Welcome to our vibrant, academic and creative community, and thank you for choosing our graduate program!
We offer rigorous and competitive education in MA and PhD streams that provides exceptional research opportunities and interdisciplinary connections at the first-ranked and largest university in Canada in the multicultural urban setting and rich cultural landscape of Toronto.
The major objectives for both streams include: an international standard of research and education in the fields of Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies; inclusive diversity of knowledge(s) and original knowledge production; interdisciplinary opportunities of learning and research; both comprehensive and specialized education in our fields; and facilitating professionalization, professional networking, and internationalization.
We want our students to have access to a broad range of employment and self-employment opportunities in the academe, creative industries, and the public sectors of education, healthcare, social work and social justice, not-for-profit organizations (i.e., scholarly informed activism related to issues of gender politics, indigenous rights, environmental politics, equity, etc.), as well as in digital and mass media. Some of these opportunities may require specialization in our fields, but may also offer a high level of flexibility in knowledge applications. In order to achieve such flexibility, our focus in both streams is on transferrable skill sets, innovative thinking, resourcefulness, self-motivation, and collaborative modes of work.
School of Graduate Studies (SGS)
All graduate programs at our University function under the umbrella of the School of Graduate Studies (SGS), and the SGS website contains information that you should review. For example, SGS Grad Hub, grant announcements and more; School of Graduate Studies Calendar is a binding document that outlines important regulations that govern graduate programs at U of T; and SGS Sessional Dates outlines important dates and deadlines throughout the academic year.
September 2, 2025 Classes start
October 27-31, 2025 Reading Week (no classes)
December 2, 2025 End of fall F term classes
Winter 2026
January 5, 2026 Start of classes
February 16-20, 2026 Reading Week (no classes)
April 6, 2026 End of winter S and Y term classes
Visit this ACORN Help for a detailed, step-by-step guide to using ACORN for course enrolment, checking finances, updating your address and contact information, ordering transcripts, and more.
Graduate students can access ACORN to:
- View, request, add, drop, or waitlist for courses
- View your personal timetable
- View/change your address, telephone numbers, email, safety abroad address, and emergency contact information
- View your academic history, including final grades
- Order transcripts
- View your financial account information (invoices, account details, payments)
- Register without payment (defer payment of tuition): available to recipients of a funding commitment from the Graduate Unit and to students with approved Ontario, Canada and some US government student loans
- Update direct deposit details
- Print “Educational Credit” tax forms (T2202A)
- Order convocation tickets
- And more
Student Responsibility
While academic advisors, faculty, and staff are available to assist and advise, it is ultimately the student's responsibility to keep personal and academic information up to date at all times, and to follow all University, SGS, departmental, and program regulations, requirements and deadlines. ACORN makes it easier for you to check and correct this information. If questions arise about requirements, policies, and procedures, you are responsible for seeking answers to these questions from staff and advisors.
University of Toronto Email
The CDTPS and other university offices will send important information to you by email. It is your responsibility to ensure that your email address, mailing/permanent address, and telephone numbers are up to date at all times. U of T’s Policy on Official Correspondence with Students requires students to maintain a University-issued email account, record it in ACORN, and regularly check for messages. The University will send official correspondence to your utoronto email account.
UTORid and JOINid
Students use their UTORid or JOINid and password to log onto ACORN. Every applicant to the University of Toronto is assigned a JOINid once their application fee has been paid. It was provided to you through an email from SGS (admissions.sgs@utoronto.ca). When you begin your studies at U of T, your JOINid will become your UTORid, which will allow you to access a number of services such as email, library resources, and Quercus, the University’s student portal and learning management system. Many courses use the portal to provide online materials, discussion groups, quizzes, and more.
Enabling your JOINid
You must enable your JOINid and create a password if you wish to access ACORN. This can be done online. Your JOINid will not work until you enable and create a password for it. If you have trouble locating the email sent to you with your JOINid, please contact admissions.sgs@utoronto.ca.
If you lose your JOINid password, you can use the enabling site to change your password. Please note that updates to passwords can take 48 hours to roll over in the system. If you are unable to reset your password using the enabling site, please call 416-978-HELP, or email help.desk@utoronto.ca to reset your password. Please specify that you have already enabled your JOINid.
Activating your UTORid
Convert your JOINid to a UTORid as soon as possible to get access to more online services like email (UTmail+), course content on Quercus, webinars, library resources, Microsoft365 applications, Wi-Fi on campus, and more. Learn about how to Get Your TCard and UTORid and use the documentation tool to determine the identity and legal status documentation you will need to get your UTORid and TCard.
Declaration
The use of ACORN to enrol in courses means that you agree to abide by all of the academic and non-academic rules and regulations of the University, the School of Graduate Studies, and the Graduate Unit in which you are registered. It also means that you agree to assume the obligation to pay academic and incidental fees according to the policies and requirements of the University of Toronto. You normally will use ACORN to add or cancel courses. If, for extraordinary reasons, you are unable to use the system, contact your Graduate Unit as soon as possible. Students are expected to be responsible when using the system and should not attempt to flood it with requests, or to automate the process of course enrolment. Such activity may clog the system so that other students may be denied access or experience degraded performance. Any student(s) attempting such activity may be denied access to ACORN until after the relevant registration period.
Course Enrolment
Course enrolment opening dates vary by Graduate Unit.
The deadlines to enrol in graduate courses are:
- September 17, 2025 for full-year and Fall session courses
- January 19, 2026 for Winter session courses
- May 11, 2026 for May to June and May to August Summer session courses
- July 6, 2026 for July to August Summer session courses
Checking course status
You are responsible for knowing the status of your course requests at all times. This information can be obtained through ACORN. The following are possible statuses:
REQ: Course requested. Must be resolved/approved by the last date to add a course.
INT: Course requested pending instructor approval in addition to co-ordinator's/advisor's approval.
APP: Request approved. Student is enrolled in course.
REF: Request denied. Student is not enrolled and may not make another request for this course via the web during this session.
CAN: Course cancelled (student withdrew from course before deadline)
WAIT: No room in the meeting section. Student has been placed on a waiting list based on category and will be enrolled automatically if space becomes available.
DWAIT: Student has cancelled place on the waiting list or been removed.
Cancelling or withdrawing from courses
You may cancel or withdraw from individual courses without academic penalty up to certain deadlines. Before doing this, however, you are advised to consult with your advisor or departmental office.
The deadline to drop a course without academic penalty is not the same as the last date to cancel your registration for the session and be eligible for a refund. To view the fees refund schedule, please refer to the Tuition Fee & Refund Schedules for Graduate Studies in the Student Accounts website.
The deadlines to drop courses without academic penalty are as follows:
- October 27, 2025 for Fall session full or half courses;
- February 27, 2026 for full-year and Winter session courses;
- June 1, 2026 for May-to-June F section courses
- June 22, 2026 for May-to-August Y section courses; and
- July 27, 2026 for July-to-August S section courses.
If you miss the deadline to drop a course:
- Complete the Add/Drop Course(s) form and submit it to your graduate unit, along with a letter of rationale with supporting documentation.
- The graduate unit will consider the request and, if supported, will forward the request to SGS for review.
- If approved by SGS, the transcript notation of WDR (Withdrawn without Academic Penalty) will be assigned by SGS to the course. The WDR notation carries no credit for the course and is not considered for averaging purposes.
Some graduate units offer modular courses which have enrolment deadlines that do not conform to the deadlines above. Modular courses with non-standard start/end dates require the graduate unit to establish suitable drop dates. Please check with the graduate unit offering modular courses for the drop dates.
Dropping courses may have implications for your progress in the program. For details, check with your departmental graduate administrator.
Please note that withdrawing from all your courses does not constitute a withdrawal from your program. To do so, you must complete a Program Withdrawal Form. Dropping courses prior to deadlines or withdrawing from a program does not guarantee a refund. Information on fee refunds and deadlines is outlined here.
Final results
Final grades in courses can be accessed in ACORN by selecting Academic History. Grades can be viewed after the following dates. If a grade is not available after these dates, contact your instructor or the Graduate Unit offering the course.
January 14, 2026: Fall Session
May 13, 2026: Winter Session (and Fall-Winter courses)
July 15, 2026: Summer Session (first term)
Important dates and deadlines:
Important dates and registration deadlines are available on the on the SGS Academic Calendar and can also be found under sessional dates.
Program Information
View all 2025-2026 courses.
About the Centre
Other Services
Accessibility Services
For students needing access assistance from the beginning of course work, registration for Accessibility Services happens prior to arrival. Otherwise, calling and making an appointment is the first step. These services primarily benefit those who need accommodations for accessing course work, but a multitude of assistance is available. Please refer to the Accessibility Services website and contact them directly for any questions.
For more information, please download the Accessibility Services Graduate and Professional Program Student Handbook.
Hart House Facilities
Open 365 days a year, the Hart House Fitness Centre features an art deco pool, squash courts, multi-level fitness facilities, suspended indoor track and a variety of spaces for everything from basketball to archery. When you are an eligible U of T student, you are already a member.
Centre for International Experience
U of T is a gateway to your academic international experience, with a variety of international initiatives and opportunities available on all three U of T campuses. As a leading research institution in Canada, U of T and its Centre for International Experience provides students with enriching and meaningful opportunities throughout the course of their studies.
Sport and Physical Activity
The Faculty of Arts and Science offers a wide range of activity spaces for sport and recreation, and academic and research programs. The facilities are host to a wide range of programs, including intramurals, intercollegiate sports, drop-in sports and recreation, and registered programs. Student and community groups are able to rent space in their facilities for special events.
Candrama Listserv
The Candrama listserv is run by the Theatre and Performance program at the University of Waterloo. If people want to subscribe please follow the following info:
To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit artsservices.uwaterloo.ca/mailman/listinfo/candrama
or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to candrama-request@artsservices.uwaterloo.ca
Student Executive
The Graduate Student Union advocates on your behalf as graduate students, sending weekly, or monthly emails, and provides all kinds of support throughout your time here. For details, check out the Graduate Student Union website. Our GSU Union, better known around our Centre as the Student Exec, is a group of driven leaders in our community who act as the CDTPS graduate students’ representatives on the Programming and Academic Committees, as well as on advisory roles in both the large GSU and other Centre business. In addition, a CUPE (TA Union) Steward keeps us informed of all kinds of important information. If you want to get involved, or ever have a student question, do not hesitate to contact: dtpsgsu@gmail.com.
You will receive further information about roles, goals, and events at Orientation!
Events
Every lecture, performance, workshop, and event at the Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies is open to students and your attendance is encouraged. These events enrich your academic life at the Centre and create a network of support and information about the current research happening here.
Information regarding these events will be sent to your U of T email.