As a student in the Faculty of Arts & Science at U of T, you have an array of courses and programs available to you. There are over 2,000 courses to choose from and over 300 programs in which to study. With so many options, keep the following in mind when deciding on courses for first year.

Know Where to Find the Correct Info Online

The Faculty of Arts & Science Calendar is the key to understanding your degree requirements, the rules of the faculty and information about courses and program requirements.

The Registration Instructions & Timetable gives you scheduling, course enrolment and fee payment information and lists the course schedules and enrolment controls. It also includes all of the important sessional dates, such as deadlines to enrol and to cancel courses.

The Calendar, Registration Instructions and Timetable are available online here.

Think About What Programs You’re Interested In

When you applied to U of T, you likely had an idea of what area of study (science, social science, humanities, commerce) you’re interested in. Most programs have required first year courses and you should build your enrolment plan around these courses. First year is also a time to explore topics you’re interested in, and by choosing wisely, you can begin satisfying breadth requirements. 

Assess Your Interests and Strengths

Think about courses you liked best in high school and give yourself an opportunity to explore those subjects. One of the advantages of being in the Faculty of Arts & Science is that you can combine different types of programs. You may have decided to do a major in science, such as Chemistry, but you can add another major in the humanities, for example English or History.

Consider Your Course Load

A full-time course load is 3.0–5.0 full course equivalents (FCEs). Most students take 5.0 FCEs a year in order to complete their degree in four years. But many students decide to take a lighter course load. Students who are enrolled in up to 3.5 FCEs will be charged a per course tuition fee. Students enrolled in 4.0 and up will be charged the program fee.

Keep Your Options Open

You’ll apply for your specialist, major or minor, program(s) once you’ve completed at least 4.0 credits. When choosing your courses for first year, pick those that give you the prerequisites and background for more than one program in second year. Unless you plan to do a specialist, you need to do more than one program for your degree. You may also discover a new area of study that you love but may have never considered for your degree. 

Get to Know ACORN

ACORN stands for Accessible Campus Online Resource Network. It is the website used for course enrolment, updating your personal information and finding your grades and transcripts. It is where you access your fee information and invoice.

First-Year Courses—Examples

Life Sciences

BIO120H1 + BIO130H1 
CHM135H1 +CHM136H1 
MAT135H1 + MAT136H1 
PHY131H1 + PHY132H1 
+ 1.0 FCE elective 
(e.g., breadth requirement, First Year seminar or New One) 

Commerce

ECO101H1 + ECO102H1 
MAT133Y1 
RSM100H + RSM219H1  
RSM230H1 + RSM250H1 
+ 1.0 FCE elective 
 (e.g., breadth requirement, First Year seminar or New One) 

Humanities/Languages

ENG140Y1 
 FSL100H1 + FSL102H1 
 HIS101Y1 
PHL100Y1 
+ 1.0 FCE elective 
 (e.g., breadth requirement, First Year seminar or New One) 

Social Science

GGR107H1 + GGR124H1 
POL101H1+ POL107H1 
SOC100H1 + SOC150H1 
+ 2.0 FCE electives 
 (e.g., breadth requirement, First Year seminar or New One) 

First-Year Options

First-Year Foundation Seminars

These courses offer small classroom experiences as the classes are capped at 25 students. Choose from a broad array of interesting topics, such as vampires, language and advertising, how to study everyday life, human viruses, and video game design. The first year seminar courses can be used to satisfy one breadth requirement. Course offerings and descriptions can be found on the faculty’s website. 

New One: Learning without Borders

New One: Learning without Borders is a first-year foundation program that provides a small-class learning experience for intellectually curious and socially engaged students. For more details, visit their website.

FLCs: First-Year Learning Communities

First-Year Learning Communities (FLCs, pronounced “flicks”) consist of a small group of students who come together as a community of learners. The 24 students in each learning community take two or three courses in common, belong to the same college or program and receive an extracurricular notation on their transcripts. FLCs make it easier to make friends, form study groups, develop skills and succeed academically.

Information on how to apply can be found on the FLC website.