Collaborative Specializations
Are you looking to further specialize your degree?
Joining a Collaborative Specialization gives you the opportunity to enrich your graduate experience by exploring a research area in-depth with students and faculty who share your passion. It also gives you access to focused course offerings and a specialization designation from the School of Graduate Studies upon your IMS degree completion.
Completing a Collaborative Specialization provides an additional designation on top of your regular degree program. They provide a structured program of study, including appropriate graduate supervision, courses, and seminars. Program requirements are completed in addition to the regular degree requirements of the IMS graduate program.
You may be admitted to Collaborative Specializations at the time of admission or later during your program. You must be registered in your home department (IMS) before you can be enrolled in a Collaborative Specialization. All requirements for both the degree program and the Collaborative Specialization must be completed. In some Collaborative Specializations, courses completed to fulfill the requirements of that program may also be used to fulfill the degree requirements of the IMS M.Sc. or Ph.D. program. When the requirements of a Collaborative Specialization have been completed, a notation indicating completion of the program will be added to your transcript.
IMS is a participating member of the following Collaborative Specializations:
| Collaborative Specialization in... | Hosted by: |
|---|---|
| Addiction Studies (CoPAS) | Dalla Lana School of Public Health |
| Aging, Palliative, & Supportive Care across the LifeCourse | Institute for Life Course & Aging |
| Bioethics (CSB) | Dalla Lana School of Public Health |
| Biomedical Engineering | Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering |
| Cardiovascular Sciences (CSCS) | Temerty Faculty of Medicine |
| Developmental Biology | Temerty Faculty of Medicine |
| Environment and Health | School of the Environment |
| Genome Biology & Bioinformatics (GBB) | Department of Cell & Systems Biology |
| Global Health (CSGH) | Dalla Lana School of Public Health |
| Indigenous Health (CSIH) | Dalla Lana School of Public Health |
| Knowledge Media Design (KMD CS) | Faculty of Information Knowledge Media Design Institute |
| Musculoskeletal Sciences (CSMS) | Institute of Medical Science |
| Neuromodulation | CRANIA NeuroModulation Institute |
| Neuroscience (CPIN) | Department of Physiology |
| Resuscitation Sciences (CSRS) | Institute of Medical Science |
| Toxicology (CST) | Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology |
| Women’s Health (CSWH) | Dalla Lana School of Public Health |
Click here to read testimonials from IMS students in Collaborative Specializations:
Collaborative Specialization in Addiction Studies
“I was excited to expand my background of tobacco addiction studies to other addictive fields such as alcohol, psychoactive substances and addictive behaviours, while also learning about the work of fellow grad students. I had the opportunity to enroll in more specialized course electives, meet staff and students in similar fields, attend seminars and apply for grants relevant to my area of research.”
Collaborative Specialization in Aging, Palliative, & Supportive Care across the Life Course
“This program allowed me to delve deeply into the field of palliative care and to further enrich my understanding of this incredible area of research. I am keen on pursuing a career within this field in the future, thanks to the new knowledge and experience that I have gained.”
Cardiovascular Sciences Collaborative Specialization (CSCS)
“The CSCS provided me with the opportunity to explore topical courses, apply for additional funding and attend informative events. The Annual Research Day allowed me to showcase my research to fellow graduate students in an ideal environment to hone presentation skills, stimulate discussion and establish connections with fellow peers. This program is an exceptional resource that certainly enriches the graduate student experience.”
“The best part about joining the CSCS was that I was able to interact with other students and supervisors interested in cardiovascular diseases and doing high impact research in the field. It was a great venue to learn about the new projects everyone was working on and to discuss different ideas and get fresh feedback on my own work.”
Collaborative Specialization in Environment & Health
“My experience in this program has been nothing short of brilliant! I have been able to interact with other graduate students with completely different backgrounds, challenging myself to think beyond the physiological realm I am comfortable in. Ultimately, my experience has helped made me to become a more multifaceted research student who is able to apply a multi-disciplinary approach to my current and future projects. I would recommend this program to any incoming IMS students for the valuable relationships and networking opportunities.”
Collaborative Specialization in Neuroscience (CPIN)
“When you're doing graduate research in an institute with as much diversity in research as the IMS, the opportunity to enroll in a Collaborative Specialization focused on my area of research not only provided the opportunity for further learning and engagement in my field, but really provided an opportunity for me to form a network and community with students and other researchers doing similar work. It really enriched my graduate experience.”
“CPIN has helped to enrich my knowledge in an important field that is peripherally related to my thesis, which has greatly enhanced my research. The important knowledge I’ve gained from both my coursework and seminars has allowed me to approach my research themes from a different perspective.”
“True to its name, CPIN has given me the opportunity to collaborate with students within the IMS and across faculties at UofT, as well as to network with local, national, and international researchers through its Distinguished Lectureship Series. Beyond these, and perhaps my favourite experience has been joining the CPIN undergraduate mentorship program and supporting prospective neuroscience graduate students.”
Collaborative Specialization in Resuscitation Science
“This program was a world-class experience, combining training in essential graduate research skills with cutting-edge science related to resuscitation and critical care medicine. It afforded me the opportunity to learn from a range of international experts in their respective fields, while obtaining valuable feedback to improve my own research.”
Collaborative Specialization in Women’s Health (CSWH)
“This specialization turned out to be a major highlight of my graduate school experience. I was exposed to a multitude of methodologies and women’s health topics and have developed relationships with, and gained mentorship from, many scholars and experts in different domains within women’s health.”
“I joined CSWH because I wanted to learn more about my area of research from a sociological lens, rather than the physiological/clinical lens that I was familiar with. Through the weekly Gender and Health class and the monthly seminars, I acquired an interdisciplinary foundation that complemented my project and took my research to the next level.”