizio Antonelli fantonelli@mta.ca
Foundations of Health - Dr. Jane Dryden jdryden@mta.ca
Mi'kmaq Studies - Dr. Andrew Nurse (acting) anurse@mta.ca
Music Education - Dr. Kevin Morse kmorse@mta.ca
Public History - Dr. William Lundell wlundell@mta.ca
Social Research Methodologies - Dr. Fabrizio Antonelli fantonelli@mta.ca
Studies of Indigenous History - Dr. Andrew Nurse (acting) anurse@mta.ca
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. Vicki St. Pierre |
|---|---|
| American Studies | TBD |
| Canadian Studies | Dr. Andrew Nurse (acting director) 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 |
| Feminist and Gender Studies | Dr. Krista Johnston (director) kjohnston@mta.ca |
| Fine Arts | Prof. Leah Garnett lgarnett@mta.ca |
| History | Dr. Hannah Lane hlane@mta.ca |
| Modern Languages and Literatures | Dr. James Devine jtdevine@mta.ca |
| Music | Dr. Kevin Morse kmorse@mta.ca |
| Philosophy | Dr. Roopen Majithia rmajithia@mta.ca |
| Religious Studies | Dr. Andrew Wilson awilson@mta.ca |
| Visual and Material Culture Studies | Dr. Christina Ionescu (director) cionescu@mta.ca |
| Social Sciences | Dean: Dr. Yves Bourgeois |
|---|---|
| Commerce |
Dr. Carol Pomare |
| Economics |
Dr. Niels Anthonisen |
| Geography and Environment |
Dr. Brad Walters |
| Interdisciplinary Health Studies | Dr. Christiana MacDougall (director) cmagdougall@mta.ca |
| Philosophy, Politics, and Economics |
Dr. Stephen Law (director) |
| Politics and International Relations |
Dr. Loralea Michaelis |
| Sociology |
Dr. Fabrizio Antonelli (acting) |
| Science | Dean: Dr. Jennifer Tomes |
|---|---|
| Aviation | Prof. Fraser Turner (director) fturner@mta.ca |
| 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. Lisa Dawn Hamilton ldhamilton@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.