Degree Requirements:
Bachelor of Commerce (BCom)
 

To qualify for a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) degree, a student must:

a) Obtain standing (i.e., complete with a mark of 50% or higher/P/CR) in at least 20.0 credits that meet the following criteria:

• At least 13.0 credits at the 200+ level, including a minimum of 6.0 credits at the 300+ level. No more than 1.0 credit at the 300+ level in transfer credit may be counted towards the minimum number of 300- and 400-level credits, except transfer credits attained through a University of Toronto exchange program.
• At least 10.0 credits in Faculty of Arts & Science courses. Note that transfer credits attained through a University of Toronto exchange program contribute to this 10.0 credits minimum.
• No more than 15.0 credits may have the same three-letter designator (“AST,” “ENG,” etc.). 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.

b) Complete one of the following program requirements: Specialist in Accounting, Specialist in Finance and Economics, or Specialist in Management

c) Complete the Arts & Science Breadth Requirement;

d) Achieve a cumulative GPA of 1.85 or more by the time of graduation.

The five Breadth Requirement categories are: 

1. Creative and Cultural Representations
   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
   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
   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
   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
   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.

Most courses in the Faculty of Arts & Science are classified into five Breadth categories by subject content. A few courses do not have a Breadth Requirement assigned and therefore do not count toward this degree requirement. If they do state a Breadth Requirement, half-credit courses offer 0.5 credits towards only one of the categories; full-credit courses offer either 0.5 credits in two different categories, or 1.0 credit in one. Students may count towards the Breadth Requirement any course which has a Breadth designation, and in which they have achieved standing (a grade of 50% or higher/P/CR), including courses completed toward program (Specialist, Major, Minor) requirements. Courses that have been designated Extra can contribute toward the Breadth Requirement. 

A course’s Breadth designation can be found following the course description in the Calendar for the year in which the course is taken; in the instance where a course does not have a Breadth category, the Breadth Requirement will not appear in the course description.

For example:

HIS103Y1: Strategy and Statecraft: War and Diplomacy in European History

Hours: 48L/20T

An analysis of the development of the international system, from 1648 to 1945, which highlights the role of war as an instrument of national policy, as a determinant of the system of states and as a threat to international society.

Exclusion: HIS100Y1, HIS101Y1, HIS102Y1, HIS106Y1, HIS107Y1, HIS108Y1, HIS109Y1, HIS110Y1
Breadth Requirements: Society and its Institutions (3)

HIS103Y1 counts as 1.0 credit in Category 3 (Society and Its Institutions).

ENG215H1: The Canadian Short Story

Hours: 36L

An introduction to the Canadian short story, this course emphasizes its rich variety of settings, subjects, and styles.

Prerequisite: 1.0 ENG credit or any 4.0 credits
Breadth Requirements: Creative and Cultural Representations (1)

ENG215H1 counts as one 0.5 credit in Category 1 (Creative and Cultural Representations).

ANT100Y1: Introduction to Anthropology

Hours: 48L/12T

Society and culture from various anthropological perspectives: socio-cultural, evolutionary, archaeological, and linguistic.

Breadth Requirements: Living Things and Their Environment (4), Society and its Institutions (3)

ANT100Y1 counts as one 0.5 credit in Category 3 (Society and its Institutions) and one 0.5 credit in Category 4 (Living Things and Their Environment).