Guide to First Year
Your first-year courses
On this page:
Unlike other first-year students at U of T, engineering students do not have to choose their courses on ACORN. By accepting your offer of admission, you have secured your place in all your courses. You will automatically be enrolled in a full-time schedule based on your program. Your timetable will be available in early August. The full-time course load is presented here for the Fall and Winter terms.
Regardless of your program, as a full-time first-year engineering student you can expect to have approximately 25 to 30 hours of class each week, plus a similar amount of time outside of class for studying, homework, projects and for participating in extra help sessions or office hours. Plan to use the breaks in your schedule and your free time to get involved in co-curricular activities, stay active and healthy, and stay connected with family and friends.
FALL 2025
| TrackOne & Core 8 Programs (including Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Industrial, Materials, Mechanical and Mineral Engineering Programs) | Engineering Science |
|---|---|
| APS100: Orientation to Engineering | PHY180: Classical Mechanics |
| APS111: Engineering Strategies & Practice I | ESC101: Praxis I |
| CIV100: Mechanics or APS160: Mechanics (online) | CIV102: Structures & Materials |
| APS110: Engineering Chemistry & Materials Science or APS164: Intro Chemistry from a Materials Perspective (online, summer) | ESC103: Engineering Mathematics & Computation |
| MAT188: Linear Algebra | ESC180: Computer Programming |
| MAT186: Calculus I or APS162: Calculus for Engineers I (online, summer) | ESC194: Calculus I |
WINTER 2026
To learn more about your program and access course descriptions, visit uofteng.ca/calendar.
The top thing for me was building a weekly schedule – every Sunday or Monday, write down all tasks for the week ahead and their associated percentage out of your total grade. From this, you’ll get a strong sense of how to manage your time.
Dante Capobianco
CompE Year 2 GEARS mentor
Sample Timetable
To give you a sense of what your Fall schedule might look like, below is a sample timetable. Your official timetable will be available on ACORN in August.
Lectures are typically three hours per week (usually divided into two or three meetings per week, with the exception of seminar courses) and taught by distinguished faculty members.
Tutorials allow you to ask questions in a more informal and interactive atmosphere. They are at least one hour in length and led by a teaching assistant (TA) who is pursuing graduate studies at U of T.
Practicals (often referred to as “labs”) allow for group work or work with partners depending on the nature of the course. Some courses include a two- or three-hour practical every other week.
| MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | FRIDAY | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 | MAT188 Linear Algebra Practical | APS100 Orientation to Engineering Tutorial | CIV100 Mechanics Tutorial | APS111 Engineering Strategies & Practice I Tutorial | |
| 10:00 | Midterm Block | ||||
| 11:00 | APS110 Engineering Chemistry & Materials Science Lecture | APS110 Engineering Chemistry & Materials Science Lecture | MAT186 Calculus I Tutorial | APS110 Engineering Chemistry & Materials Science Lecture | |
| 12:00 | APS110 Engineering Chemistry & Materials Science Practical | ||||
| 13:00 | MAT186 Calculus I Lecture | APS100 Orientation to Engineering Lecture | MAT186 Calculus I Lecture | ||
| 14:00 | MAT188 Linear Algebra Lecture | MAT186 Calculus I Lecture | MAT188 Linear Algebra Lecture | MAT188 Linear Algebra Lecture | |
| 15:00 | APS111 Engineering Strategies & Practice I Lecture | APS111 Engineering Strategies & Practice I Lecture | APS111 Engineering Strategies & Practice I Lecture | ||
| 16:00 | CIV100 Mechanics Lecture | CIV100 Mechanics Lecture | MAT188 Linear Algebra Tutorial | ||
| 17:00 | CIV100 Mechanics Lecture | ||||
| 18:00 |
| MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | FRIDAY | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 | MAT188 Linear Algebra Practical | APS100 Orientation to Engineering Tutorial | CIV100 Mechanics Tutorial | APS111 Engineering Strategies & Practice I Tutorial | |
| 10:00 | Library | Midterm Block | Group Project Meeting | ||
| 11:00 | APS110 Engineering Chemistry & Materials Science Lecture | APS110 Engineering Chemistry & Materials Science Lecture | MAT186 Calculus I Tutorial | APS110 Engineering Chemistry & Materials Science Lecture | |
| 12:00 | Lunch Break | APS110 Engineering Chemistry & Materials Science Practical | Lunch Break | Lunch Break | Lunch Break with Friends |
| 13:00 | MAT186 Calculus I Lecture | APS100 Orientation to Engineering Lecture | MAT186 Calculus I Lecture | Library | |
| 14:00 | MAT188 Linear Algebra Lecture | MAT186 Calculus I Lecture | MAT188 Linear Algebra Lecture | MAT188 Linear Algebra Lecture | |
| 15:00 | APS111 Engineering Strategies & Practice I Lecture | Break | APS111 Engineering Strategies & Practice I Lecture | Office Hours | APS111 Engineering Strategies & Practice I Lecture |
| 16:00 | CIV100 Mechanics Lecture | Library | Library | CIV100 Mechanics Lecture | MAT188 Linear Algebra Tutorial |
| 17:00 | CIV100 Mechanics Lecture | GEARS Sessions | Fitness Class at Hart House | Weekly Review | |
| 18:00 | Club Meeting |
COURSE PLAN OPTIONS
Although students are enrolled into a full-time schedule by default, if you have significant non-academic commitments, health concerns, family obligations, or other special circumstances, you are welcome to consider part-time studies (three courses or fewer per term) or reduced course-load options (shifting one course per term to the summer).
A typical part-time course plan would involve spreading first-year courses out over two academic years. Here is an example of a part-time plan:
| Term | Courses |
|---|---|
| Fall 2025 | APS100, APS111, MAT186 |
| Winter 2026 | APS112, APS191, MAT187 |
| Fall 2026 | APS110, CIV100, MAT188 |
| Winter 2027 | APS105, ECE110, MIE100 |
Avoid Comparisons—Your Journey is Unique. Everyone learns at their own pace, so focus on what works best for you. Success looks different for everyone, so embrace your personal growth.
Mahmoud Rashid
MSE Year 3 E-Buddy mentor
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change my course timetable?
Unfortunately, we are not able to change first-year students’ timetables to accommodate personal preferences as we must ensure that all newly-admitted students fit into their required class sections. However, if you have a conflict of a medical, religious, Varsity athletics or other important nature, you may contact the First Year Office for accommodation in late August.
How do I find my classes?
Each course in your ACORN timetable will show a building code and room number associated with it. You can use the U of T Map to find your way around. For example, if you have a class in MY 150, “MY” indicates the Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation & Entrepreneurship and “150” indicates the room number.
What do I need to do to prepare for classes?
Your instructors will indicate their respective expectations via their course syllabi, which they will distribute during their first lectures. Syllabi will also be posted in Quercus. We recommend that you review the topics that will be discussed in your lectures ahead of time so that you can make the most of your in-class experience. Some classes require students to work or read sections in advance of their lectures.