University of Toronto

The University of Toronto was founded as King’s College in 1827 and has evolved into a large and complex institution. It now occupies three campuses: Scarborough and Erindale and the historic St. George campus. It has federated with three smaller universities which are on the St. George campus, and is affiliated with several colleges and institutes. There are ten fully affiliated teaching hospitals in metropolitan Toronto. Faculty conduct research in many places in Canada and around the world.

The University is Canada’s most important research institution and has gained an international reputation for its research. It enrols more students, employs more faculty, and offers a greater range of courses than any other Canadian university.

A liberal arts education is the heart of the undergraduate curriculum at Toronto, and the Faculty of Arts and Science has more students than any other faculty. The education of students for the professions has always been an important part of the University’s role, and the University accordingly maintains a wide range of professional faculties. The University’s insistence on the importance of research in all disciplines has made it the major centre for graduate education in Canada. In many fields it produces a majority of the nation’s doctoral candidates. The quality and range of the programs - undergraduate, graduate and professional - attract students from all parts of the province, from around the country and from abroad.

To support its work of teaching and research, the University has collected a library that is the largest in Canada and among the best in the world. The University maintains many laboratories and specialized aids to research. The Library and many of these research facilities are available for use by members of other universities. The University of Toronto Press Inc. is the chief institution of its kind in Canada and one of the most important scholarly publishers in North America.

History

On March 15, 1827, King's College, the precursor to U of T, was granted its royal charter by King George IV. In the years since its founding , the university has been home to a series of colourful presidents, professors and students, notable intellectual figures like Northrop Frye and Marshall McLuhan, and dramatic turning points such as the admission of women in the 1880s, the University College fire of 1890, involvement in the two world wars, the student protests of the 1960s and the new wave of building and renewal in the present day.

Nearly two centuries of growth have yielded spectacular results. With campuses in downtown Toronto, Mississauga and Scarborough, U of T has over 9,000 faculty and staff, and more than 60,000 graduate and undergraduate students and an endowment fund that exceeds $1.3 billion. Its library ranks fifth among major North American universities.

U of T has been the birthplace of major research achievements such as the discovery of insulin, the creation of the first electronic heart pacemaker, the single lung transplant and the discovery of the gene responsible for the most severe form of Alzheimer's disease. Recent advances include the discovery of the gene responsible for cystic fibrosis, cloning of the T-cell gene, and the world's first nerve transplant.

The century old University of Toronto Press has published and continues to publish such major endeavours as The Historical Atlas of Canada and the Complete Works of Erasmus. The more than 300,000 alumni who have earned their degrees from U of T represent leadership in virtually every field of learning. Six Nobel Prize winners are U of T graduates.

Established in 1827, the University of Toronto is Canada's largest university, recognized as a global leader in research and teaching. U of T's distinguished faculty, institutional record of groundbreaking scholarship and wealth of innovative academic opportunities continually attract outstanding students and academics from around the world.

Victoria College

U of T is committed to providing a learning experience that benefits from both a scale almost unparalleled in North America and from the close-knit learning communities made possible through its college system and academic divisions. Located in and around Toronto, one of the world's most diverse regions, U of T's vibrant academic life is defined by a unique degree of cultural diversity in its learning community.The University is sustained environmentally by three green campuses, where renowned heritage buildings stand beside award-winning innovations in architectural design.

Robarts Library

Academics

Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering
Faculty of Arts and Science
Faculty of Music
Faculty of Nursing
Faculty of Pharmacy
Faculty of Physical Education and Health
Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design
Faculty of Dentistry
Faculty of Forestry
Faculty of Information
Faculty of Law
Faculty of Medicine
Ontario Institute for Studies in Education
School of Public Health
School of Public Policy and Governance
Rotman School of Management
Faculty of Social Work
Toronto School of Theology

Research Achievements

developed first electronic heart pacemaker, artificial larynx, single-lung transplant, nerve transplant and artificial pancreas
isolated gene that allows plants to grow in salt water
developed the chemical laser
developed the anti-blackout suit, later adapted to create the astronaut space suit
created the infant cereal Pablum
Economic Impact
103 spin-off companies with 3,000 employees and revenues of $725 million
generates $1.11 for every dollar of funding from federal and provincial governments
15th-largest employer in the Greater Toronto Area
U of T employees, students and alumni put an estimated $5 billion into the economy of the Toronto region annually
Noted Faculty - Past and Present
Sir Frederick Banting and J.J.R. Macleod won the Nobel Prize in 1923 for their work with Charles Best in the discovery of the role of insulin in controlling diabetes
John C. Polanyi won the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Political scientist Janice Gross Stein
Peter St. George-Hyslop led the team that discovered two genes responsible for early-onset Alzheimer's
medical biophysicist Lap-Chee Tsui led the team of researchers who discovered the cystic fibrosis gene
geneticist Tak Mak, the first to clone a T-cell gene
literary critic and author Northrop Frye
author and dramatist Robertson Davies
communications guru Marshall McLuhan
engineering pioneer Ursula Franklin
astronomer Helen Sawyer Hogg

Did You Know...

Ten Nobel Laureates were based at U of T at significant points in their careers.
over the last two decades, our professors have received almost a quarter of all national awards although they represent just under seven per cent of Canada's university professors
more than half of full-time undergraduates are women

U of T is in the midst of the largest capital expansion program in 40 years, building over 1 million square feet of classrooms, research facilities, libraries and residences
U of T has over 6,000 international students, just under ten per cent of our student population
the Royal Ontario Museum, Pollution Probe, Canadian Opera Company, and the Toronto Symphony were all started at U of T

University of Toronto ranked 45th in the 2007 THES-QS World University ranking
University of Toronto ranked 41st in the 2008 THES-QS World University ranking
University of Toronto ranked 29th in the 2009 THES-QS World University ranking
University of Toronto ranked 29th in the 2010 QS World University ranking

University of Toronto ranked 23rd in the 2011 QS World University ranking