The Department of Computer Science (DCS) at the University of Toronto is an administrative unit within the Faculty of Arts and Science. Established on 1 July 1964, the department is currently one of the highest ranked computer science departments in the world, placing first amongst Canadian universities and tenth worldwide.[1] The department offers undergraduate and postgraduate education. Undergraduates receive a Honours Bachelors in Science upon graduation.
The department currently has 68 faculty members. As of February 2011, 800 undergraduate students are enrolled in a University of Toronto subject POSt[2] sponsored by the department.
The current Chair of the Department is Sven Dickinson.
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The department's predecessor, The Computation Centre, was formed in 1952. Shortly after its formation, it housed FERUT, the first electronic computer in Canada. The Computation Centre was renamed to the Institute for Computer Science in 1962, before being absorbed by the newly created Department of Computer Science in 1964. The new department, with only six faculty members and four graduate students, had Canada's only computer science doctorate program at the time.
An undergraduate program was introduced in 1971.
The department became an administrative unit in the Faculty of Arts and Science in 1981.[3]
The department has 11 research groups:[11]
The department currently offers students a choice of a Computer Science Major or a Specialist program. Students applying for a Specialist program may choose one of the following options:[12]
For students that started their undergraduate studies on September 2010 or later, the above options will be replaced with a new curriculum aimed at giving students more flexibility in choosing their courses without worrying about program course restrictions.[13] Existing students will be given the option to change to the new programs or stay with the existing curriculum.
There are three programs that are coordinated between the Department of Computer Science and other departments:
Undergraduate Computer Science students are represented by the Computer Science Student Union[14] (CSSU). The CSSU organizes Pub Nights, Movie Nights, and two Game Nights per year. The CSSU also sells discounted refreshments to students in its office.