University of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering

The Mining Building

The School of Practical Science (S.P.S.) was created in 1873 by an act of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. The school was to serve the needs of a growing economy at a time marked by rapidly evolving sciences and technologies. In 1878, the school enrolled its first class for a three-year curriculum in the subjects of mining, engineering, mechanics and manufacturing.

The school was established as an affiliate of the University of Toronto, but operated as a separate institution. The first classes were held in a red-brick building that was known as the "Little Red Skulehouse" by attending students. The school was renamed as the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering on June 20, 1906, when it officially became part of the university.[1] In 1949, the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies opened for graduate studies and research in aeronautical and space sciences. In 1962, the Institute of Biomedical Electronics (now Institute of Biomedical Engineering) was established for graduate studies. The original Skulehouse was finally demolished in 1966, by which time the faculty had already expanded to occupy a dozen other buildings that formed an engineering precinct in the southern part of campus.

The Bahen Centre for Information Technology was completed in 2002 to meet the growing needs of the university’s computer science and electrical and computer engineering programs. Designed by Diamond + Schmitt Architects, the $111 million facility contains 20,000 gross square metres and is named for John Bahen, the president of Peter Kiewit and Sons. The centre was described by Canadian Architect magazine as "a complex interweaving of urbanity, public space and sustainability", and it won the Ontario Association of Architects Award, the City of Toronto Architecture and Urban Design Award, and bronze in the environmental category of the National Post Design Exchange Award.[2]

Sundial at the engineering precinct

Engineering & Computer Science Library

There are 5,090 undergraduate students and 1,842 graduate students enrolled in the faculty, with 43,000 living Skule alumni worldwide.[3] The undergraduate programs are conducted by the departments of chemical, civil, computer, electrical, industrial, materials, mechanical, and mineral engineering. The faculty awards Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) degrees for all undergraduate engineering programs, with the exception of the Engineering Science program, in which a Bachelor of Applied Science in Engineering Science is awarded. The faculty also offers graduate degrees. The Master of Engineering (MEng) degree consists of 1 year of full-time study, primarily requiring the completion of coursework and/or a major project. The Master of Applied Science (MASc) degree consists of 2 years of full-time study, and requires the completion of course work and a major thesis. Unlike the MASc, which leads to a PhD degree, the MEng is a terminal degree.

Courses in several majors overlap: the electrical engineering curriculum shares courses with the computer engineering curriculum in the first two years, while chemical engineering shares a set of courses with the environmental engineering option of the civil engineering department. The undergraduate engineering science program consists of courses from a broad range of departments and places greater emphasis on theory than in a traditional engineering curriculum.[4] In the final two years of the program, each student specializes in one of several concentration options, including biomedical engineering, aerospace engineering, and machine learning.

The faculty requires undergraduate students to accumulate 600 hours of engineering work experience, commonly obtained through employment in between academic terms.[5] Students may also choose to participate in a paid internship program called the Professional Experience Year, which involves employment at an engineering company for a period of 12 to 16 months. The Jeffrey Skoll program allows engineering students to earn a bachelor's degree in engineering from the faculty followed by a Master of Business Administration degree from the Rotman School of Management.[6]

Admissions standards are specific to each department, and the faculty had an entry average of 93.7%.[7][8][9] In 2010-2011, Engineering Science had an entry average of 93%, and averages have been increasing yearly since then.[10][11]

Skule's Lady Godiva Memorial Bnad participates in the Toronto Santa Claus Parade.

Founded in 1885, The University of Toronto Engineering Society is the oldest engineering society in Canada, comprising all undergraduate students in the faculty, and serving as its student government. The Society has been the trademark holder for the Skule nickname since 1984.[14] Usage of the nickname began in the founding years of the School of Practical Science, when students used "skule" as a deliberate misspelling of "school".

The Skule mascot is known as the Ye Olde Mighty Skule Cannon, which began as a cannon stolen from in front of the Parliament Buildings in the fall of 1898, and has since been rebuilt in several incarnations.[15] Students serving as "Cannon Guards" are led by a "Chief Attiliator" to protect the Cannon, which has been historically a target for attempted theft by other engineering schools. The Cannon is often fired (empty-shelled) during orientation events, and can also be heard during various events promoting Skule Spirit.

In September 2021, the University of Toronto Engineering Society, in partnership with the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, launched a Skule Mental Health Bursary, to provide access to mental health and wellness support for Engineering undergraduate students who are in need of financial aid.[16]

Social events

Skule Brass Quintet (also known as the "Brass Ring"), during a concert at Knox College, led by Malcolm McGrath

The Skule Orchestra, founded in 2006, is a full symphonic orchestra of engineering students. It organises Moment, the Valentine's Ball. Every year the Skule Choir, led by Malcolm McGrath, puts on a Christmas concert, usually located in Knox College Chapel with Malcolm McGrath on the main pipe organ and the Skule Brass Quintet.

The Lady Godiva Memorial Bnad (sic) and "White Noise Brigade" draws its name from the Godiva tradition.[17] Like several other universities, Skule students frequently sing Godiva's Hymn (or the Engineer's Hymn) and revere Lady Godiva. The first week of classes in January following Christmas holidays is designated Godiva Week, and features numerous events, competitions and activities.[18]

The Skule community hosts events, parties, activities, inter-faculty sports, a yearly musical production entitled Skule Nite and special interest lectures throughout the year.[19]

• H. E. T. Haultain (class of 1889) – Founder of The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer
• Frederick Walker Baldwin (class of 1906) – Designer of the Silver Dart, White Wing and Red Wing aircraft
• Karl Brooks Heisey (class of 1922) – Mining engineer and mine president
• Elsie MacGill (class of 1927) – First female aircraft designer, "Queen of the Hurricanes"
• Jim Chamberlin (class of 1936) – Chief designer of the Avro Arrow, chief of engineering for NASA's Project Mercury
• Gerald Bull (class of 1944, M.A.Sc. 1948, Ph.D. 1951) – Ballistics engineer and developer of long-range superguns
• Lewis Urry (class of 1950) – Inventor of the alkaline battery and the lithium battery
• Owen Maynard (class of 1951) – Senior Stress Engineer on the Avro Arrow, Chief of Lunar Excursion Module Engineering, then of Systems Engineering and of Mission Operations in NASA's Project Apollo Program Office
• Alan Milliken Heisey Sr. (class of 1951) – Anti-nationalist, politician and publisher
• Peter Munk (class of 1952) – Founder and chairman of Barrick Gold
• Paul Godfrey (class of 1962) – Politician and former president of the Toronto Blue Jays
• Alfred Aho (class of 1963) – Co-creator of the AWK programming language, co-author of Compilers: Principles, Techniques, and Tools
• Brian Kernighan (class of 1964) – Bell Labs scientist, co-author of The C Programming Language and The UNIX Programming Environment
• Bernard Sherman (class of 1964) – Chairman and CEO of Apotex
• Kim Vicente (class of 1985, prof. of industrial engineering 1992–) – Author, The Human Factor
• Jeffrey Skoll (class of 1987) – First employee and president of eBay
• Julie Payette (M.A.Sc. 1990) – Astronaut and Governor General of Canada
• Raffaello D'Andrea (B.A.Sc. 1991) -- engineer, artist, and entrepreneur.
• Isabel Bayrakdarian (class of 1997) – Opera singer
• George Myhal CM (class of 1978, Hon. LL.D. 2018) – Former senior managing partner of Brookfield Asset Management, philanthropist
• Donald Robert Sadoway (class of 1972, M.A.Sc. 1973, Ph.D. 1977) - Professor Emeritus of materials chemistry at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, notable expert in electrochemistry (molten salt battery and electrolysis)

• Robin Sutton Harris, Ian Montagnes. Cold Iron and Lady Godiva: Engineering Education at Toronto, 1920-1972. University of Toronto Press, 1973. ISBN 0-8020-2062-3.
• Richard White. The Skule Story: The University of Toronto Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering. University of Toronto Press, 2000. ISBN 0-7727-6704-1.
• Catherine Moriarty. John Galbraith, 1846-1914: Engineer and Educator. University of Toronto Press, 1989. ISBN 0-7727-6700-9.

• University of Toronto, Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering
• Skule, the University of Toronto Engineering Society
• Skule Traditions
• Skulepedia, a repository of Skule history by alumni and students
• Archival papers of Vernon Russell Davies, lecturer at the faculty who ran Vernon Davies Tutorial School, are held at the University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services
• Archival papers of Barry French, Professor (1961-?) and Associate Director of University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (1982-1985), held at the University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services
• Bahen Centre, University of Toronto

43°39′36″N 79°23′41″W