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About Vic One

Vic One features small-group seminars, enriched by weekly guest lectures with professors, visiting artists, writers, ambassadors and other public figures.

Vic One students apply to one of eight academic streams that form the foundation of their first-year experience. Each Vic One stream offers a unique perspective through the exploration of the inter-connectivity between disciplines with a focus on a central theme.

As part of their regular academic schedule, Vic One students take two full credits in classes that are exclusive to Vic One. These classes count towards University of Toronto’s overall degree requirements, and many of them can also be used towards a variety of upper-year academic programs. Vic One students also enroll in general introductory courses offered by other departments, including co-requisite classes that complement the topics in their stream.

Enrolment is limited to 250 and a maximum of 25 students per section. Students in the program get to know their fellow students and instructors well and engage in an enriched multidisciplinary curriculum. This introduction to university-level studies provides an excellent foundation by encouraging the development of critical thinking, research and writing skills.

In 2023 Vic One celebrated '20 Years of Igniting Curiosity' - click here to read more about the origins and impacts of Vic One.

Vic One Streams

The Vic One Program

First-year students apply to one of eight streams in the Vic One program. Streams are named after a distinguished person in Victoria College history and have a focus that reflects the interests and expertise of these luminaries.

Chambers | Commerce, Economics, & Policy

What you'll study:

  • Business
  • Leadership
  • Public Policy

This stream explores business, leadership, and policy topics, situating them into a broader context by exploring their foundations and applications. Students are provided with an interdisciplinary understanding of commerce and its societal impact.

Education | Education & Society

What you'll study:

  • Sociology of education
  • Pedagogy
  • Teaching practicum

This stream is taught using a multidisciplinary approach which includes an exploration of the philosophical, economic, historical and cultural aspects of education and the profession of teaching. A valuable practicum component provides the opportunity to be fully immersed in the exploration of the teaching profession.

Frye | Literature & the Humanities

What you'll study:

  • Humanities and the arts
  • Literary, philosophical and cultural influences

This stream emphasizes the "educated imagination;" it will introduce students to a far-reaching range of thought in the humanities and the arts. The courses provide students with an integrated introduction to university level study in the humanities.

Gooch | Philosophy & Ethical Citizenship

What you'll study:

  • Beliefs and values in a globalized world
  • Diversity and equality
  • Vice and virtue

This stream gives students the opportunity for intensive study and discussion of beliefs and values—how they originate, change and interact in today’s globalized world. Topics include ideas about good and evil, vice and virtue, diversity and equality, individual character and societal values.

Jewison | Creative Arts & Society

What you'll study:

  • Film, poetry, music, and art
  • Creative projects

This stream provides students with the opportunity to study how the arts play an integral role in both individual and societal life. Students will explore a variety of media such as literature, music, film, poetry and photography, taught by a team of accomplished professors and industry professionals.

Pearson | History, Politics & Social Sciences

What you'll study:

  • Public life and citizenship
  • Political affairs
  • International relations

This stream explores individuals and events that have shaped the nature of public life and citizenship. With a multidisciplinary approach, the stream focuses on significant historical and contemporary political affairs while grounding the discussion in the social and cultural context of a specific time and place.

Schawlow | Physical & Mathematical Sciences

What you'll study:

  • Philosophy of science
  • Scientific progress
  • Technology and entrepreneurship

This stream provides a strong foundation in the natural sciences, with a multidisciplinary focus on the physical sciences, scientific progress, and the environment in which science is performed today, and applied in technology and entrepreneurship.

Stowe-Gullen | Life Sciences

What you'll study:

  • Scientific reasoning
  • Philosophy of science
  • Medical ethics

This stream is suited to students interested in the biological sciences. Students are inspired to think creatively and critically about scientific reasoning, methods and theories. Students participate in the important debates of our time about the social, political and ethical challenges posed by scientific advances.