Supports Available at the Office of the Associate Dean Academic
The Academic Advising services team has in-person operations Mon – Fri in KTH 129
The Advising team is also available remotely during regular office hours: Mon - Fri, 9am - 4pm. We will be working through communications generally in the order they have been received. Thank you for your patience.
Undergraduate Academics and General Inquiries: socscfac@mcmaster.ca
Phone: (905) 525-9140 ext. 23772
Requests for appointments with advisors will continue to be through the Social Sciences portal: https://macservicedesk.mcmaster.ca/servicedesk/customer/portal/222
Password Error: Use the University Technology Services chat to ask: "Please add my MacID to the appropriate JIRA group so that I can login with my MacID and password". Their target response time in the chat is 2 minutes so they should be able to quickly resolve the issue.
For answers to common inquiries, please see below.
Department Contact List
Contact your department to inquire about department specific supports and resources using the Department List Page or the full Social Sciences Faculty and Department contact list!
Request course permission or a seat in a course.
If you are trying to obtain course permission or a seat in a course offered within the Faculty of Social Sciences, please contact the department corresponding to the subject in the course code for the course. Use the course code Eg. 'ECON 1B03' (not the course name) to determine what department to contact. Social Science department contact information can be found here.
For all 'SOCSCI' courses, except SOCSCI 2J03, email us at socscfac@mcmaster.ca to inquire about permission. Ensure you indicate your name, student number and which course, term, section and tutorial you require and we will respond to your request. For SOCSCI 2J03 contact the Department of Economics.
If you are a Social Sciences student interested in courses offered through another Faculty, you must direct your request to the appropriate department within that Faculty:
- Departments within Humanities
- Departments within Science
- Other Faculties
How do I submit a Late Withdrawal request?
We will be accepting Late Withdrawal applications beginning the day after the "Last day for withdrawing from courses without failure by default" for the current term. Students are required to review their late withdrawal request with their Academic Advisor. Please request to speak with your advisor to inquire about information, or ask for a Late Withdrawal, by creating a ticket in the Social Science Academic Advising portal.
The "Last day for withdrawing with out failure by default" for the current term can be found through following link: https://registrar.mcmaster.ca/dates-and-deadlines/
Note that to request late withdrawal from a course, students must not have completed the final evaluation (whether an assignment, paper, essay, test, or exam, etc.) for that course.
How do I view my program change result?
Once program change results have been released in late May/early June, use the following steps:
Log into MOSAIC - “Student Center” - Academics - “My Academics” - look to the grey box on the right with your “My program” breadcrumb.
Why can't I see my course(s) on avenue to learn?
Please contact the instructor for the course and request to be added on avenue to learn.
If you need contact information for the instructor, please reach out to the department that runs that course. This can typically be determined by the subject portion of the course code (e.g. a SOCIOL coded course would typically be run by the Department of Sociology).
How do I view my “academic standing” and “GPA”?
NOTE: Academic Standing and Official Cumulative Average information is only available for terms where students have had an academic review.
To find when you have had your most recent review, and see your current Official Cumulative Average, first check your unofficial transcript for the most recent term with an "Academic Standing" notation: Log into MOSAIC - “Student Center” - Academics - My Academics - view my unofficial transcript (if nothing happens check for popup blocking).
Once you know the most recent term where you have an "Academic Standing" notation use the following steps to view your Academic Standing and Official Cumulative Average:
Log into MOSAIC - “Student Center” - Academics - “other academic…” (drop-down menu) - “Grades” (click the blue arrow button) - select the most recent term that has an "Academic Standing" notation on your unofficial transcript (click “continue”) - scroll down to view “Academic Standing” and “GPA” (located at the bottom of the “Cumulative Total” column).
How do I submit a program change request? (Note that program change requests will not be available for students until after the Spring 2021 convocation dates have passed.)
Log into MOSAIC - “Student Center” - Academics - “My Academics” - “View my service requests” - “Create New Request” - “Requests for Program Change” (click “next”) - indicate in the comment section which program you would like to transfer to (see below for example):
i.e. “I would like to transfer to Honours __________ or B.A. ___________”
Important: Make sure to indicate “Honours” or “B.A.” beside your desired major.
Check the status of your service request by returning to “View my service requests”, as indicated above.
Where do I find my program/academic requirements (aka "advisement report")?
Log into MOSAIC and click the Owl Tile labelled “Advisement Report” on the front page.
Log into MOSAIC - “Student Center” - Academics - “My Academics” - “View my advisement report”.
Note that your advisement report will only be useful once you are in a specific level 2 program (subject) of study, before that do not worry about what it says. If you have questions, please contact us for clarification, either by reaching out to your advisor, or inquiring at socscfac@mcmaster.ca
What would be required if I were in a different program from the one I am in now?
Log into MOSAIC - “Student Center” - Academics - “My Academics” - “Create a what-if scenario”.
NOTE: Use your Advisement Report for your current program, do not use a What-if scenario. Your Advisement Report is customized to you based on the year that you entered your program. A What-if scenario is not, and may be confusing or misleading if there are differences between the two.
What level am I?
Your level is assessed at each academic review period (i.e. the month of May) and it corresponds to the total number of units you've completed at the end of each Fall/Winter session:
24 units or more = Level 2
54 units or more = Level 3
84 units or more = Level 4 *only Honours Programs*
Please note: units completed during the Spring/Summer term do not get factored into your total unit count until the following academic review period (i.e. the following May). Thus, if you are completing courses during the Spring/Summer (specifically to advance to the next level in your program), you will need to contact your home Faculty before the start of September and request a level change.
How do I look up course prerequisites?
- Visit the Office of the Registrar’s Undergraduate Calendar
- Select the most recent academic calendar (e.g. “Undergraduate Calendar 2018-2019”). This can also be done from the drop-down menu located in the top right corner.
- Click “Course Listings” (also located on the left 8th from top).
- Select the subject code in the “Prefix” drop-down menu (e.g. SOCIOL for Sociology; PSYCH for Psychology; etc.)
- Click “Filter”
- Find your course(s) and click on them to see: course summaries, prerequisites, anti-requisites, and cross-listed information.
How do I look up program admission requirements?
- Visit the Office of the Registrar’s Undergraduate Calendar
- Select the most recent academic calendar (e.g. “Undergraduate Calendar 2018-2019”). This can also be done from the drop-down menu located in the top right corner.
- Click “Programs (by Degree) and Minors” (located on the left, 5th from top)
- Scroll down to “Bachelor of Arts (Honours)” heading for a list of Honours Programs (4-year) OR scroll down to “Bachelor of Arts” heading for a list of B.A. programs (3-year)
- Find your desired program(s) and click on them to see admission and program requirements.
What are some useful links?
- How to Enroll – Video how-to to assist with avoiding enrollment issues
- Undergraduate Calendar – website
- Sessional Dates/Dates & Deadlines – website
- Getting Enrolled (Office of the Registrar) – website
Where is the Academic Advising Office Located?
Where do I find my “enrollment appointment”?
Once enrollment appointments are posted, usually in early June, use the following steps:
Log into MOSAIC - “Student Center” - look for the box on the right titled “Enrollment Dates” to find your “Enrollment Appointment”.