While EngSci is a small program, U of T is a rather large school, and this means that we have a lot of unique terms that students use in everyday speech. Some of these acronyms and short hands might be incorporated into some of our blog posts. Below is a list of terms that students use, and that may be used in blog posts.
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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
ACORN – Accessible Campus Online Resource Network
ACORN is an online platform that stores all your records – academic, personal and financial, and links you to lots of other campus resources
AP – Advanced Placement
A program offered for high school students around the world that offers college-level curricula and examinations.
ASX – Astronomy and Space Exploration Society
The Astronomy & Space Exploration Society (ASX) is a non-profit organization run by the University of Toronto undergraduate space community. ASX’s purpose is to educate, excite, and inspire students, professionals, and the general public about astronomy and space.
BA – Bahen
One of the main engineering buildings on campus, houses the EngSci common room and EngSci Division Office.
CGPA – Cumulative Grade Point Average
This refers to your overall GPA across all semesters.
ChemE – Department of Chemical Engineering
CivMinE – Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering
Your professors for the CIV102 course (Structures and Materials – An Introduction to Engineering Design) are from this department.
CS – Complementary Studies
Studies in humanities, social sciences, arts, management, engineering economics and communication that complement the technical curriculum of an engineering program.
CUBE – Club for Undergraduate Biomedical Engineering
A student-run club whose mandate is to promote biomedical engineering at the undergraduate level.
ECE – Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Many of your professors for ECE159 (Fundamentals of Electric Circuits), ECE253 (Digital and Computer Systems), and other ECE courses will be from this deparment.
ESC/EngSci – Engineering Science
This is the amazing program you’ve decided to join.
EngSoc – Engineering Society
This is the student government group on campus for all U of T Engineering students, and they provide academic services (tutors and old exam archives), student club funding, and extracurricular opportunities.
ESEC – Engineering Science Education Conference
This annual one-day conference aims to broaden our students’ horizons through engagement with world leaders in a wide range of sectors corresponding to our program’s majors.
ESROP – Engineering Student Research Opportunity Program
The program provides EngSci students with the opportunity to work with faculty members on research projects over the course of the summer.
ESRRO – Engineering Student Recruitment and Retention Office
This is the office responsible for sending many recruitment and transition resources for the engineering faculty.
EWB UofT – Engineers Without Border UofT
The largest student chapter of EWB in Canada, the club works both locally and globally to address the root causes of poverty and inequality.
FASE – Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
This is the amazing faculty you’re a new member of.
GB – Galbraith
One of the main engineering buildings on campus, houses the Office of the Registrar and the Math Aid Centre.
GEARS – Guided Engineering Academic Review Sessions
GEARS runs multiple days a week and offers a great opportunity to connect with upper year EngScis who can answer questions about your courses, the program, summer opportunities, as well as offering free course review and exam prep help.
GPA – Grade Point Average
Another way to represent the average of your courses. The average of your courses in your most recent semester is called your sessional GPA.
GTA – Greater Toronto Area
This officially means the City of Toronto and four surrounding regional municipalities: Durham, Halton, Peel, and York.
HA – Haultain Builsing
One of the engineering buildings on campus. Houses small classrooms which may be used for tutorials and midterms.
HSS – Humanities and Social Science Elective
HSS courses are a subset of CS courses, and they refer to electives offered through the Faculty of Arts and Science. You are required to take a certain amount of these credits for graduation, due to accreditation purposes.
IB – International Baccalaureate
IB programs challenge students age 13-19 to excel in their studies and encourage both personal and academic achievement.
IEEE – Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
IEEE is the world’s largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity, and we are lucky to have a student branch here at UofT.
iGem – International Genetically Engineered Machine
The iGEM Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization working towards the advancement of synthetic biology, education and competition.
ISET – Interplanetary Space Exploration Team
A student club that provides a platform for undergraduate students to actively take part in the Space Colonization field.
LEC – Lecture
These are where you’ll be in big groups learning the new content from the professor.
MB – Lassonde Mining Building
Houses the Mining Hall of Fame and classrooms for some of your classes.
MC – Mechanical Engineering Building
Features a large lecture hall, which is one of the most spacious lecture halls you’ll see in your first year.
MIE – Department of Mechanical & Industrial Engineering
MSE – Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Your professors for MSE160 (Molecules and Materials) will be from this department.
MY – Myhal
One of the main engineering buildings on campus, with a lot of study spaces and a new fabrication facility. It’s official name is the Myhal Centre for Engineering Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
MYLFF – Myhal Light Fabrication Facility
The facility is equipped with 20 workbenches, a variety of hand tools, and basic power tools and allows for light-duty fabrication with materials such as timber, foam, plastics and soft metals. This facility is commonly referred to as MyFab.
NSBE – National Society of Black Engineers
This group’s mission is to increase the number of culturally responsible black engineers who excel academically, succeed professionally, and positively impact the community.
PEY Co-op – Professional Experience Year Co-op
A paid twelve to sixteen-month co-op program offered to engineering students that have completed either second or third year.
PRA – Practical
Hands-on session held in a lab setting, which will be a component to many of your courses in first year.
Prof – Professor
Professors run your lectures and run weekly office hours.
RSX – Robotics for Space Exploration
RSX’s primary focus is pushing the boundaries of science, technology and engineering to create the next generation of robotics for space exploration.
SEA – Sustainable Engineers Association
This student club is fueled by the drive to increase interest and awareness about sustainability, and they run many events throughout the year where students can meet and engage with industry professionals.
SF – Sandford Fleming
One of the main engineering buildings on campus, houses many of the student run services on campus such as the Engineering Stores and Hard Hat Cafe.
Skule™ – an incorrect spelling of the word “school” in honour of a longstanding joke that Engineers can’t spell…
Skule™ refers to the name of our student community at U of T Engineering. This being said, there is no one definition that encompasses what it is. Skule™ actually refers to a diverse set of statements:
- the spirit of what it means to be a U of T Engineering student, where we value fairness, honesty, diversity, inclusivity, and above all, respect for yourself and your fellow peers.
- a community of people referred to as Skuligans!
- a place where bright minds come together to collaborate, celebrate, and care for each another
- a network of over 56,000 alumni and a community that’ll last beyond your undergraduate years
TA – Teaching Assistant
Teaching Assistants are Masters or PhD students that run your tutorials and often run their own office hours when it gets near exam time.
TCard – UofT Student Identification Card
Your TCard is your identification for academic purposes. It includes your photo, UTORid, student number and a barcode. It provides access to services and facilities such as libraries, athletic facilities, exams, meal plans, online learning portal, printing services, and more.
TUT – Tutorial
Smaller sections that a TA runs for each course, that allow you to more fully explore concepts raised during previous lectures.
UHIP – University Health Insurance Plan
This is a mandatory medical insurance plan for all international students. It is also offered for domestic students who don’t have their own medical insurance. Everyone is automatically enrolled in this plan, but domestic students who have their own medical insurance such as OHIP (Ontario’s mandatory health plans), can opt out. Read more about the insurance plan at the StudentCare webpage.
U of T Time
“U of T Time” refers to the practice of starting lectures, labs, and tutorials ten minutes after their scheduled hour. For example, if a lecture is scheduled for 2:00pm on your timetable, the prof. typically won’t actually start giving the lecture until 2:10pm. The reason for this is mainly to give students time to get from their last class that ends on the hour to their next class without missing anything.
UTACE – University of Toronto Association of Chinese Engineers
ACE is a student-run group dedicated to promoting Chinese culture on campus. They also work towards fostering friendship and communication between members.
UTAT – University of Toronto Aerospace Team
An award-winning design team that provides students across all disciplines the unique opportunity to be a leader in aerospace and innovation projects.
UTEFA – University of Toronto Finance Association
An educational organization which aims to provide students with extensive knowledge about the financial industry by engaging them in investing activities.
UTHT – University of Toronto Hyperloop Team
This student design team aims to compete in the annual Space X Hyperloop Competition in the United States.
UTM – University of Toronto, Mississauga Campus
This is the UofT campus located in Mississauga (UofT is split across 3 campuses).
UTMIST – University of Toronto Machine Intelligence Student Team
This student club is dedicated to clearing the mist surrounding machine intelligence.
UTORid – University of Toronto Identity
Your UTORid is your key to several services like your email, enrollment services and Wi-Fi on campus.
UTRA – University of Toronto Robotics Association
UTRA designs and builds robots to compete in international competitions like RoboGames and the Intelligent Ground Vehicle Competition.
UTSC – University of Toronto, Scarborough Campus
This is the UofT campus located in Scarborough (UofT is split across 3 campuses).
UTSG – University of Toronto, Saint George Campus
This is the UofT campus located in downtown Toronto (UofT is split across 3 campuses), and as an engineering student this is your campus.
UTSPAN – University of Toronto Sports Analytics
The University of Toronto Sports Analytics Group (UTSPAN) is a university-recognized group composed of students, researchers, and faculty members who have an interest in the field of sports analytics.
UTSU – University of Toronto Student Union
The official student government of more than 38,000 students at the University of Toronto, which was founded in 1901.
WISE UofT – Women In Science and Engineering UofT
Student club that looks to promote the education of women in the fields of science and engineering.
YNCN – You’re Next Career Network
This club works to provide professional opportunities to students through career development programs, as well as corporate and startup career events.