WHAT COURSES SHOULD I TAKE?
The foundation course taken in first year by all
students planning to study Economics is
ECO100Y (Introduction to Economics). You
must also enrol in an introductory calculus course
(MAT133Y, MAT135Y or MAT137Y depending
on your intended program).
In second year, you will take courses in intermediate microeconomics, macroeconomics and quantitative methods (statistics). Additional Economics
course requirements in third and fourth years
depend on your chosen program.
WHERE TO GET MORE INFORMATION
You can consult the departmental undergraduate
webpage www.economics.utoronto.ca/undergrad/.
Students who are interested in Economics programs at the St. George campus should contact
the Undergraduate Administrator at (416) 9788616. Students who are interested in Commerce
and Finance programs should contact the
Commerce Assistant at (416) 978-4188. Students
interested in the Commerce and Finance program
at UTM should contact the Commerce
Counsellor at (905) 828-5309. For information on
UTM campus Economics programs consult the
webpage http://www.utm.utoronto.ca/~w3eco/
and contact the Economics Counsellor at (905)
828-5404.
Secondary school students can find out more
information about studying Economics at the
University of Toronto at the following annual
events:
• Ontario Universities’ Fair held in SeptemberOctober (www.ouf.ca)
• St. George Fall Campus Day held in October
(www.uoftday.utoronto.ca/stgeorge.html)
• Arts and Science Options Day held in March
(www.artsandscience.utoronto.ca/ps/options/)
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
Undergraduate economics students may join the
Economic Students Association (ESA) which is
dedicated to establishing a community among
economic students and faculty, and hosts social
events and public talks and presentations. ESA
can be contacted as esa@utoronto.ca or through
their website economics.sa.utoronto.ca.
Other student organizations include:
• Commerce Students’ Association (www.utoronto.ca/csa/)
• Arts and Science Students’ Union
(assu.sa.utoronto.ca)
• Association of Part-Time Undergraduate
Students (www.apus.utoronto.ca/
apushome.html)
• Students’ Administrative Council
(www.uoftsac.ca/)
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
Established in 1827, the University of Toronto is
Canada’s largest university, recognized as a global
leader in research and teaching. It has consistently
ranked in the top spot among medical/doctoral
universities in the annual Maclean’s magazine
ranking and its vibrant academic life is defined by
a unique degree of cultural diversity. The St
George campus, with more than 50,000 students,
is located near the center of Toronto.
Students can also study Economics at the
University of Toronto at Mississauga (UTM)
campus. There is a Joint Specialist Program in
Financial Economics between the St. George and
UTM campus. The Graduate Department of
Economics includes faculty from both campuses
and is located on the St. George campus.
Studying
Economics
At the
UNIVERSITY
OF TORONTO
ECONOMICS examines the conflict between
human demands for goods and services and the
limited supply of resources available to produce
those goods and services. The field is traditionally
divided into three broad areas: Microeconomics
studies how individuals, households and firms
make decisions and how they interact in specific
markets; Macroeconomics studies how markets
interact to determine economy-wide phenomena
and how economies interact to determine global
outcomes; and Econometrics develops and applies
statistical techniques for estimating economic
models and testing economic theories.
Undergraduate training in economics familiarizes
students with the discipline and equips them for
the intelligent appraisal of contemporary economic
problems. It also makes students aware of the
broad spectrum of policy issues to which economic
analysis is relevant.
Students may choose to study a number of
different areas within economics including (but
not limited to): international trade and finance;
developed vs. less-developed economies and
problems of economic growth; employment and
compensation; market structure and competitive
strategy among firms; financial economics,
corporate finance and risk management; monetary
theory and policy; economic history of Canada, the
U.S, Europe and Asia; urban economics; forecasting; economics and demographic change; health
economics; environmental economics; taxation,
government expenditures and the political
economy of domestic and international economic
policy making.
The Department of Economics at the University
of Toronto ranks among the top economics departments in Canada and elsewhere. We have more
than forty full-time faculty members at the St.
George campus, close to twenty at the UTM campus, and others who are cross-appointed to
Faculties of Management and Law. Faculty
members offer courses and conduct research in a
wide range of fields within economics.
Opportunities are available for interested students
to participate in some of their research projects.
ECONOMICS PROGRAMS
In the Faculty of Arts and Science, you do not
enroll in a program of study until the end of your
first year or after you complete four credits. The
programs offered by the Department of Economics
can lead to a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Bachelor of
Science (B.Sc) or a Bachelor of Commerce (B.
Com) after completing 20 full year credits and
either one specialist program, two major programs
or one major and two minor programs.
Students can choose from the following programs:
• Minor in Economics, Economic History,
Environmental Economics
• Major in Commerce, Economics, Economic
History
• Specialist in Economics, Economics
(Quantitative Methods), Economics (Commerce
and Finance), Financial Economics, Economic
History & Economics
• Joint specialist in Economics & Computer
Science, Economics & Geography, Economics &
Mathematics, Economics & Philosophy,
Economics & Political Science, Economics &
Sociology, Economics & Statistics.
WHAT CAN I DO WITH A
DEGREE IN ECONOMICS?
All economics programs offer solid training for a
variety of career opportunities. The specialist
programs prepare students for employment in business or government, or for graduate studies in
economics, business and law. Occupations pursued
by some of our former undergraduate students
include investment banking, financial analysis, economic forecasting, management and public policy.
Graduates of the specialist program in Commerce
(jointly offered by the Department of Economics
and the Rotman School of Management) are well
prepared for MBA programs and Law schools, as
well as for graduate studies in Accounting,
Economics, Marketing and Finance. Graduates
also pursue professional careers as economists,
accountants, actuaries, marketing analysts, managers in the private and public sectors, and proprietors of small businesses.
Either of the major programs in Economics and in
Economic History can be combined with a major
in another discipline (such as computer science,
political science, geography, philosophy, sociology)
to provide a strong economics background for students interested in careers in these areas.
WHAT HIGH SCHOOL PREPARATION
DO I REQUIRE FOR ECONOMICS?
Information on admission to undergraduate programs in the Faculty of Arts and Science can be
obtained from the office of Admissions and
Awards, 315 Bloor Street West, Toronto ON M5S
1A3 (www.adm.utoronto.ca). See
(www.utm.utoronto.ca) for information on the
University of Toronto at Mississauga (UTM).
Students who want to pursue a major or a specialist program in Economics should apply to the
Social Sciences stream or to the Humanities
stream on the St. George campus. Students wishing to study Accounting, Management, Finance
and/or Marketing, in addition to Economics,
should apply to the Commerce stream.
For students completing the Ontario
Secondary School Diploma, six Grade 12 U or M
credits are required, including Eng4U, MCB4U
(Advanced Functions and Introductory Calculus)
and one other grade 12 mathematics credit.
Students from outside Ontario and students transferring from other postsecondary institutions
should contact Admissions and Awards for details
on admission requirements.