Course Unions
Course Unions are a core part of graduate student organizing and student life at the University of Toronto. There are over 80 Course Unions, represented in the UTGSU Assembly by individuals elected by the Course Union’s membership.
If you cannot find the contact information for your representative, email membership@utgsu.ca with your name, department, and campus for information.
What is a Course Union?
A course union is the association that represents all graduate students within a graduate unit. It has an executive team that is democratically elected by the members of the association and that is responsible to the students in the department. Students in virtually every graduate department, centre, and institute at U of T have organized themselves into course unions.
Direct student involvement and participation in one’s education is a fundamental right. Course unions evolved as students at the grassroots level sought to gain input into departmental decisions directly affecting their education, such as curriculum and content, degree requirements, grading, and hiring. Course unions act within their own departments, while the UTGSU deals with issues of the entire graduate community within U of T as a whole.
What do they do?
Course unions are active in representing students at the departmental level, campaigning for democratic student representation on departmental committees and developing course evaluations. Course unions organize seminars, sports teams, orientation activities for new students, parties, and much more. They represent students on departmental committees and at the UTGSU Assembly meetings, passing on information from around the campus. From time to time, the UTGSU organizes opportunities for graduate students to meet fellow students from other departments and faculties. Annually we maintain a UTGSU Course Union President listserv and a Course Union Rep listserv to help course unions talk to each other.
How are they funded?
The UTGSU funds Course Unions based on the size of their membership. Small Course Unions receive extra funding. The UTGSU employs a Membership Coordinator (membership@utgsu.ca) that helps Course Unions to organize.
Why become involved?
Many crucial decisions are made at the departmental level, ranging from determining student funding packages and extension recommendations to comprehensive exam changes and regulations, course offerings, the ranking of applicants for scholarships, residence-housing and the hiring of teaching assistants. Course Unions also provide support to their members and organize social events to facilitate community within their program.
Division 1: Humanities
- Graduate Union of Students of Art (GUStA)
- Cinema Studies Graduate Student Union
- Classics Graduate Student Union
- Comparative Literature Student Course Union
- Drama Centre Student Union Executive Council
- East Asian Studies Graduate Student Union
- Graduate English Association (GEA)
- Graduate French Association (SESDEF)
- German Graduate Student Association
- Graduate History Society
- The HAPSAT Society (History and Philosophy of Science and Technology)
- Graduate Students’ Association of Italian Studies (GSAIS)
- Linguistics Graduate Course Union
- Centre for Medieval Studies Course Union
- Museum Studies Graduate Student Association
- Music Graduate Students Association
- Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations Graduate Students Association
- Graduate Philosophy Student Union
- Department for the Study of Religion Student Association
- Association of Slavic Graduate Students
- Spanish & Portuguese Graduate Student Union
- Women & Gender Studies MA Course Union
Division 2: Social Sciences
- Anthropology Graduate Student Union
- Graduate Architecture Landscape and Design Student Union (GALDSU)
- Centre for European, and Eurasian Studies Graduate Student Union (CEES)
- Graduate Students’ Criminology Association
- Graduate Economics Union
- Masters of Financial Economics Students’ Association
- Graduate Geography & Planning Student Society (GGAPSS)
- Master of Global Affairs Students’ Association (MGASA)
- Association of Students of Industrial Relations & Human Resources
- Master of Information Student Council (MISC)
- iSchool Doctoral Students’ Association (DSA)
- Graduate Law Students’ Association
- Graduate Business Council: Rotman School of Management (Management MBA)
- Rotman PhD Association (Management PhD)
- Master of Management & Professional Accounting Program Student Union
- Graduate Association of Students in Political Science (GASPS)
- Master of Public Policy Student Association (MPPSA)
- Social Justice Education Departmental Student Association
- Social Work Graduate Students Association (Social Work, MSW)
- PhD Student Association (Social Work, PhD)
- Graduate Sociology Students Association (GSSA)
Division 3: Physical Sciences
- Aerospace Students’ Association
- Graduate Astronomy Student Association
- Biomedical Engineering Student Association (BESA)
- Chemical Engineering Graduate Students Association (CEGSA)
- Chemistry Graduate Student Union
- Civil and Mineral Engineering Graduate Student Association (or CivMinGSA)
- Computer Science Graduate Student Benevolent Society (CSGSBS)
- Electrical & Computer Engineering Graduate Student Society (ECE)
- Association of Geology Graduate Students (AGGS)
- Materials Science & Engineering Graduate Students’ Association (MSEGSA)
- Mathematics Graduate Students Association
- Association of Mechanical & Industrial Graduate Students (AMIGAS)
- Physics Graduate Students Association (PGSA)
- Statistics Graduate Student Union
Division 4: Life Sciences
- Biochemistry Graduate Student Union (BGSU)
- Cell & Systems Biology Graduate Union
- Graduate & Postgraduate Dental Student Society
- Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Graduate Student Association
- Kinesiology and Physical Education Graduate Society (KPEGS)
- Forestry Graduate Students Association (FGSA)
- Institute of Health Policy, Management & Evaluation Graduate Students’ Union (IHPME)
- Immunology Graduate Student Association
- Confederation of Laboratory Medicine & Pathobiology Students (CLAMPS)
- Medical Biophysics Graduate Student Association
- Medical Research Graduate Students’ Association
- Institute of Medical Science (IMS) Student Association
- Molecular Genetics Graduate Student Association
- Graduate Nurses’ Student Society (GNSS)
- Nutritional Sciences Graduate Students’ Association (NSGSA)
- Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy Student Association
- Pharmaceutical Sciences Graduate Student Association (PSGSA)
- Pharmacology Graduate Student Association (PGSA)
- Physical Therapy Graduate Student Association
- Graduate Association of Students in Physiology (GASP)
- Psychology Graduate Students Association (PGSA)
- Public Health Students Association
- Rehabilitation Science Graduate Student Union
- Speech-Language Pathology (SLP)