Transfer Credit for General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced Level Examinations

Breadth Requirements

The majority of courses in the Faculty of Arts & Science are classified into five breadth categories by subject content. The purpose of the Breadth Requirement is to ensure all students graduating with a degree from the Faculty of Arts & Science have chosen courses across a broad range of subject areas in the Faculty as part of their undergraduate education. Please note that some courses do not have a breadth requirement.

The five breadth categories are:

Category 1: Creative and Cultural Representations (CCR)
Category 2: Thought, Belief, and Behaviour (TBB)
Category 3: Society and Its Institutions (SII)
Category 4: Living Things and Their Environment (LTE)
Category 5: The Physical and Mathematical Universes (PMU)

The majority of secondary school transfer credits are assigned a breadth category. More information about breadth requirements can be found in the Faculty of Arts & Science Academic Calendar and on the Sidney Smith Commons.

How do I interpret the transfer credit equivalency chart?

• Course Name: The name of the course/subject you took (for example, European History or Economics).
• Transfer Credit Given: The credit that will appear on your academic record (transcript). All secondary school transfer credits are awarded as unspecified transfer credits, for example BIO1**H, CHM1**Y, or ECO1**Y.
• Credit Value: The weight of the transfer credits, either 0.5 or 1.0 (see the Academic Calendar for more information about course weight). If a course/subject is not eligible for transfer credit, the weight will be listed as N/A.
• Subject Area/Breadth Requirement: Some courses may list a subject area such as “Lang & Lit”, which is an abbreviated description of the course content, in this case, language and literature. The subject area information normally also includes the breadth requirement (BR) category for the transfer credits (see above). If no breadth requirement category is listed, the transfer credit does not contribute toward the breadth requirements. In some cases, the subject area also includes a number, which indicates the course to which the transfer credit can be considered an equivalent. 
  • As an example, IB Geography is awarded two transfer credits, JEG1**H with a subject area of “100 (BR=5)” and GGR1**H with a subject area of “107 (BR=3)”. JEG1**H provides a half-credit toward breadth requirement category 5 (The Physical and Mathematical Universes) and can be used as an equivalent to JEG100H1; GGR1**H provides a half-credit toward breadth requirement category 3 (Society and Its Institutions) and can be used as an equivalent to GGR107H1. It is important to note that you could, however, choose to take JEG100H1 or GGR107H1 in the Faculty of Arts & Science if you wanted to, and the courses would not be considered repeated courses.
• Program Admission: This column tells you whether the credit can be used to meet the enrolment requirements for a program of study. See the Academic Calendar for more information about program enrolment requirements.
• Program Requirements: This column tells you whether the credit can be used to meet the completion requirements for a program of study. See the Academic Calendar for more information about program completion requirements.
• Prerequisite Purposes: This column tells you whether the credit can be used to meet the prerequisite for another course. See the Academic Calendar for more information about prerequisites.
• Notes: Information in this column will normally explain information about the credit equivalency and how your transfer credit can be used for program requirements. If the note tells you to consult the program, you can find the academic unit’s contact information on their website or in the Academic Calendar.

Subjects not listed below may still be considered for transfer credit. The Faculty of Arts & Science reserves the right to change transfer credit policies without notice.

Equivalency Chart - General Certificate of Education - Advanced Level Examinations

Archived Transfer Credit Equivalency Charts