Current Graduate Students

There are two levels of academic advising available in the Department of Systems and Computer Engineering:

• Advising on course selection and research: please contact the Graduate Advising team if you are a MEng student, or your thesis supervisor(s) if you are a MASc or PhD student.
• Advising on academic progress, regulations and more: please contact the Department’s Graduate Administrators at sysc.gradmin@cunet.carleton.ca.

Please note: students should use their student email account and share their student number when contacting the department.

MEng Students

MEng students should familiarize yourself with the departmental regulations for MEng students.

There are 4 main steps to registration:

1. Getting Started (includes time-ticket priority registration details): https://carleton.ca/registrar/registration/step-1/
2. Building Your Schedule: https://carleton.ca/registrar/registration/step-2/
3. Registering in Courses: https://carleton.ca/registrar/registration/step-3/
4. Paying Your Fees: https://carleton.ca/registrar/registration/step-4/

Need help planning your studies? Please refer to the information for course planning information below.

If you lack a prerequisite for a course you may receive an registration error notice. If you feel that you meet the registration criteria, you can submit a registration override request through Carleton Central to ask for permission to register in the course. Confirm whether you meet prerequisite requirements here via the Graduate Calendar: SYSC and ECE courses and/or BIOM courses.

By-permission courses (or department permission courses) might include the thesis course (MASc and PhD only), a specialized course that requires special permission, or courses from another department to which you do not belong. If you are trying to register in the thesis, please review the next section for more details. If you are trying to enrol in a course offered by another department, please review the Taking Non-Departmental Courses section.

The University strives to provide students with access to courses; however, there are factors that may limit the availability of some courses (including legal requirements for capacity of classrooms, availability of resources for the course, constraints imposed by the instructor, etc.). Registration will continue to change as students register and withdraw from course selections. While we cannot change class capacity, we encourage students to keep attempting to register during the registration period as enrolment can fluctuate. Please consider joining course waitlists (if available). Once a space becomes available in the course, the first student on the waitlist is notified and given 24 hours to register. If the student does not register in the course, it goes to the next person on the waitlist.

We recommend that MEng students try to complete required courses as early in their studies as possible. Please familiarize yourself with the departmental regulations for MEng students and consult your specific program requirements found in the Graduate Calendar:

• Electrical and Computer Engineering program
• Biomedical program

Summer Terms
As per the Graduate Calendar, the summer term is considered a normally scheduled break for MEng ECE and MEng BME students.

After reviewing your program requirements, please consult with your thesis supervisor(s) to determine your course selection as your schedule should be reflective of your field of research. Your program requirements may be found here:

• Electrical and Computer Engineering program
• Biomedical program
• Thesis Process and Requirements
  

Subject to change. Please refer to the course inventory for requirements and prerequisites, and the schedule for availability. 

• SYSC 5604 [0.5 credit] (ELG 6164) – Advanced Topics in Digital Signal Processing
• SYSC 5709 [0.5 credit] (ELG 6179) – Advanced Topics in Software Engineering
  
• SYSC 5801 [0.5 credit] (ELG 6181) – Advanced Topics in Computer Communications
• SYSC 5804 [0.5 credit] (ELG 6184) – Advanced Topics in Communications Systems
• SYSC 5807 [0.5 credit] (ELG 6187) – Advanced Topics in Computer Systems
• BIOM 5106 [0.5 credit] (BMG 5109) – Advanced Topics in Medical Instrumentation
• BIOM 5203 [0.5 credit] (BMG 5108) – Advanced Topics in Biomedical Image Processing
• BIOM 5304 [0.5 credit] (BMG 5110) – Advanced Topics in Biomechanics and Biomaterials
• BIOM 5306 [0.5 credit] (BMG 5306) – Special Topics in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering: Biomechanics
• BIOM 5403 [0.5 credit] (BMG 5111) – Advanced Topics in Medical Informatics and Telemedicine
  

• MEng Students: up to two courses (1.0 credits) from outside of the department. Department permission is required.
• MASc Students: up to two courses (1.0 credits) from outside of the department. Supervisor(s) permission required.
• PhD Students: one course (0.5 credits) from outside of the department. Supervisor(s) permission required.
• TIM courses: please note that all students are limited to a single TIM course (0.5 credit).

Includes TIM program courses.

1. Submit a email request to take a non-departmental course for credit to the Department (MEng students) or supervisor(s) (MASc and PhD students). Please include a detailed overview of how the requested course relates to your program and include a course outline.
2. If your request is approved, please ensure that this approval message is submitted to the Graduate Administrator team at sysc.gradmin@cunet.carleton.ca.
3. Concurrently to number 1, or afterwards, please contact the department which is offering the course to obtain their permission to enrol or learn their permission procedure. The Systems and Computer Engineering Department does not facilitate spaces in non-SYSC/BIOM courses.
4. If successful in registering for the course, the course will appear as extra to degree on your program audit while you are completing your program. Non-departmental courses that meet the above conditions will be moved to the requirements section of your audit during the graduation period, once we have confirmed your overall graduation eligibility.

Important: Please be advised TIMG5006 & EACJ5211 are considered the same content and course. Credit can only be granted for one.

• Students are limited to one (0.5) directed study course for the duration of their program of study;
• The Instructor must be a faculty member in SCE (adjuncts cannot supervise a directed study course);
• Thesis students must choose an instructor other than their supervisor(s);
• The prospective directed study course instructor must submit an syllabus (detailed outline) for approval. Generally speaking, the course outcome should remain relatively the same as when the course is normally taught, which must include:
  • deliverables
  • a grading scale
  • deadlines
  • overall course outcome
• The directed study course cannot be taken for a course topic being offered in the same term by either Carleton University, or the University of Ottawa (if the course is part of the joint institute);
• A directed studies course cannot be a research project.

1. Connect with an eligible faculty member to request that they supervisor you in a specific course (specify the course code and topic of interest);
2. If the faculty members consents, please complete the Directed Study Request Form and obtain signatures from the prospective instructor and your supervisor(s) if your are a MASc/PhD student, or the Graduate Advising team if you are a MEng student, before submitting the form and proposed outline to the department (sysc.gradmin@cunet.carleton.ca).
3. If approved by the department, submit an registration override request and reference the approval in the request.

ECE students in the MEng, MASc, and PhD programs are members of the joint Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Electrical and Computer Engineering (OCIECE), and can register freely in any of the OCIECE courses offered through the Systems and Computer Engineering at Carleton University, the Department of Electronics at Carleton University, or the School of Information Technology and Engineering at the University of Ottawa. The majority of your courses should come from the OCIECE course list, however, students are eligible to take outside courses, as detailed in the Taking Non-departmental Courses section.

OCIECE Courses

• Fall 2022 course list
• Winter 2023 course list

BioMed students in the MASc, MEng, MASc, and PhD programs are members of the joint Ottawa-Carleton Institute for Biomedical Engineering (OCIBME), and can register freely in any of the OCIBME courses listed below. The majority of your courses should come from the OCIBME course list, however, students are eligible to take outside courses, as detailed in the Taking Non-departmental Courses section.

OCIBME Courses: OCIBME course list

Please consult your program requirements prior to enrolment.

Please consult with your supervisor(s) on when you should enrol in your thesis course.

The thesis course can be commenced as early as the first term, however, once commenced, it requires continuous registration (each subsequent fall, winter and summer term) with the attendant fees for each term. Students must be registered in the course in the term that they intend to defend. Please refer to the current schedule for the relevant CRN numbers.

The course codes are as follows:

• • MASc ECE Thesis: SYSC 5909
  • MASc BME Thesis: BIOM 5909
  • PhD ECE Thesis: SYSC 6909
  • PhD BME Thesis: BIOM 6909

When you try to register for your thesis course, you will receive a message that says “Registration Error – Requires Departmental Approval”. Please do the following:

1. Please refer to the current schedule for the relevant CRN numbers.
2. Go to the “Add or Drop” classes (on Carleton Central) and access the “Submit Registration Error Override Request” link which is located at the bottom right of this page.
3. Please fill in the course number on the form and then select the reason – please choose “OTHER” and type in your supervisor(s) name. The spot will not be opened unless we have your supervisor’s name.

If approved, you will receive a message directing you to complete the post-override registration steps in Carleton Central.

There is one component to the MASc thesis. Students must complete a thesis document and oral thesis defense in their final term of study. MASc students should consult with their supervisor(s) for information on how to approach their thesis paper and oral defense.

There are three components to the PhD thesis requirement.

1. A written and oral Comprehensive Exam (complete within 4 terms of full-time registration, or 6 terms of part-time registration);
2. A PhD Proposal (complete within 9 terms of full-time registration, or 12 terms of part-time registration)
3. A thesis (dissertation) defense which must be completed by the time to completion outlined in your offer letter and audit.
   

For student who applied for the Collaborative Specialization in Data Science program for Fall Admission, prior to May.

The Department of Systems and Computer Engineering will review your application and make a decision on your admission to the Collaborative Specialization in Data Science program if you application is complete as of April, and your are otherwise admissible to the MASc or MEng base program.

For student who applied for the Collaborative Specialization in Data Science program after April, or for Winter Admission.

While applicants can indicate interest in the Collaborative Specialization in Data Science program in their application, formal admission to this program occurs only after students have been admitted to the standard MEng/MASc program and begun their first year of study.

Application Process

Students wishing to apply to the collaborative Master’s program in Data Science must first create a Carleton 360 account. Once the applicant has chosen their program (see participating programs above), they must select ‘yes’ to the “I am interested in Data Science” question asked in the Program Details portion of the online application. You will then be prompted to indicate your general rationale for applying to the collaborative Master’s program in Data Science, including your academic background, academic interests, and career goals.

The application process for graduate studies at Carleton for all prospective students is the same and must be completed online.

For complete information regarding the application process, please visit the Graduate Admissions website.

Decision Process
New and current students who submit in-program applications to the Collaborative Specialization in Data Science will be considered in May of each year. Due to the competitive nature of this program, only top-ranked students will be offered the opportunity to join the MASc or MEng Data Science Collaborative Specialization programs.

For students who did not apply to the he Collaborative Specialization in Data Science program upon first application but were admitted to a base MASc or MEng program of study in SCE.  

Students who were admitted to the based MASc and MEng programs in the Department of Systems and Computer Engineering may still apply to the Data Science Specialization once they have commenced their first year of study.

Application Process

Students wishing to apply to the collaborative Master’s program in Data Science must first create a Carleton 360 account. Once the applicant has chosen their program (see participating programs above), they must select ‘yes’ to the “I am interested in Data Science” question asked in the Program Details portion of the online application. You will then be prompted to indicate your general rationale for applying to the collaborative Master’s program in Data Science, including your academic background, academic interests, and career goals.

The application process for graduate studies at Carleton for all prospective students is the same and must be completed online.

For complete information regarding the application process, please visit the Graduate Admissions website.

Decision Process
New and current students who submit in-program applications to the Collaborative Specialization in Data Science will be considered in May of each year. Due to the competitive nature of this program, only top-ranked students will be offered the opportunity to join the MASc or MEng Data Science Collaborative Specialization programs.

A teaching assistant (TA) assists faculty members with various duties which may include conducting labs or study groups, assisting with lecture preparation, and marking assignments and tests. Your TA work assignment may take place outside the department to which you are applying if your academic record shows strengths in other areas. Priority TAs receive a TA award as part of their funding package at the time of application. If you did not receive a TA award with your admission package, you may still apply as an Outside Priority TA (availability is limited). For more assistance regarding Teaching Assistant matters or to apply for an Outside Priority TA Assignment please review the Graduate Studies Teaching Assistants page.

Pedagogical training hours must be completed by Nov. 30 for a fall-only TAship and by March 30 for a full academic year TAship or a winter-only TAship.

Please note that as per the Collective Agreement Section 13.04 (f) TA assignment offers shall be accepted or declined within 10 working days of the date of the offer. Failure to accept an assignment offer by the above deadline without reasonable cause will constitute declining of the position for that term.

The deadlines to apply for a Leave From Duties are (accessed via Carleton Central):

• August 31 – Fall term
• December 31 – Winter term
• April 30 – Summer term
  

Students who did not receive funding in their offer of admission, or, who have exhausted their original TA funding, may apply to be an “Out-of-Priority” TA. To express interest, go to Carleton Central. Under the Student Services Tab select Online Applications. Then choose TA Application (Outside Priority) and follow the instructions.

All full-time graduate students who have NOT been awarded a TA can express interest in becoming a TA. This includes the following graduate students who are deemed to be “Outside Priority”. Full eligibility:

• have never been hired as a TA;
• hired as a TA for one term as a “Replacement”;
• are on an “approved” program extension, or;
• who have already completed all of their TA priority assignments;
• If you require assistance, please e-mail Graduate Studies.

Additionally, international MASc and PhD students who were not given TA assignments during their summer terms may be eligible to work as TAs in the summer terms. More information about this is detailed in the collective union agreement (CUPE 4600, Unit 1 bargaining unit as per the union’s website, under the “Resources” tab: https://cupe4600.ca/).

Outside Priority TA applications must be received by the following deadlines:

• August 15 – Fall term
• December 15 – Winter term
• April 15 – Summer term
  

Tuition payment is part of the registration process, and addressed in step 4 of the registration process (Paying Your Fees: https://carleton.ca/registrar/registration/step-4/).

In order to avoid late fees, you must be registered and pay your tuition fees by the posted deadline. All dates and deadlines can be found here: https://carleton.ca/studentaccounts/dates-deadlines/.

Fee calculation
For an estimate of your tuition fees please visit the Student Accounts website. Should you have any questions about your tuition fees, ancillary fees or fee issues, inquiries, or payments, please contact student accounts directly: https://carleton.ca/studentaccounts/contact-us/.

Note: your exact tuition fees are only calculated once you’ve registered for classes (Carleton Central > Registration > Student Accounts > Calculate Amount to pay).