Degree overview
The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) offers a four-year Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) degree.
The first two years of study are identical for both the Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering programs. These years are your foundation, providing you with an essential background in basic science and mathematics as well as important electrical and computer engineering concepts, such as circuits, digital systems, electronics and communication systems.
In the third and fourth years, you have the opportunity to tailor your degree to reflect the engineer you want to become. We offer a broad array of courses in six areas of study that appeal to a variety of individual interests and strengths. The course selection is mostly up to you, though there are some accreditation requirements. Please refer to the Academic Calendar for all program requirements.
Courses by year
- First year:
- 12 Core Courses
- Second year:
- 11 Core Courses
- 1 Design and Communication Course (Hardware or Software)
- Third & Fourth year:
- Engineering Economics & Capstone
- 4 Breadth (Kernel) courses + 4 Depth courses
- 3 Technical Electives + 1 Science/Math Elective + 1 Free Elective
- 4 Humanities and Social Science Electives (up to 2 may be from Complementary Studies)
- Practical Experience Requirement (600 hours) / PEY Co-op
Practical Experience Requirement
To receive your degree, you are required to complete 600 hours of practical experience. This ensures you have significant experience as an engineer with professional responsibility before graduation. The Practical Experience Requirement applies to all departments at U of T Engineering.
The requirement can be completed in several ways, from working in industry to conducting research. Some students satisfy the requirement with U of T Engineering's Professional Experience Year Co-op Program (PEY Co-op) Program.
Degree-path examples
The flexibility in your upper years means that there are a number of paths you can take towards your degree.
To help you visualize the options, we have developed a number of profile templates — or degree paths — as examples. You can use these 'public profiles' as a template or for inspiration as you work towards solidifying your course decisions.
You can find these profile templates on Magellan, ECE’s online program designed to help facilitate the course selection process.
Our undergraduate programs
The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering (ECE) offers two undergraduate programs: Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering.
When you graduate, you receive a Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) degree.
The programs consist of four years of coursework. Students must complete 600 hours of practical experience, so many students choose to spend an additional year taking part in the optional Professional Experience Year (PEY) Co-op Program between their third and fourth years of study.
Learn more about what we can offer you in electrical and computer engineering at the University of Toronto!
Years 1 and 2
The first two years of study are your foundation and are the same for both electrical and computer engineering undergraduate students. Our students learn the principles of their disciplines by attending courses taught by our world-renowned faculty and gain real-world experience working with companies and organizations related to their fields of interest.
Years 3 and 4
Ultimately, as a student at ECE, you decide your own path in your third and fourth years. Your course selections at this time determine whether you will graduate as either an electrical or computer engineering.
In your final two years, you choose four areas of study that interest you and then choose two of those areas to focus on, creating your own mix of qualifications so that your degree reflects the engineer you want to be.
We have a range of areas of study that integrate a variety of courses to offer a more specialized knowledge base.
Minors and certificates
You may wish to complement your electrical and computer engineering programs with a minor or certificate. These will appear on your official student transcript when you graduate.
This is a great opportunity to gain interdisciplinary experience and to tailor your degree. Are you interested in robotics? Music technology? Entrepreneurship? See the full list, and learn about the benefits, eligibility and general requirements:
We encourage you to register your minor as soon as you decide on one. You will need to submit your enrolment form (found under the relevant minor) for the relevant program to the Cross-Disciplinary Office no later than December of your fourth year. (You do not need to enrol for the Certificate Program.)