Changing Engineering Programs

Engineering students who have attained second-year status and have a minimum CGPA of 5.00 have access to the Change of Program Elements (COPE) form in Carleton Central. Students use the COPE form to:

• change majors within the BEng program (ex: Civil to Electrical), or
• declare a program stream (for Aerospace, or Software engineering), or
• declare a minor.

NOTE: Starting May 2026, the mechatronics engineering program will accept transfers from current engineering students (25FA Admit term only) into the program.

Timelines for Submitting your Change Program Elements Request

While the Change of Program Elements form is open all year, Engineering students are strongly encouraged to submit their Change of Program Elements requests by early May; in order to ensure that the request is processed in advance of Fall/Winter registration time-tickets opening mid-summer.

Requirements for Change of Program Elements Requests

• Change of Program Elements requests are evaluated based on merit (CGPA) and the number of spaces open in the program requested at the time of submission.
• Changing engineering programs is never guaranteed.  It is based on available space which changes year to year, and available spaces are offered to students in order of decreasing CGPA until programs are full.  It is possible that in a given year no changes will be granted to a program if it is full.
• Please contact the Engineering Academic Support Office to confirm eligibility criteria for the engineering program you are seeking to change into.
• Students can contact the program advisor of the program they’re interested in changing into if they have questions about how it would impact progression/status.

Important Notes:

• Until a Change of Program Elements request is approved, engineering students will be limited to register in courses included in their current degree program requirements.
• When a Change of Program Elements request is approved, students will be subject to the rules, regulations and degree requirements in the new catalog year. Catalog year appears at the top of the academic audit, which can be run in Carleton Central.  For questions or clarification about which catalog year to follow, please contact the Academic Support Office.
• For general information on the process for applying to change your program, please refer to the Registrar’s Office Change of Program Elements.

Adding a Minor

Engineering students are permitted to add a minor to their degree.

For advising on minor requirements, please contact the Department offering the minor you’re interested in. A Departmental Advisor list can be found via the Academic Advising Centre.

Please note: because Engineering programs include no “free electives”, adding a minor (which all include 4.0 credits of course requirements) will extend how long it takes you to complete your degree requirements (engineering major and minor included). With this in mind, please ensure that you have a plan to complete your degree within the eight (8) year time limit, as per the Bachelor of Engineering Regulations.