University

University of Toronto

University
#29
Global Influence
Public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

University of Toronto Featured Rankings

About University of Toronto

By James Barham, PhD

The University of Toronto received its royal charter in 1827 from King George IV. Originally known as King’s College, it was the first institution of higher learning in the colonial Province of Upper Canada (consisting of mostly what is now southern Ontario).

King’s College was a religious institution, operating under the auspices of the Church of England. In 1850, the university was transferred to a secular administration, at which time it also assumed its present name.

Today, the university comprises 11 schools at its principal location in downtown Toronto’s Queen’s Park neighborhood, as well as two satellite campuses.

In addition, several administratively autonomous but highly prestigious research centers are housed on the University of Toronto campus. Perhaps the most notable of these is the Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences.

Established in 1992 and named in honor of Toronto–mathematician John Charles Fields, the Fields Institute bestows its coveted award (the Fields Medal) every fourth year on several of the best mathematicians in the world under the age of 40.

Another world-famous research center located at the University of Toronto is the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies (PIMS), founded by the distinguished French intellectual historian and philosopher, Étienne Gilson, in 1929. The PIMS helped to spearhead the twentieth-century revolution in our understanding of the Latin-speaking Middle Ages, the birth of the university, and the contribution of medieval philosophy to later European thought.

The university has been associated with 10 Nobel laureates and five Turing Award–winners, some of whom are listed below. Other notable University of Toronto connected people include the following:

Fine Arts and Literature

  • Novelist, Margaret Atwood
  • Classicist, poet, Anne Carson
  • Novelist, Stephen Leacock
  • Poet, soldier, field surgeon, John McCrae
  • Novelist, Rohinton Mistry
  • Novelist, Michael Ondaatje

Film, Photography, and Performing Arts

  • Film director, David Cronenberg
  • Film director, Atom Egoyan
  • Film director, Arthur Hiller
  • Film director, Norman Jewison
  • TV screenwriter, David Shore
  • Actor, Donald Sutherland

Humanities and Social Sciences

  • Psychologist, Lisa Feldman Barrett
  • Literary critic, Northrop Frye
  • Economist, John Kenneth Galbraith
  • Sociologist, Erving Goffman
  • Political philosopher, Michael Ignatieff
  • Economist, Harold Innis
  • Communication and media studies, Marshall McLuhan
  • Psychologist, Daniel Schachter
  • Psychologist, Endel Tulving

Media, Law, and Public Affairs

  • Political commentator, David Frum
  • Social science journalist, Malcolm Gladwell
  • Political commentator, Naomi Klein
  • Former Prime Minister of Canada, William Mackenzie
  • Former Prime Minister of Canada, Nobel laureate, Lester Pearson

STEM Disciplines

  • Developer of insulin, Nobel laureate, Frederick Banting
  • Thoracic surgeon, innovator in field surgery, Norman Bethune
  • Mathematician, John Charles Fields
  • Computer scientist, Turing Award winner, Geoffrey Hinton
  • Computer scientist, Turing Award winner, William Kahan
  • Biochemist, Nobel laureate, John Macleod
  • Chemist, Nobel laureate, John Polanyi

According to Wikipedia, The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada. Originally controlled by the Church of England, the university assumed its present name in 1850 upon becoming a secular institution. As a collegiate university, it comprises 11 colleges each with substantial autonomy on financial and institutional affairs and significant differences in character and history. The university maintains three campuses, the oldest of which is St. George, located in downtown Toronto. The other two satellite campuses are located in Scarborough and Mississauga.

University of Toronto's Online Degrees

What Is University of Toronto Known For?

University of Toronto is known for it's academic work in the following disciplines:

University of Toronto's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered

Computer Science
#16
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#16
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Artificial Intelligence
#9
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#9
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Database
#23
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#22
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Machine Learning
#13
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#13
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computer-science Degrees
Political Science
#27
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#27
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Government
#30
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#30
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Human Rights
#20
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#20
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Public Policy
#17
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#17
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political-science Degrees
Philosophy
#38
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#61
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Logic
#28
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#44
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Ethics
#33
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#38
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Marxism
#32
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#32
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philosophy Degrees
Medical
#15
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#16
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Surgery
#17
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#18
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Public Health
#17
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#17
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Mental Health
#9
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#9
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medicine Degrees
Mathematics
#45
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#85
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Statistics
#52
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#58
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Applied Mathematics
#37
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#39
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Geometry
#77
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#86
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math Degrees
Biology
#44
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#56
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Physiology
#21
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#32
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Biochemistry
#35
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#34
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Neuroscience
#37
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#39
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biology Degrees
Business
#29
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#29
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Management
#21
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#22
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Finance
#40
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#40
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Sales
#23
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#23
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business Degrees
Communications
#39
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#42
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Linguistics
#48
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#61
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Journalism
#64
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#68
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Grammar
#64
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#64
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communications Degrees
Education
#28
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#31
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Higher Education
#48
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#48
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Secondary Education
#23
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#23
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Pedagogy
#17
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#20
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education Degrees
Literature
#29
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#54
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Writing
#23
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#27
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Literary Criticism
#9
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#11
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Mythology
#25
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#28
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literature Degrees
Engineering
#43
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#57
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Architecture
#46
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#78
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Electrical Engineering
#34
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#36
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Mechanical Engineering
#75
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#78
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engineering Degrees
Psychology
#21
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#34
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Psychoanalysis
#30
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#16
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Cognitive Psychology
#16
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#16
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Clinical Psychology
#16
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#16
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psychology Degrees
History
#33
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#40
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Medieval Studies
#1
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#1
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Economic History
#41
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#36
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Modern History
#81
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#81
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history Degrees
Law
#48
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#56
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International Law
#62
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#72
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Common Law
#22
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#22
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Constitutional Law
#62
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#65
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Physics
#71
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#101
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Astronomy
#41
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#57
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Astrophysics
#30
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#30
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Biophysics
#27
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#27
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physics Degrees
Religious Studies
#33
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#46
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Theology
#44
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#63
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Ministry
#70
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#70
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Buddhism
#42
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#42
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religious-studies-hub Degrees
Economics
#49
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#59
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Macroeconomics
#52
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#52
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Taxation
#52
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#52
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International Economics
#90
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#90
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economics Degrees
Sociology
#36
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#36
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Gender Studies
#7
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#7
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Women's Studies
#14
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#14
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Urban Studies
#7
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#7
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sociology Degrees
Chemistry
#96
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#118
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Chemical Engineering
#82
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#82
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Nanotechnology
#69
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#69
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Organic Chemistry
#136
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#147
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chemistry Degrees
Earth Sciences
#30
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#43
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Geography
#39
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#48
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Geophysics
#26
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#25
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Tectonics
#6
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#6
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earth-science Degrees
Anthropology
#41
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#53
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Ethnography
#59
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#63
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Archeology
#113
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#124
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Social Anthropology
#76
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#81
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anthropology Degrees
Criminal Justice
#59
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#63
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Criminology
#31
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#36
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Law Enforcement
#108
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#108
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Policing
#32
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#32
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criminal-justice Degrees
Nursing
#60
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#61
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Psychiatric Nursing
#27
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#27
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Oncology Nursing
#65
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#65
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nursing Degrees
Social Work
#38
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#40
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Empowerment
#52
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#52
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Gerontology
#63
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#63
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Substance Abuse
#131
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#131
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social-work Degrees

Who Are University of Toronto's Most Influential Alumni?

University of Toronto's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Computer Science, Medical, and Political Science. Here are some of University of Toronto's most famous alumni:

John Kenneth Galbraith
John Kenneth Galbraith
A Canadian-American economist and diplomat .
Yann LeCun
Yann LeCun
A Computer scientist working in machine learning and computer vision, (1960 - ), France.
Brian Kernighan
Brian Kernighan
A Canadian computer scientist .
Erving Goffman
Erving Goffman
A Sociologist, writer, and academic .
Naomi Klein
Naomi Klein
A Canadian author and activist.
Walter Kohn
Walter Kohn
An American physicist .
Mary Ainsworth
An American-Canadian psychologist & scholar.
Northrop Frye
Northrop Frye
A Canadian literary critic and literary theorist.
Michael Spence
Michael Spence
An American economist.
Alfred Aho
Alfred Aho
A Canadian computer scientist.
Charles Coughlin
Charles Coughlin
A Catholic priest, radio commentator.
Albert W. Tucker
Albert W. Tucker
A Canadian mathematician.

Who Are University of Toronto's Most Influential Faculty?

University of Toronto's most influential faculty include professors in the fields of Computer Science, Medical, and Political Science. Here are some of University of Toronto's most famous alumni:

Zoubin Ghahramani
Zoubin Ghahramani
A British intelligence researcher.
Philip N. Howard
A Canadian sociologist.
Larry Guth
A Mathematician.
Russ Salakhutdinov
Russ Salakhutdinov
A Computer scientist.
Demetri Terzopoulos
Demetri Terzopoulos
A Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at UCLA.
Arthur M. Lesk
Arthur M. Lesk
A Molecular biologist.
Aleksandr Kogan
A Researcher.
Henry Farrell
Henry Farrell
An American political scientist.
Sandro Galea
Sandro Galea
An American physician.
Alexander Braverman
A Mathematician.
Sujit Choudhry
A Lawyer.
Ali Khademhosseini
Ali Khademhosseini
An Iranian scientist.