No. The only exceptions to this policy are:
The CR/NCR option was designed to allow students to explore outside their comfort zone (i.e., outside of their programs). According to the Arts & Science Calendar, courses with a final status of CR “cannot be used to satisfy subject POSt requirements unless explicitly permitted by the program” (emphasis in the original). The Economics department does not permit CR courses to count towards ECO (Specialist, Major, Minor) and/or RSM program requirements. If you opted to take a program-required course CR/NCR, consult your College Registrar’s office about reversing the CR status. Or you can take another ECO course!
Almost certainly no.
With so many students, we are very hesitant to make exceptions. There are a few equity issues. The first is between those who do and do not ask for exceptions. This is especially relevant in those cases where the course had a wait list. Second, it is unfair to instructors, especially when assignments have been missed or groups have been formed.
When exceptions have been made, it has been because extraordinary circumstances have been communicated to us by an academic advisor at the student's College Registrar's Office.
In May 2017, the Department of Economics split the full year 1.0 FCE course ECO100Y1 (Introduction to Economics) into two half-year 0.5 FCE courses: ECO101H1: Principles of Microeconomics and ECO102H1: Principles of Macroeconomics. See the Academic Calendar for descriptions.
The first thing that you should know is that ECO101 is a prerequisite for ECO102.
Second, students must achieve 63% in each of the half courses in order to gain entry into the Economics Major and Minor programs, Minor in Environmental Economics, and the Rotman Commerce programs. The prerequisite for the gateway courses to our Specialist programs—ECO206Y1, ECO208Y1 and ECO227Y1—is a 70% in both ECO101 and ECO102. And sorry, you cannot average out the marks across the two courses!
Finally, a student must successfully complete ECO101H1 with 50% or higher before proceeding into ECO102. If you do not get the grade you want in ECO101, you may take ECO101 and ECO102 at the same time as long as you previously received credit for ECO101H1 (e.g., earned at least 50% in ECO101H1).
Students who intend to pursue a minor, major or specialist program in Economics should take (ECO101H1 + ECO102H1). ECO105Y1 is an introductory course for students who do not intend to take further courses in Economics. It may also be used for some programs, such as International Relations and Peace & Conflict Studies.
Of course, we do know that some develop a passion for economics as a result of ECO105Y1 . A grade of 80% or higher in ECO105Y1 allows these students to continue in some, but not all, Economics programs.
No.
We know that Fall ECO101 and Winter ECO102 is the usual route into our programs, and thus plan our course offerings to provide sufficient capacity in these courses. Trust us, the last thing we want is to have insufficient capacity in Winter ECO102.
Most students who enroll in Fall ECO101 plan on taking ECO102 in the Winter term. However, we base our Winter ECO102 capacity on the fact that, each year, a number of ECO101 students do not in fact continue to Winter ECO102. As these students adjust their schedules in the weeks leading up to Winter term—and yes, even in its first week—we accommodate students on the wait list.
In every previous year, we have had enough space in Winter ECO102, and we do not anticipate that this year will be any different.
The Department of Mathematics details the differences between MAT133Y1/(MAT135H1 and MAT136H1)/ MAT137Y1/ MAT157Y1 on their website. Importantly, MAT133Y1 does not serve as a prerequisite for second-year mathematics or statistics courses with a calculus prerequisite. In terms of how this translates to our programs, here is some very general advice.
To be eligible for ECO102H1, students must meet the course prerequisites by passing ECO101H1 (or ECO101H5/MGEA02H3). Students who earn a CR from the Credit/No Credit (CR/NCR) option may continue with ECO102H1. A student who requests a Late Withdrawal After the Drop Date (LWD) has not passed the course regardless of how much term work was done and is therefore not eligible to continue with ECO102H1.
The Economics Department strongly encourages all students to take ECO101H1 + ECO102H1 at the St. George Campus. That being said, sometimes it is necessary to take the equivalent of ECO101H1 or ECO102H1 at another campus of the University of Toronto (i.e., UTSC or UTM). Indeed, this is a reasonable course of action if ECO101H1 or ECO102H1 is full and you do not wish to wait until the summer when there is usually plenty of space.
The transferability of equivalent UTM and UTSC courses is straightforward. We provide full details elsewhere on this site, summarizing below.
At UTM, a 63% in ECO101H5 satisfies a requirement for a 63% in ECO101H1 and a 63% in ECO102H5 satisfies a requirement for a 63% in ECO102H1, and 70% is treated accordingly. A 67% in the now-retired ECO100Y5 satisfies both a requirement for a 63% in ECO101H1 and a requirement for a 63% in ECO102H1.
At UTSC,a 67% in MGEA02H3 satisfies a requirement for a 63% in ECO101H1, while a 70% in MGEA02H3 satisfies a requirement for a 70%. A 67% in MGEA06H3 satisfies a requirement for a 63% in ECO102H1, while a 70% in MGEA06H3 satisfies a requirement for a 70%.
The Economics Department strongly encourages all students interested in UofT (St. George) Economics and Commerce programs to complete ECO101H1 and ECO102H1 at the University of Toronto, St. George Campus. The courses are tailored to our programs, and the grades are well understood for the purposes of establishing program eligibility. Students who do not earn their desired grade in either ECO101H1 and ECO102H1 are encouraged to re-take the course here. In addition to our regular term offerings, we offer several sections of both courses—with plenty of capacity— in the summer.
If you are interested in taking these courses at either UTM or UTSC, see the FAQ “Can I take courses equivalent to ECO101H1 and ECO102H1 at UTM or UTSC?”
If you choose to take an equivalent course at a different institution, the Transfer Credit Office, in consultation with the Economics Department, determines whether the one-semester course is an academic equivalent to ECO101H1 or ECO102H1, or whether a two-semester course is equivalent to ECO101H1 and ECO102H1. The department does not consider any requirement to be met until we receive official approval from the Transfer Credit Office.
Because the UofT is one of the world’s premier universities, the Transfer Credit Office normally requires that a student’s grade be a full grade higher than the passing grade at that institution. In particular, for a course deemed to be an academic equivalent to ECO101H1 or ECO102H1:
If you earn less than a “B”, you will earn an unspecified credit, ECO1**, with an exclusion to ECO101H or ECO102H as appropriate. To enrol in an Economics or Commerce program, you will need to complete the corresponding course (ECO101H1 or ECO102H1) as an extra credit.
Further, the Economics Department does not generally allow online or distance learning courses to be used to establish program eligibility, meaning such courses cannot be used to meet ECO101H1 and ECO102H1 requirements. If students take such courses, however, they can be used as “ECO1**” courses that meet breadth (but not program) requirements.
Finally, there is often a delay—especially in the weeks before the academic year starts in September—in awarding transfer credit and establishing that a minimum-grade threshold has been met. Unfortunately, we cannot provide any special accommodation to students who miss the enrolment deadlines because of delay in processing transfer credits. The student taking ECO101H1 or ECO102H1 at the UofT during the summer does not have these worries.
If after reading this far you still want to take the equivalent of either ECO101H1 or ECO102H1 at a different institution, see the FAQ, “How do I take ECO101H and ECO102H at another university and get credit for it?”
Before proceeding, have you read the FAQ, “Can I take ECO101H and ECO102H at another university and get credit for it?” If not, please read that one first.
Welcome back! To receive credit for a non-UofT course equivalent to ECO101H1 or ECO102H1, you must follow the Transfer Credit Office’s procedures which we summarize below.
After the course is complete, please apply for a Post-Admissions Transfer Credit and arrange for the host university to send your official final electronic transcript directly to transfer.artsci@utoronto.ca. Sometimes, students may be required to submit their final transcripts to the Department. If you’ve been directed to do so, please submit your final transcripts (and other related documents) on the Program Exception form.
Finally, while everyone does their best to process transfer credits as quickly as possible, delays are possible, especially in the weeks leading up to the start of F-term in September. Students should expect that they will be denied enrolment in second-year courses, and will have lower priority for enrolment in all courses, until the transfer credit has been formally approved and the meeting of a required minimum grade has been established. Unfortunately, we cannot provide any special accommodation to students who miss the enrolment deadlines because of delay in processing transfer credits.
Of course, taking these courses at UofT as opposed to elsewhere removes these concerns. Just sayin’.
Yes.
ECO1** cannot be used in any Economics program, or substitute for (ECO101H1 + ECO102H1)/ECO105Y in any program, or be used to meet prerequisite purposes. This means that if you have ECO1** and would like to take any more Economics courses, you will have to take (ECO101H1 + ECO102H1).
Why? ECO1** is typically awarded for introductory economics courses (e.g., IB Economics) that are not deemed equivalent to (ECO101H1 + ECO102H1). While ECO1** cannot be used for program or prerequisite purposes in Economics, it can still be used as a generic first-year social science credit, and counts towards your degree.
It depends.
Transfer credits of MAT1**H (135) and MAT1**H (136) are treated as having the equivalent of MAT135H1 and MAT136H1, therefore these transfer credits can be used to satisfy program entry, program completion and prerequisite requirements. The department will assume that the 60% program entry requirement is met.
A MAT1**H1 without a subject area indicates that you have earned a math credit that is equivalent for university credit, but the content was not equivalent to a math course that is offered at the University of Toronto. In these cases, the credit will count towards your overall degree requirements, but it cannot be used to satisfy program entry requirements or course pre-requisites.
No. You should not worry.
We carefully plan capacity in our 200-level courses to make sure that every student who qualifies for an economics program can take the required courses. In the past, we have achieved this goal—even if it meant adding capacity—and we do not anticipate that this year will be different.
It is true, however, that some students might not be able to enroll in their most preferred section during the general enrollment period. As some spaces invariably open up early in the semester, you have two good strategies. The first is to add yourself to the wait list for your most preferred section(s). Alternatively, enroll in the best available open section and early in the semester keep an eye for space in your preferred sections.
Not yet.
For program entry purposes, an SDF notation informs us that the course is incomplete. When your final grade is posted on ACORN, your program entry request may be reassessed if it’s during the prescribed program enrollment period. While most programs are limited, please don’t worry! As long as you make the request on ACORN by the deadline and meet the entry requirements, you will be invited.
No.
A common problem is that a one-semester course in microeconomics theory, macroeconomics theory, or statistics transfers as ECO2**H a half course. Unfortunately, this half credit will not meet program nor prerequisites requirements for 200-level micro, macro or stats because they require a full-year equivalent (or a sequence of two H courses). Based on the structure of our intermediate level courses, students cannot complete the other half credit. A student receiving a half credit but excluded from the comparable full credit course may request to enroll and upon completion of the Y course designate the half credit as 'extra'.
Nope.
Students cannot meet any ECO220Y1(70%) requirement with a transfer credit. In particular, if a student obtains ECO220Y1 by transfer credit, they cannot use is it to satisfy a ECO220Y1(70%) requirement for any course (e.g., ECO374H1 or ECO375H1) or program (e.g., Economics Specialist). They can satisfy the requirements for these courses and programs with ECO227Y1, which is not a exclusion to ECO220Y1.
It’s complicated. But you asked, so we have to tell you more about Degree Explorer than you ever wanted to know.
On Degree Explorer, Req12 (400-level courses) is displayed as a function of Req11 (courses at 300-level or higher), which means that these requirements are linked for programming purposes. Req11 can only be considered complete if Req12 is as well. If you have completed three or more 300-level economics courses, Reqs 11 and 12 will be marked as Pending when you enroll in a 400-level course, and Completed once completed.
As promised, TMDEI: too much Degree Explorer information! You can always head over to the Academic Calendar which more clearly presents these program requirements.
No.
Students who pass (ECO101H1 + ECO102H1) or ECO105Y but do not obtain the required minimum grade to enrol in 200-level ECO courses or in an ECO subject POSt cannot enrol in upper-year ECO courses or subject POSts. The only way to do so is to obtain the required grade by repeating the course. A repeated course will appear as an “extra course” on the transcript. The final mark can only be used to qualify for admission to higher level courses and subject POSts.
Yes.
Each year in June, we send an invitation to participate in Course Match to all students on track to complete our major or specialist programs in the following year (e.g., are on track for the next year's June commencement). The idea with Course Match is simple. Each student submits a list with their personal ranking of the 400-level courses that will be offered, and an algorithm allocates spaces in these courses based on these rankings. If a student ranks a minimum number of courses, the student will get a spot in the number courses they need for their program. We cannot guarantee that every student gets their most desired course, but Course Match does an excellent job of giving students courses they rank highly.
If you are interested, we provide more information here. If you are really interested in how to allocate a scarce resource that does not have an explicit price, consider putting ECO426H1 (Market Design) at the top of your Course Match list.
We strongly support students who wish to study abroad through formal exchange programs. It is a great way to gain global experience and exposure to different cultures, and may also give you access to unique economics course offerings.
However, we encourage you to carefully research the institutions you are considering. Not all universities offer economics courses that will transfer back to U of T at a level that will be useful to the your program. Our general rule of thumb is to assess a course by looking at the strength of its prerequisites. Of course, even if a particular destination has limited opportunity to take courses that satisfy requirements for your economics program, other factors, such as strength in other academic fields, may make it a wonderful places to do an exchange. The earlier you take this into consideration, the better you will be able to work around these limitations by focusing on economics program requirements in non-exchange semesters.
For further information, please see the FAQ “Can a course taken elsewhere (e.g., on exchange) count towards a program requirement for 300-level courses?”
Students going on exchange are required to submit a pre-approval request. Prior to submitting your request, please read through the Transfer Credit Guide for Learning Abroad and Exchange Guide.
To submit a request please email tcredits.economics@utoronto.ca, making sure to cc learning.abroad@utoronto.ca. In addition to your name and student number, please provide the following for each economics course:
Pre-approval assessments may take approximately 2–3 weeks. Please submit your request early to avoid delays or uncertainty.
Yes.
At the ECO300 level, transfer-credit evaluation focuses on both on a course’s prerequisites and description as they enable us to determine the level at which the course is taught relative to comparable course offerings in our program. In general, courses that do not have a prerequisite of intermediate-level economics will be evaluated as a ECO200-level course with exclusions to our 200 and 300-level comparable courses.
When looking at courses at other institutions, the course number is not necessarily a good indicator of the level relative to our courses. It is common for a “third-year” course elsewhere to be equivalent to a “second-year” course here. Indeed, many courses elsewhere may even use a similar textbook to our 300-level courses, but only require the equivalent of (ECO101H1 + ECO102H1)—they are just taught at a lower level than our 300-level courses.
Furthermore, receiving a 200-level credit for a course may exclude you from taking our 300-level course in that topic. A good example at UofT is ECO231H1 which is not equivalent in level, but is an exclusion to, ECO364H1. ECO364H1 requires intermediate-level courses while ECO231H1 only requires ECO101H1 + ECO102H1.
Finally, we rarely give credit for ECO325H1, ECO326H1, ECO374H1, and ECO375H1. Exceptions are considered from universities with outstanding economics departments offering courses comparable to our specialist-stream 200-level courses.
No.
No course taken elsewhere will transfer as an ECO400-level course.
General Principles
There are several important principles applied to the evaluation of course equivalencies. Students should take these into consideration BEFORE sending requests to the Department.
Non-Transferable Courses
Students CANNOT earn transfer credit under any circumstances for: Intermediate core courses: ECO204Y1, ECO206Y1, ECO208Y1, ECO209Y1
With rare exceptions: Advanced Micro, Macro, and Econometrics: ECO325H1, ECO326H1, ECO374H1, and ECO375H1. Exceptions are considered from universities with outstanding Economics departments offer courses that are comparable to our specialist-stream core courses;
All 400-level courses.
ECO220Y1
It is also not possible to meet the "ECO220Y1(70%)" requirement with a transfer credit. If a student obtains ECO220Y1 by transfer credit, they will not be able to take any course, or enrol in any program that requires 70% in ECO220Y1. For example, this means that students will not be eligible to take ECO374H1 or ECO375H1, or to enrol in the Economics Specialist or Financial Economics Specialist programs.
Intermediate Courses
It is possible to obtain credit for ECO200Y1, ECO202Y1, or ECO220Y1 by transfer credit, as long as a student does not need a particular grade on their U of T transcripts (like 70%). Such transfer credits may be especially useful for the Economics Major program. However, students need to be very careful. The most common problem is that students take a one semester course in micro, macro, or stats, and this will only transfer as ECO2**H -- a half course. This is essentially useless, as you need a full-year equivalent of ECO200Y1, ECO202Y1, and ECO220Y1. There is no way to complete the "other half" of intermediate micro or macro. Such students often need to forfeit the transfer credit, and take ECO200Y1 or ECO202Y1 from the beginning. We will not accept a half course of micro, macro, or stats as meeting any program or prerequisite requirement.
Students therefore need to take a full two-semester sequence of intermediate courses if they expect the transferred courses to be useful at U of T.
Please do not waste your time requesting credit for "Microeconomics" unless it is clearly "Intermediate." Many courses called "Microeconomics" are "Principles of Microeconomics" (i.e. ECO101H1 + ECO102H1).
300-Level Credit
This is where most exchange students encounter problems, unless they are spending their exchange at an institution with an outstanding undergraduate program in Economics. NB: Not all outstanding business programs have outstanding economics courses.
Unless a course has an EXPLICIT binding prerequisite of intermediate-level economics, it will be evaluated as a 200-level course, with exclusions to our 200 and 300-level comparable courses. Students should not be confused by the number associated with courses at other institutions. A Third-year course elsewhere could easily be equivalent to a Second-year course here. A good example at U of T is ECO230Y1 (International Economics) which is not equivalent in level, but is an exclusion to ECO364H1 and ECO365H1 (The latter require intermediate-level courses; ECO230Y1 only requires (ECO101H1 + ECO102H1)/ECO100). Indeed, many courses elsewhere may even use a similar textbook to our 300-level courses, but only require the equivalent of (ECO101H1 + ECO102H1)/ECO100Y -- they are just taught at a lower level than our 300-level courses. Another useful example is UBC -- they have "300" level courses and similar-looking "400" level courses. The distinction is that the 300-level requires only Principles of Economics ((ECO101H1 +ECO102H1)/ECO100Y1), while the 400-level requires Intermediate-level Economics. We only accept their 400-level (i.e., Honours stream) courses as 300-level at U of T. The bottom line is that we will not assess a course at the 300-level unless it explicitly builds on intermediate economics, with binding prerequisites ("Recommended" is insufficient -- it must be required). We do not grant exemptions to this requirement.
"The Economy of Country X" : Many universities offer courses on the economy of a particular country (i.e., for a Scottish university, "Economic Issues in Scotland," "The Economic History of Scotland."). These courses may be intellectually fulfilling, especially when the university has experts on the economy of country X. However, these courses are aimed at a wide audience, typically requiring no more than the equivalent of (ECO101H1 +Â ECO102H1)/ECO100Y. They almost never transfer at the 300-level, and should be avoided, at least if the objective is obtaining a 300-level U of T credit.
Business-like Courses
We will not accept business courses, including many finance courses, as ECO courses. Students taking such courses (i.e., accounting, entrepreneurship, international business, etc.) should check with Rotman (if they are in the Commerce program). If they are not in Rotman, there may be no way to transfer such courses -- we will never approve a course as an ECO course unless it is an economics course. Again, the prerequisites will be a useful guide for a student in assessing whether a course is ECO.
Maybe.
If you do not have an approved petition, then the answer is no.
If your petition has been approved (i.e., the grade in the prerequisite course is SDF), then the answer is maybe.If you have an SDF in an economics course that is a prerequisite for the course you wish to take, you will be permitted to take the course if your term marks—your course average excluding the missed exam—in the SDF course meet the desired course’s minimum grade requirement set in the Academic Calendar.
For example, if you have an SDF in ECO102H1, you will be permitted to take ECO200Y1 if your term marks in ECO102H1 were 63% or higher. Alternatively, if you have an SDF in ECO204Y1, you will be permitted to take ECO320H1 if your term marks in ECO204Y1 are 50% or higher.
If you have an SDF in a course outside of economics that is a prerequisite for an economics course, you must provide documentation showing that your current term marks meet the desired course’s minimum grade requirement set in the Academic Calendar. Samples of documentation may include a course syllabus and a copy Quercus grade book.
NOTE: While an SDF notation will temporarily allow a student to use the course towards course prerequisites, it will not be used to fulfill program entry requirements. See the FAQ ”I have an SDF in a course used to determine entry into an Economics program. Can I be admitted to that program?”
We strive to be as fair and consistent as possible by upholding department and faculty policies; however, in rare cases, exceptions may be considered. If you believe you may qualify for an exception, please complete the appropriate form.
Note: You can use one or the other, but to avoid duplication please refrain from submitting requests to both forms unless it is necessary to do so.
As an official visiting student at the Faculty of Arts & Science (St. George campus), you can enroll in one or more courses on a letter of permission and transfer the credit back to your home university.
If your chosen courses have prerequisites, please submit your transcript for assessment on the Course Prerequisite Exception Request form. We will then determine whether the course you have chosen is appropriate given your academic background and preparation.
Yes.
Department of Economics University of Toronto Max Gluskin House 150 St. George Street Toronto, Ontario M5S 3G7, Canada (416) 978-4622