Annual Course Schedule

The Graduate Centre for Academic Communication (GCAC) ​offers a wide range of free non-credit courses throughout the academic year. Most of our courses have 12 hours of class contact time (two hours a week for six weeks), plus office hours and/or tutorials. GCAC offers five course sessions during the academic year, and each has its own registration date. In addition to classroom instruction, students receive individualized feedback on their written or oral work.​

Some of our courses are discipline-specific, while others target the different needs of native and non-native speakers of English. Our short courses build upon one another; this modular design enables students to create a program of study that will address their individual needs.

All students enrolled in a graduate degree program at U of T are eligible to register. Since demand exceeds supply, we request that students take any given course only once a year, with the exception of the proposal writing courses which may be taken in both the spring and the fall.​​​

To remain up-to-date on registration information, please join our Listserv.

Current course schedule        
Registration & attendance policies

​​​​​Tentative 2020-2​021 S​​chedule​

May 2020 – Registration opens Monday, April 27 at 10:00 a.m.  
September 2020 – Registration opens Tuesday, September 1 at 10:00 a.m.
October 2020 – Registration opens Tuesday, October 6 at 10:00 a.m.
January 2021 – Registration opens Tuesday, December 15 at 10:00 a.m.
February 2021 – Registration opens Tuesday, February 2 at 10:00 a.m.

​Full course titles can be found immediately below the chart. Some courses are division specific, as indicated in the course title and/or description.  The d​ivisional breakdown is as follows: Division 1 – Humanities, Division 2 – Social Sciences, Division 3 – Physical Sciences, and Division 4 – Life Sciences.

​​​​​Course Titles​​​

Click on the course title for the course description

​​​ACS – Academic Conversation Skills (for non-native speakers of English)

​​AW1 – Academic Writing 1: Focus on Essentials​ (for non-native speakers of English)

​​AW2 – Academic Writing 2: Focus on Grammar (for non-native speakers of English)

​​AW3 – Academic Writing 3: Focus on Style​ (for non-native speakers of English)

​​AW3 1/2 – Academic Writing 3: Focus on Style​ (for non-native speakers of English in Divisions 1 and 2)

​​AW3 3/4 – Academic Writing 3: Focus on Style​ (for non-native speakers of English in Divsions 3 and 4)

CIHR – Writing CIHR Proposals

EDIT – Becoming a Better Editor of Your Own Work (all Divisions)

EDIT 1/2 – Becoming a Better Editor of Your Own Work (Divisions 1 and 2)

​EDIT 3/4 – Becoming a Better Editor of Your Own Work (Divisions 3 and 4)

ISJ – Introduction to Science Journalism

​​OPS Modular – Oral Presentation Skills Modular Course

​​OPS – Oral Presentation Skills (for native and non-native speakers of English)

OPS (NS) – Oral Presentation Skills (for native speakers of English)

OPS (NNS) – Oral Presentation Skills (for non-native speakers of English)

PRE – Prewriting Strategies for Developing and Organizing Your Ideas (all Divisions​)

PRE 1/2 – Prewriting Strategies for Developing and Organizing Your Ideas (Divisions 1 and 2​)

PRE 3/4 – Prewriting Strategies for Developing and Organizing Your Ideas (Divisions 3 and 4)

TH 1/2 – Thesis Writing in the Humanities and Social Sciences (Divisions 1 and 2)

​TH 3/4 – Thesis Writing in the Physical and Life Sciences (Divisions 3 and 4)

RA 1/2 – Understanding the Research Article: Reading towards Writing (Divisions 1 and 2)

RA 3/4 – Understanding the Research Article: Reading towards Writing (Divisions 3 and 4)

NSERC – Writing NSERC Proposals

​SSHRC – Writing SSHRC Proposals (Humanities and Social Sciences

​SSHRC MA – Writing SSHRC Proposals fort Master’s Students (Humanities and Social Sciences