Degree Requirements (HBA)

For the complete and detailed description of degree requirements, see below. This chart is intended as a quick reference to describe the minimum degree requirements.

Type of Degree

Honours Bachelor of Arts1

Number of Credits

20.0 credits2

Level of Credits

A minimum of 13.0 credits at the 200/300/400 level

At least 6.0 credits at the 300/400 level.

Cumulative Grade Point Average Required for Graduation

1.85*

*in the event a CGPA of 1.5 - 1.84 or less is achieved the student will be eligible for a Bachelor of Arts

 

Breadth Requirements

Students must take at least 4.0 credits that have been designated as satisfying Breadth Requirements.

Students must complete either:

  1. At least 1.0 credits in any 4 of the 5 categories below, or
  2. At least 1.0 credits in any 3 of the 5 categories below and at least 0.5 credits in each of the other 2 categories

Category 1: Creative and Cultural Representations

Category 2: Thought, Belief, and Behaviour

Category 3: Society and Its Institutions

Category 4: Living Things and Their Environment

Category 5: The Physical and Mathematical Universes

Program Areas

Architectural Studies

Visual Studies

 

Program of Study Requirements for Students Beginning Their Studies at the Daniels Faculty in September 2016 or Later

1 Specialist in Architectural Studies

Students in the Architectural Studies program must pursue one of the four Specialist streams offered: 1. Comprehensive; 2. Design of Architecture, Landscape, and Urbanism; 3. History and Theory of Architecture, Landscape, and Urbanism; or 4. Technology of Architecture, Landscape, and Urbanism.

All students are automatically enrolled in the Comprehensive stream prior to course enrolment for their first year of study in the Daniels Faculty.

1 Specialist in Visual Studies, or

1 Major in Visual Studies + 1 Major*, or

1 Major in Visual Studies + 2 Minors*

*These Program of Study combinations must include at least 12.0 different credits.

Students in the Visual Studies program must pursue one of the two Specialist streams offered (Studio or Critical Practices) or the Major in Visual Studies.

All students are automatically enrolled in the Major in Visual Studies prior to course enrolment for their first year of study in the Daniels Faculty.

Students who choose to continue with the Major in Visual Studies rather than one of the Specialist streams must also pursue one of the following: the Major in Architectural Studies, a Major from the Faculty of Arts & Science, or two Minors from the Faculty of Arts & Science.3

 

Program of Study  Requirements for Students Beginning Their Studies at the Daniels Faculty Prior to September 2016

2 Architectural Studies Majors*, or

1 Architectural Studies Major + 1 Major*, or

1 Architectural Studies Major + 2 Minors*

*These Program of Study combinations must include at least 12.0 different credits.

Those students who pursue only one Architectural Studies Major must also pursue either a Visual Studies Major, or any Major from the Faculty of Arts & Science, or 2 Minors from the Faculty of Arts & Science.3

1 Visual Studies Specialist, or

1 Visual Studies Major + 1 Major*, or

1 Visual Studies Major + 2 Minors*

*These Program of Study combinations must include at least 12.0 different credits.

Those students who pursue the Visual Studies Major must also pursue either an Architectural Studies Major, or any Major from the Faculty of Arts & Science, or 2 Minors from the Faculty of Arts & Science.3

1 Daniels Faculty students are eligible only for the Honours Bachelor of Arts degree, even if they complete a science Program of Study from the Faculty of Arts & Science in addition to their Program of Study in Architectural Studies or in Visual Studies.

2 Daniels Faculty students are only able to take courses offered through the Daniels Faculty or the Faculty of Arts & Science towards their degree requirements.  Students wishing to take courses in other Faculties on the St. George Campus, or at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) or the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC), must obtain in advance the permission of the Daniels Faculty (and in the case of courses from other Faculties on the St. George Campus, the permission of the other Faculty as well) to do so. Students who may wish to take a course or courses in other Faculties on the St. George Campus or at UTM or at UTSC must petition to do so and should contact registrar@daniels.utoronto.ca for more information.

3 Daniels Faculty students are not eligible to pursue deregulated fee Programs of Study in the Faculty of Arts & Science such as those offered through Rotman Commerce or through the Computer Science department, with the exception of the Minor in Computer Science.

Degree Requirements

The John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design (Daniels) offers an Honours Bachelor of Arts Degree with two program areas:

  • Architectural Studies
  • Visual Studies

General Degree Requirements

To qualify for an Honours Bachelor of Arts, students must:

  1. Obtain standing (i.e., complete with a grade of 50% or more or CR) in at least 20.0 credits that meet the following criteria:
    • A minimum of 13.0 credits at the 200+ level (including a minimum of 6.0 credits at the 300+ level).
    • A minimum of 6.0 credits must be 300+series courses (no more than 1.0 credits in transfer credit may be counted towards these 6.0 credits) with the exception of transfer credits attained through a University of Toronto exchange program; students participating in an approved exchange program may count all 300+ level transfer credits awarded from the exchange toward this requirement).
    • No more than 15.0 credits may be ARC and JAV OR VIS and JAV courses.  Courses beyond this limit will not be included in the 20.0 credits required for the degree, but will be counted in all other respects.
  2. Complete one of the following:
    • Architectural Studies degree students:
      • One Specialist program in Architectural Studies
    • Visual Studies degree students:
      • One Specialist program in Visual Studies OR 
      • One Major in Visual Studies and One additional Major, which must include at least 12.0 different credits OR
      • One Major in Visual Studies and two additional Minors, which must include at least 12.0 different credits
  3. Complete the Breadth requirements.
  4. Obtain a Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 1.85 or more by the time of graduation.  Students who meet all the requirements for the Honours Bachelor of Arts except for the GPA requirements may elect to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree provided they are in Good Standing (i.e., CGPA is 1.50 or more).

Note:  Daniels Faculty students are only able to take courses offered through the Daniels Faculty or the Faculty of Arts & Science towards their degree requirements.  Students wishing to take courses in other Faculties on the St. George Campus, or at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) or the University of Toronto Scarborough (UTSC), must obtain in advance the permission of the Daniels Faculty (and in the case of courses from other Faculties on the St. George Campus, the permission of the other Faculty as well) to do so. Students who may wish to take a course or courses in other Faculties on the St. George Campus or at UTM or at UTSC must petition to do so and should contact registrar@daniels.utoronto.ca for more information.

“Second Degree” Requirements

Before applying, students are urged to determine whether a second degree is actually required for their purposes; for example, a “make-up” year as a non-degree student may satisfy admission requirements for graduate school. Students are governed by the rules of the Faculty in place at the time they commence their second degree. The Faculty normally grants 5.0 credits in transfer credits to second-degree students: 4.0 credits at the 100-level and 1.0 credits at the 200-level, regardless of the number of previous degrees held. Second degree candidates may not repeat courses taken in a previous degree; they may, however, count such courses towards satisfying pre-requisite and program requirements, on approval of the Department/program office concerned. A new admission POSt and a new grade point average will commence with the second degree courses.

Graduation

There are two graduation periods: June and November. Students must request graduation using ACORN or in person at the Office of the Registrar and Student Services as they are not automatically assessed for graduation. Graduation requests must be submitted by the deadline specified in the Academic Dates section of the website. For students graduating in June, only courses completed by the end of the preceding Winter term (ending in April) will be included in the assessment of the student’s eligibility to graduate. For students graduating in November, only courses completed by the end of the preceding Summer Session (ending in August) will be included in the assessment of the student’s eligibility to graduate.Students are responsible for ensuring that their degree requirements and program of study requirements have been fulfilled. 

Prospective graduands should receive an email from the Office of Convocation providing details of the convocation ceremony in late March/mid-October. An email will be sent from the Office of the Registrar and Student Services in late May/late October to students who have a request for graduation confirming their eligibility.

Recognition of Exceptional Academic Achievement: "High Distinction" and "Distinction"

Students who graduate with a cumulative grade point average (CGPA)* of 3.50 or above are described as graduates “With High Distinction”. This achievement is noted on the diploma and transcript.

Students who graduate with a Cumulative GPA* of 3.20 to 3.49 are described as graduates “With Distinction”. This achievement is noted on the diploma and transcript.

*Note: The Cumulative GPA must be based on at least 5.0 credits taken for Daniels degree credit.

Program of Study Requirements

Programs are groupings of courses in one or more disciplines. Once students have completed 4.0 credits, they must be enrolled in an appropriate combination of Programs in order to be eligible to enroll in courses for the subsequent academic session.  Students in the Architectural Studies Program are automatically enrolled in the Comprehensive Specialist (AHSPE1000) at the time of admission; an acceptable program load.  Visual Studies students must select either a second major, two minors or a Visual Studies Specialist to achieve an appropriate combination of programs.

Completion of a Program is only one part of the general degree requirements.  Variations made in Program details for individual students do not in any way affect degree requirements.  Daniels Faculty students are eligible only for the Honours Bachelor of Arts degree, even if they complete a science Program of Study from the Faculty of Arts & Science in addition to their Program in Architectural Studies or in Visual Studies.

Detailed Program listings are provided in the Architectural Studies and the Visual Studies sections of this Calendar.  This Calendar lists only the Programs offered by the Daniels Faculty.  For information on all Programs offered by the Faculty of Arts & Science, including requirements and program sponsor or Departmental information, Daniels Students must refer to the Faculty of Arts & Science Academic Calendar.

Students are required to:

  • Enrol in at least one Architectural Studies Specialist OR one Visual Studies Specialist or Major and no more than three programs (of which only two can be Majors or Specialists)
  • May enrol in Faculty of Arts & Science programs in addition to Daniels program requirements  (excluding deregulated fee Programs of Study)
  • Meet any enrolment requirements for a program stated in the Calendar

Please note:

  1. Daniels students are eligible to apply to all Programs offered through the Faculty of Arts & Science except for deregulated programs such as Commerce Programs and the Major and Specialist in Computer Science.  Daniels Faculty students are eligible to apply for the Minor in Computer Science.
  2. Some courses included as Program options (detailed in the "Architectural Studies" and "Visual Studies" sections of this calendar) may have prerequisites as requirements not listed but that must be taken.  Programs that list optional courses do not necessarily list their prerequisites.  Students are responsible for fulfilling prerequisites; students enrolled in courses for which they do not have the published prerequisites may have their registration in those courses cancelled at any time without warning.

The Breadth Requirement

The purpose of breadth requirements is to ensure that all students graduating with an Honours degree from the Daniels Faculty have chose courses across a broad range of subject areas in Daniels and within the Faculty of Arts & Science as part of their undergraduate education.

Courses in the Daniels Faculty and in the Faculty of Arts & Science are classified into five Breadth categories by subject content. Note that some courses do not have a Breadth category and do not count toward this requirement. 

  1. Creative and Cultural Representations (CCR)
    An appreciation for the diversity of cultural products, their meanings, and their socio-historical contexts through exposure to works in a variety of media and forms. Courses in this category focus on creative products and cultural expression, engaging students in activities such as the reading of texts, the learning of languages, and the study of art, film or oral traditions. These courses would normally focus on the conditions through which such works are produced, on their various interpretations in societal context, and on the ways in which those interpretations may have changed over time. 
     
  2. Thought, Belief, and Behaviour (TBB)
    Familiarity with investigations of the mind and individual behaviour, and the formation and function of systems of meaning, belief, and communication. These courses explore the ways in which the mind perceives reality and makes sense of both the human and natural world. Their content may focus on the creation of meaning and the ways in which belief systems are sustained and reproduced, as well as on the communication of meaning through language and other symbolic systems. Many courses falling into this category centre upon understanding collective belief and the nature of human thought, and the ways in which these shape societal behavior and norms. 
     
  3. Society and Its Institutions (SII)
    Knowledge of societal organization, institutions, and systems, the ways they change over time, and the theories and models used to understand them. These courses include not only the study of social, economic and political systems, but also the ways in which humans arrange their built environments and manage environmental systems to meet their own needs. They will typically explore the social networks and systems that organize human lives and modify their environments. Courses in this category will generally approach these issues using social science methodologies and/or historical and critical analyses. Courses may also situate the issues explored in relation to relevant social theory (or theorists), models, or approaches to understanding societal problems. 
     
  4. Living Things and Their Environment (LTE)
    A grasp of the principles and concepts of life and the relation between organisms and their natural surroundings, and the ability to make and evaluate observations about living things. This category includes courses broadly from the biological and environmental sciences, which develop an understanding of the study of life and its contexts; levels of organization range from molecules to the biosphere. Courses will cultivate an understanding of scientific methodology (the formulation of hypotheses, experimental design, and quantitative analysis methods), its application in the life sciences, and its limits in providing answers concerning biological and environmental questions.
     
  5. The Physical and Mathematical Universes (PMU)
    An understanding of theories of the physical world and mathematical models, and the ability to apply them and to make and evaluate observations relating to them. Courses in the physical sciences study the constituents and mechanisms that govern the natural world, with an emphasis on non-living systems. Such courses develop an understanding of scientific methodology (the formulation of hypotheses, experimental design, and quantitative analysis methods), its application and its limits.

The Breadth Requirement can be completed in one of two ways: 

  • at least 1.0 credit in each of 4 of the 5 categories, or 
  • at least 1.0 credit in each of any 3 of the 5 categories, and at least one 0.5 credit in each of the other 2 categories.

A course’s Breadth designation can be found following the course description in the Daniels Faculty and the Faculty of Arts & Science Calendar for the year in which the course is taken. Some full-credit courses can count towards two breadth categories. Courses marked "BR=None" do not count toward any breadth category.

Courses count toward the Breadth Requirement in the manner in which they were classified in the Calendar of the year in which they were taken

Students may count towards the Breadth Requirement any course that has a Breadth designation and in which they have achieved standing, whether or not the course is used to satisfy a Program requirement, and whether or not the course was taken as Credit/No Credit.