Offered each Fall semester, CityLAB Semester in Residence is a 15-unit course designed for passionate, motivated, and enthusiastic students.  If you want to learn from the community, apply your studies to make change, and expand your personal and professional networks, then this is the course for you. Students in any faculty from McMaster University and Redeemer University entering Level III or above this fall are welcome to apply!

This immersive program that will challenge you personally as you learn more about yourself and your place in the world; it will challenge you socially as you navigate working with interdisciplinary teams, City staff members, local organizations, and members of the broader community; and it will challenge you academically as you stretch beyond the limits of your disciplinary training and gain a deeper understanding of complex issues facing our city. You will learn that problems are not as easily solved as they might appear, that a positive attitude goes a long way, and that real success lies in collaboration.

Courses and Curriculum: SIR is composed of both CMTYENGA 4A06 – Design and Dialogue Inquiry and CMTYENGA 4A09 – Applied Project Experience. Both courses must be taken as co-requisites.

Applications for the 2024 CityLAB Semester in Residence program are open until May 19th.

McMaster University students can apply via an online application here.

Redeemer University students should contact Kim Lammers, Registrar (klammers@redeemer.ca) to apply. Redeemer students need a 7.0 cumulative GPA (70 or B-) to be eligible.

For a full list of frequently asked questions about the CityLAB Semester in Residence program, please view the PDF below.

Who do I contact if I have questions about the program?

Please contact our Outreach Director, Randy Kay, at kayrl@mcmaster.ca.

What does the program schedule/hours look like?

CityLAB SIR students are expected to be available during business hours, Monday to Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM. During this time, students will be working on their projects alongside City of Hamilton staff or local community organizations. Classes and lectures are also held during this time.

A more detailed breakdown of the schedule will be developed and shared before the start of the term.

What projects will be offered? Can we choose our own?

City of Hamilton staff and local community organizations submit a broad range of projects and challenges for students to work on throughout the year. We work with City staff, community partners, and faculty to scope out appropriate projects for the CityLAB SIR program, and a final list of approved projects will be presented in early September. The projects will be co-created between City staff, community leaders, faculty members, and students, so they will change depending on specific interests. All projects will align with the City of Hamilton’s Strategic Priorities.

Here’s a link to past projects and final reports.

CityLAB SIR students are assigned to projects by the instructional team based on skills, interests, and to ensure interdisciplinary teams.

Does participation in this program require living in a specific residence? Where are classes held?

No, participation in the CityLAB Semester in Residence (SIR) program does not involve living in a specific residence! “Semester in Residence” simply refers to the idea that you will be spending the whole fall semester participating in the program. Currently, CityLAB SIR classes take place in downtown Hamilton in the CityLAB Innovation Hub, right beside City Hall at 58 Jackson Street West.

Who is teaching the courses?

Our core teaching team is made up of an interdisciplinary team of educators:

● Dialogue Instructor – Darina Vasek, MSW, RSW; vasekd@mcmaster.ca

● Design Instructor - TBA

● Project Instructor – TBA

● City Building 101 - Randy Kay B.A.; kayrl@mcmaster.ca