Courses and Registration
This page will help you plan your courses and academic career as you complete your Bachelor of Data Science degree program.
When selecting your courses for the term, it is helpful to review the Program Requirements and your academic audit. If you have questions regarding course selection, please contact our undergraduate advisor team.
At any time you can build a sample timetable within Carleton Central or through the Public Class Schedule.
On this page
- Course Descriptions and Outlines
- Registration
- Electives and Prohibited Courses
- Course Selection FAQs
- Undergraduate Calendar Change Summaries
Course Descriptions and Outlines
Registration
First Year Registration Guide
Welcome to Carleton and your Bachelor of Data Science degree program! Please read this degree guide prior to registering.
Academic Audit
The academic audit is the ‘road map’ to academic success. It lists which courses you are required to take in order to complete your degree at Carleton. The audit will inform you of the progress you have already made, as well as show you the courses that you will need to take in the future. Remember to check your audit regularly to ensure you are fulfilling your degree requirements.
Prerequisites and Restrictions
A prerequisite is a course that must be successfully completed (with a minimum grade of D- or above unless otherwise noted) before you are able to register into the course. A course may also have additional restrictions that require students be in a particular program, and/or have a specific year standing (first, second, third of fourth) in order to register.
The Institute for Data Science strictly enforces calendar prerequisites. If you do not meet the prerequisite(s) of a COMP or DATA course, you will be deregistered. More information on deregistration can be found in Section 2.1.7 of the Undergraduate Calendar. This also applies to DEF (deferred final exam); once the final grade for that course is posted, you will be deregistered from any current course if the prerequisite(s) is not met. As deferred exams are always held after the registration period closes, if you are deregistered you will not be able to add more courses to your class schedule. Please be aware that deregistration can happen at anytime during the term which may affect your status as a full-time student. Please see this link to determine who you should speak with if your student status changes. Please note that students with a GNA (grade not available) in a course may also be affected by this policy.
A prerequisite map can be found here:
Before you register
Course registration is done online through Carleton Central. It is your one-stop service for registration, student records, admission, and fee information.
Refer to the Registrar’s Office website for how-to videos to assist you in navigating the Carleton Central registration system. You can find information regarding important registration dates (first day to register, last day to register, last day to drop a class, etc.) on the Registration Dates and Deadlines webpage.
After You Register
Pay your tuition by the payment deadline each term to avoid penalties or late fees. The Student Accounts office has information on how to make a payment.
Electives and Prohibited Courses
Electives are courses required for completion of your 20.0 credit degree program. Many first year students find it difficult to choose electives. Our best advice is to choose a topic you enjoyed in high school or are generally interested in studying.
Find course titles and descriptions in the courses section of the undergraduate calendar.
- Read the course descriptions to ensure you have the prerequisites, and then check the Public Class Schedule in Carleton Central to see when the course is offered.
- Be aware of preclusions in the course descriptions. If a course precludes additional credit for another course, that means you cannot get credit for both of those courses. Please note that preclusion does not mean equivalent, though in some cases it may be. Please contact your undergraduate advisor for further clarification.
- If you encounter a restriction when trying to register, please submit a Registration Override Request on Carleton Central, and the department owning the course will get back to you.
Free Electives
Free Electives are all courses offered by the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, the Faculty of Public Affairs, the Sprott School of Business, the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Engineering and Design except for courses in the Prohibited Courses category. Free electives can include COMP, CSEC, DATA, MATH and STAT courses.
Prohibited Courses
Prohibited courses cannot be used for credit towards any program requirement (ie. electives, minors, etc.) for students enrolled in a B.D.S. Program. Please always refer to the most recent Undergraduate Calendar for the most-up-to-date list of prohibited courses, and for all prerequisites and preclusions.
IMPORTANT: Maximum Number of Credits Below the 2000-level.
- A student may count a maximum of 7.0 credits below the 2000-level toward fulfillment of graduation requirements.
- Credits in excess of this limit will be set aside as Extra to the Degree (ETD), No Credit for the Degree (NCD), or Forfeit. This allows students to increase their CGPA by pushing out low grades below the 2000-level through replacement by higher grades at the same level.
Course Selection FAQs
Here are some frequently asked questions regarding course selection:
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Some courses require you to take one or more prerequisites in order to get into the course. A prerequisite is a course that must be successfully completed (with a minimum grade of D- or above unless otherwise noted) BEFORE you are able to register into the course. By first taking all of the required prerequisite course(s), this will ensure that your knowledge level is adequate for you to understand the material in the course that you are trying to register into. Always look at the most current Undergraduate Calendar in order to determine which prerequisites are required for the course that you are trying to take. Some COMP/DATA/STAT courses will require a prerequisite grade that is higher than D-. The Institute for Data Science, and School of Computer Science strictly enforces prerequisites as outlined in the calendar.
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When two courses have very similar (or overlapping) material, the calendar often indicates that the courses will preclude one another. This means that you cannot have both of these courses count as credit towards your degree requirements. Precluded courses are not necessarily equivalent. Do not assume that one course can substitute for another simply because it precludes the other course. You should always check with your Undergraduate Advisors to be sure. Note that if you take a course that precludes another course that you have already taken, the most recent grade will count. Preclusions are listed in the course description in the Undergraduate Calendar.
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The Bachelor of Data Science is introducing all new DATA courses as part of the curriculum. These courses will be developed, and released, as the first cohort of students progress through their program. 2000-level DATA courses will be released in the 2026-27 Academic Year, 3000-level DATA courses will be released in the 2027-28 Academic Year, and finally the remaining 4000-level DATA courses will be released in the 2028-29 Academic Year. As of May 2025 all core DATA courses will be listed in the Undergraduate Calendar, but will not appear on the public class schedule until they are offered for the first time.
Undergraduate Calendar Change Summaries
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Email sent to all active BDS students on June 12, 2026
Subject: IMPORTANT: Summary of 2026-27 undergraduate calendar changes – PLEASE READ!
Dear Data Science (BDS) students,
The Institute for Data Science would like to inform you of changes to the BDS curriculum as reflected in the 2026-27 Undergraduate Calendar. This email is intended to summarize the main changes, inform you of how your program may be impacted, and remind you of other important academic related rules and issues. Please consult the 2026-27 Undergraduate Calendar for all changes, including changes to course descriptions, and preclusion and prerequisite statements.
Please read the following information carefully, as it contains important information. If at any time you need advising or have any questions, please contact your Undergraduate Advisors.
NOTE: If you have not replied to our email dated June 5, 2026, giving us permission to change you into the 2026-2027 program requirements, please be sure to do so before the June 16, 2026 deadline.
Please note that the Institute for Data Science enforces all calendar prerequisites and reserves the right to have students de-registered from COMP and DATA courses due to lack of prerequisites, after sufficient notice to the student asking them to withdraw. This will also apply to courses not meeting the minimum prerequisite grade after a DEF (deferred final exam). Students with a GNA (grade not available) in a course may also be affected by this policy.
Although the goal of this email is to make you aware of the main calendar changes and to inform you of other matters, please note that it is still the student’s responsibility to be aware of all University rules and regulations as well as those pertaining to their program, as per the Undergraduate Calendar: 1.1 Student Responsibility.
IMPORTANT INFO AND REMINDERS
***Fall 2026/Winter 2027 registration for returning students begins on July 10 (check your time-ticket on Carleton Central). One week prior to your time-ticket opening, please check your draft schedule(s) or your registration course planning tool to make sure nothing has changed and that there are no new conflicts with your course selections. Day/time, room and instructor changes are rare, but still possible. Please also read the “section information” under each course on the Public Class Schedule for important information. Course conflicts are prohibited as per University regulations, unless otherwise noted on the Public Class Schedule.
• Always be aware of important dates and deadlines, including financial and academic withdrawal dates.
• For COMP courses taken on campus, please see the SCS Laptop Requirement.Your Audit, Program and Calendar Year:
• Run and monitor your academic audit on Carleton Central regularly, especially after any registration activity, to make sure it’s correct and there are no “courses set aside” that should not be. If you are uncertain of something, see any discrepancies or have questions, please contact your Undergraduate Advisors. *Please read the “Important Notice” paragraph at the very bottom of your audit.
• Your audit shows the “Catalog Year” your program is under (e.g. 202530 = 2025-2026 academic year). Refer to the appropriate calendar for your program under Calendar Archives. Your audit should reflect what is in the calendar, unless there have been curriculum changes since. Every year, the Institute informs all students by email of any relevant changes to the BDS program and what to watch for on their audit.
• For prerequisites and preclusions, regardless of your Catalog Year, always refer to the most recent Undergraduate Calendar.
• Students whose program is under an older Catalog Year and who change their program elements (i.e. add/drop a concentration), will have their new program under the most recent Catalog Year.Electives, Prohibited Courses, 1000-level Courses, Prerequisites and Preclusions:
• Be aware of the electives and prohibited courses for the BDS program. Please refer to the Data Science program section of the Undergraduate Calendar for elective definitions, and for the most up-to-date list of prohibited courses. NOTE: BUSI 1401 and BUSI 2401 are prohibited and cannot be used for credit in the BDS program. Please see below for information regarding BUSI 1401 for students who currently have or would like to add a Minor in Business.
• The maximum number of credits at the zero and 1000-level that can be used for your entire program is 7.0 credits, as outlined in the calendar section 2.2.1 Maximum Credits Below the 2000 Level. This information also appears on the academic audit, under “summary of program requirements”.
• For prerequisites and preclusions, as stated above, always refer to the most recent Undergraduate Calendar.
• The Institute enforces all calendar prerequisites. Exceptions, if any, are noted on the Public Class Schedule.
• The Institute, after notifying students, will deregister any students who fail to meet the prerequisite(s) of a course, including minimum grade requirements as per the Undergraduate Calendar.
• When a course “precludes additional credit” for another course, this means you cannot get credit for both courses. It does not mean that the two courses are equivalent, though in some cases they may be. If two courses that preclude each other are taken, only the most recent attempt can count towards your program and for credit; the other course will be forfeited on your audit under “courses set aside”. Please refer to 2.1.9 Credit for Closely-related Courses.
• When a course is repeated, the best grade is used for CGPA calculations and towards the program requirements. The ‘Best Grade rule’ applies to direct repeated courses and cross-listed courses but not precluded courses. For more details, please see FAQ: Repeating Courses – Academic Advising (carleton.ca).Additional Notes on Electives and Special Topics (COMP 4900) Courses:
• Special Topics courses are offered each term under COMP 4900, with different section letters. Students may take multiple Special Topics courses over the years, as long as they do not take the same topic/subject more than once. IMPORTANT: The system will not stop you from registering in the same COMP 4900 course again, so please monitor this on your own. If you are unable to register for a COMP 4900 course, please submit a registration override request on Carleton Central. All details of each COMP 4900 course, including prerequisites, are always listed on the Public Class Schedule.
BUSI 1401 – For BDS students who have a Minor in Business or plan to add the Minor in Business in the future:
• BUSI 1401 is a prohibited course for all BDS programs and students will not be able to use it as credit towards a Minor in Business or as a free elective.
• The Sprott School of Business has agreed to allow BDS students to use COMP 1005/1405 instead of BUSI 1401 in the Minor in Business. Sprott will have the affected audits amended to reflect this change.
•Please do not register in BUSI- it will not be usable as credit under any circumstances. If you need advising on the Minor in Business, please contact academicadvising@sprott.carleton.ca.The following is a summary of the calendar changes you need to be aware of, effective Fall 2026. For course descriptions, prerequisites and preclusions, please refer to the 2026-27 Undergraduate Calendar.
See the “section information” notes under each course on the Public Class Schedule for additional information including registration priority and course delivery (where applicable), and the prerequisites for the COMP 4900 Special Topics courses. NOTE: Course conflicts are prohibited unless otherwise noted.Changes to DATA, STAT and COMP Courses
NEW! DATA 3200 – Communication Skills for Data Scientists. Replaces deleted DATA 2200.
NEW! STAT 2210 – Inferential Data Science Foundations I. Replaces deleted STAT 3210.
STAT 3553 – Replaced DATA 1519 with STAT 2210 in prerequisite statement.
STAT 4321 – Replaced STAT 3210 with STAT 2210 in prerequisite statement.
STAT 4322 – Replaced STAT 3210 with STAT 2210 in prerequisite statement.
STAT 4502 – Added STAT 2210 to prerequisite statement.
COMP 4010 – DATA 1517 added to prerequisite statement.Changes to BDS Program Requirements
• STAT 2210 – added to Major requirements since it’s a prerequisite for STAT 3553. This results in the reduction of free electives from 7.0 to 6.5 credits total for the program.BDS Concentration in Artificial Intelligence
• COMP 4801 – replaces COMP 3801 with a new title and course description. COMP 4801 precludes additional credit for COMP 3801 (no longer offered).BDS Concentration in Statistics
• STAT 2210 – replaces STAT 3210.Changes to BDS Co-op Requirements
• Course requirements have been added to the Bachelor of Data Science: Co-op Admission and Continuation requirements. The course requirement statement now reads: “#3. Successfully completed, by the start-date of the first work term, COMP 1406, DATA 1519, STAT 1500, and either DATA 2500 or DATA 3200”.Prohibited Minors
• Minor in Statistics
• Minor in Business (Info Systems)Prohibited Courses List
• Updates to list. Please consult the prohibited courses list for Data Science in the Undergraduate Calendar.This email will also be posted at https://carleton.ca/datascience/current-students/bachelor-of-data-science/. Please reach out to ds.ug.advisor@carleton.ca if you have any questions or need advising.
Wishing you all good health and much success in your studies!
Jennifer McCarthy, Gwen Morgan & Edina Storfer
Undergraduate Advisors
School of Computer Science & Institute for Data Science
5302 Herzberg
(613) 520-2600 ext. 4364
carleton.ca/datascience