Choosing Undergraduate Electives

This page is intended to support you in organizing how you choose your electives. It is not an exhaustive list of courses that can be taken as electives and everyone will approach selection based on different motives and priorities, including the preference/need to:

• maximize specific subject matter or satisfy requirements of a minor (or two)
• learn a language or other widely applicable skill or knowledge base (e.g. writing, finances, culture, business)
• pursue certain professors*, teaching styles, class sizes, online vs on campus format
• balance science courses with as much non-science content as possible
• get as much science-specific experience as possible
• fulfill certain admission requirements for desired post-undergraduate pathways

It’s generally recommended that students strive to take courses in which they are generally interested. Electives don’t necessarily mean the content is easier than a mandatory course – it simply means you have more choice around what to take to fulfill program requirements.

When registering in electives, you need to meet the course prerequisites and follow registration restrictions, which means you may not be able to take some courses if they are reserved for students in certain programs. All course descriptions (including prerequisites and some registration restrictions) are available here. Additional registration restrictions are displayed in the course description in Carleton Central’s timetable of offerings for any given semester. Note, note all courses are offered every term or year.

*Check out Carleton’s database of experts and consider the art of making connections with people involved in areas you may want to pursue post-undergraduate.

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Types of Electives in Neuroscience Programs

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Advanced Science Faculty Elective

Applies only to Neuroscience & Mental Health 20-credit Major & Honours

• Must be a 2000-level or above course offered by a Department in the Faculty of Science
• Some exceptions apply – see Regulations page for details (more on that below).
• Some science-based GEOG or PSYC courses listed in the UG Calendar Regulations (more on that below).
• NEUR courses are permitted.
• Counts toward Major CGPA and Overall CGPA. Audit pulls in highest grade where possible.

Examples of popular Advanced Science Faculty Electives

• NEUR 2004 Fundamentals of Scientific Writing in Neuroscience (for those who do not have it as a requirement)
• NEUR 2801 Neuroscience and Creativity
• Any of the optional 3000-level and 4000-level NEUR courses above and beyond the program requirements
• NEUR 4001 Special Topics in Neuroscience (topics vary semester to semester)
• NEUR 4002 Reviews & Meta-analyses
• NEUR 4900 Independent Study
• PSYC 2700 Cognitive Psychology, PSYC 2307 Human Neuropsychology I, PSYC 3307 Human Neuropsychology II
• PSYC 3506 Cognitive Development, PSYC 3702 Perception
• CHEM 2203 Organic Chemistry I, CHEM 2204 Organic Chemistry II
• BIOL courses, including Anatomy and Physiology. Click here for details
• BIOL 2903, ENSC 2001, PHYS 2401, PHYS 2203
• Some ERTH courses, but be sure to check Regulations in UG Calendar for exemptions
• Interdisciplinary Science and Practice (ISAP) courses
• FOOD, HLTH, ENSC, Science GEOG, and more

As mentioned, some exceptions apply. Always refer to and consider the following:

• Bachelor of Science Regulations listed in the Undergraduate Calendar for your catalogue year, which is the year you began that specific program. This can be found on the upper right-hand corner of your audit. You may need to visit the Calendar’s archives to identify the regulations for your catalogue year.
• Course descriptions that may state if the course is restricted to certain groups of students.
• Join a course then run your audit and see what happens, or play around with the hypothetical course add feature. Experiment, observe, draw conclusions, and adjust as needed!

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Science Continuation Courses

Applies only to all Neuroscience & Mental Health programs

• Follow the same criteria as Advanced Science Faculty Electives except that NEUR courses are not permitted.
• Only counts toward Overall CGPA.

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Courses Outside the Faculty of Science & Engineering

Applies to all programs in the Department of Neuroscience

• Often referred to as “non-science electives”, these are courses that encourage a breadth of study within a Bachelor of Science degree and therefore cannot be science courses (or engineering) courses.
• Allowed to be 1000-level if there is room in audit/program. Click here to read about the 1000-level credit maximum allowance and other aspects of engaging with your audit.
• Only counts toward Overall CGPA.
• It’s fairly common to find this type of elective course in the Summer term(s).

Choose courses offered by a unit within the:

• Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
• Faculty of Public Affairs
• Sprott School of Business
• Entire Carleton University directory

As mentioned, some exceptions apply. Always refer to and consider the following:

• Bachelor of Science Regulations listed in the Undergraduate Calendar for your catalogue year, which is the year you began that specific program. This can be found on the upper right-hand corner of your audit. You may need to visit the Calendar’s archives to identify the regulations for your catalogue year.
• Course descriptions that may state if the course is restricted to certain groups of students.
• Join a course then run your audit and see what happens, or play around with the hypothetical course add feature. Experiment, observe, draw conclusions, and adjust as needed!

Examples of popular Courses Outside of Science & Engineering

• CGSC 1001 Mysteries of the Mind
• CGSC 2001 Theories in Cognitive Science
• CGSC 3501 Cognitive Neuroscience
• PHIL 2408 Bioethics
• PHIL 2501 Introduction to Philosophy of Mind
• PHIL 2301 Introduction to the Philosophy of Science
• PHIL 3501 Philosophy of Cognitive Science
• PHIL 3502 Mind and Action
• PSYC 1001 Introduction to Psychology I
• PSYC 1002 Introduction to Psychology II
• Additional PSYC courses (not listed as science-based courses in UG Calendar Regulations)
• RELI 2410 Buddhism, RELI 2713 Mystical and Contemplative Traditions, RELI 2732 Death & Afterlife, RELI 2800 Indigenous Traditions
• Classical Civilization, Greek & Roman Studies, Humanities, Gender Studies, Sociology, Philosophy, Languages, and so much more, so go see what’s out there!

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Free Electives

Applies only to all Neuroscience & Mental Health programs

• This is the least restricted category of electives. They can be any of the courses listed above, from any of the units referred to above.
• You have to meet prerequisites and acknowledge reality of registration restrictions.
• Allowed to be 1000-level if there is room in audit/program. Click here to read about the 1000-level credit maximum allowance and other aspects of engaging with your audit.
• Only counts toward Overall CGPA. When electives share qualities and theoretically can count in more than one category, the audit will always pull courses with more rules to complete that section first, i.e. the Free Electives section is usually satisfied last because it has the least rules around what courses can be used to fulfill it.
• Free Electives are the best courses to rely on for summer studies.

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