Higher Education Program

Option IV: Coursework only

• Coursework. Students must complete 5.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) as follows:

  • LHA 1803H Recurring Issues in Postsecondary Education (0.5 FCE), to be taken at the beginning of the program.

  • 1.0 FCE in the Education in the Professions field.

  • 1.0 FCE in the general Higher Education program.

  • 0.5 FCE in research methods approved by the faculty advisor.

  • 2.0 FCEs in electives.

Option II: Coursework and Major Research Paper

Students initially apply to and register in the MEd Option IV. For registration in Option II, department permission is required.

• Coursework. Students must complete 4.0 full-course equivalents (FCEs) as follows:

  • LHA 1803H Recurring Issues in Postsecondary Education (0.5 FCE), to be taken at the beginning of the program.

  • 1.0 FCE in the Education in the Professions field.

  • 1.0 FCE in the general Higher Education.

  • 0.5 FCE in research methods.

  • 1.0 FCE in electives.

• Major Research Paper (MRP): LHA 2001Y⁰ Major Research Paper, to be carried out under the guidance of a faculty member.

Education in the Professions Courses

LHA1806H Systems of Higher Education

A comparative description and analysis of tertiary-level systems of education with special attention to their structure and governance and the relevant features of the societies in which they operate. G.A. Jones

LHA1812H Education and the Professions

This course reviews theoretical debates regarding the nature of professions and professional education, placing them within their historical context in western societies. Contemporary issues that are addressed include the implications of globalization of the professions, diversity in the professions and the ''entrepreneural university'' and the professions. Perspectives of practitioners as well as faculty teaching in the professions are considered. L. Muzzin, Staff

LHA1814H Lifelong Learning and Professional and Vocational Education

This course on lifelong learning and professional and vocational education has four broad aims: First, it explores debates about: the learning society and lifelong learning; globalisation, the ‘risk’ society and reflexive modernisation; and, the knowledge society and the knowledge economy. Second, it explores the nature of, and debates concerning, professional and vocational education. Third, it explores different ways in which post-secondary education systems can be structured and organised, the relationships between universities and colleges and how this helps to structure relationships between professional and vocational education. Fourth, it explores regulation of post-secondary education through qualifications frameworks, and considers debates about the Ontario Qualifications Framework. It explores debates about skills, employability skills, generic skills, learning outcomes and competency-based education/training. It considers the contrasting theoretical frameworks that underpin various positions in these debates.

LHA1816H Sociology of Higher Education

This course applies key sociological theories and concepts to issues in higher education. The course examines both how society affects access to and outcomes of higher education, and conversely, how higher education has played a role in forming modern societies. Topics include: the role that higher education plays in social mobility, social reproduction, and the production of elites; faculty labor, knowledge production and dissemination; and, student campus life and identity formation. The course draws on various sub-fields in Sociology, including Social Stratification, the Sociology of Education, Sociology of Organizations and the Sociology of Knowledge.

LHA1822H  Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

This course develops an understanding of the principles of teaching and learning in higher education, and it develops skills in the practice of teaching in higher education.

LHA1823H Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in the Professions

This course introduces the scholarship of teaching and learning in higher education with a particular focus on the scholarship of teaching and learning in professional education. The scholarship of teaching and learning engages teachers in scholarly inquiry into teaching and learning with the aim of improving student learning, and advancing curriculum and pedagogy. The emphasis is on undertaking systematic scholarly inquiry into one’s teaching either individually or collegially, and sharing the outcomes of this inquiry in a variety of ways, including in practitioner seminars and conferences, journals and websites, as well as in refereed conferences and journals so that knowledge about how to improve learning in one's field is advanced.

LHA1828H Evaluation in Higher Education [RM]

The course examines models, methods, and concerns. Several levels of evaluation will be looked at (student learning; evaluation of instructor and course; program and institutional evaluation). Students will be required to write one short and one long paper and be encouraged to participate in class discussions. During class there will be practice in planning evaluations. R. Childs

LHA1848H Innovative Curricula in Higher Education and Professional Programs

This course explores how educators in higher education and professional programs approach curriculum development from an innovative perspective. Curriculum theories, philosophic perspectives in the literature, and current realities in the classroom will be explored. Curriculum challenges with respect to access, quality and funding in higher education will be identified and analyzed, and innovative strategies for addressing these challenges will be generated. K. Janzen

Explore other courses

• Higher Education program courses
• Courses offered at OISE

Collaborative specializations provide graduate students enrolled in participating degree programs with an additional multidisciplinary experience as they complete their home degree program. 

Learn more about the collaborative specializations offered to students in this program:
 

• Comparative, International and Development Education
• Educational Policy
• Engineering Education
• Sexual Diversity Studies 
• Women and Gender Studies

Faculty in the Higher Education program have multi-disciplinary teaching and research expertise in a wide range of fields. To learn more about our faculty, check out our program's faculty listing for profiles.

Our faculty's expertise includes, but is not limited to: 

• Higher education, globalization and neoliberalism
• Comparative higher education and international academic relations
• Educational leadership and change
• Higher education policy and politics in Canada
• Minoritization in postsecondary institutions
• Indigenous college student experience
• Politics in higher education
• Sociology of knowledge

The following are annual tuition fees for 2021-2022. These figures include all non-tuition related fees. 

• Domestic full-time students: $11,839.99
• Domestic part-time students: $3,957.74
• International full-time students: $42,145.99
• Please note: Master's programs at OISE have minimum degree fees.

For detailed and up-to-date information about tuition fees, funding, and financial support, visit Tuition and Financial Support.  

General information

Please visit the OISE Admissions website for detailed information about the application process, including general minimum admission requirements and supporting documents. 

Program-specific information

Minimum admission requirements

• An appropriate bachelor’s degree from a recognized university with a grade equivalent to a University of Toronto mid-B or better in the final year.
   

Required supporting documents  

• Transcript(s) from each post-secondary institution attended
• Two letters of reference (one academic and one professional)
• Résumé
• Answers to faculty admissions questions (applicants are to answer each question in an essay format)
  
   

Deadlines 

The main application deadline is November 15, 2021. To guarantee consideration for admission, applicants should submit their application and supporting documents by this date. 

After November 15, admission to some programs may remain open. For the most up-to-date information on application deadlines, please visit OISE Admissions. 

Questions about applying? Please contact the OISE admissions office at 416-978-4300 or admissions.oise@utoronto.ca.