On this page, current graduate students can find information regarding how the programs work, how to get academic support, course selection, TA Support, and more.

Graduate and Departmental Regulations

Important Resources

The Graduate Calendar (https://calendar.carleton.ca/grad/) is the primary policy and regulation document for graduate students. In addition to program requirements, this document outlines standing, graduation, thesis and other important requirements. The Graduate Calendar defers to departments on certain matters, such as the minimum grade required to retain credit. Regulations specific to the Department and regulations which expand on those outlined in the Graduate Calendar may be found on the Graduate and Departmental Regulations page. This includes information on Good Standing, Academic Warning, Ethics and more.

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Academic Advising and Support

Understanding Your Academic Audit

The Academic Audit is your roadmap to your program. The audit provides you with a snapshot of your progress and how to stay on track to meet your graduation goals. Learn how to read your audit using the Academic Advising Centre’s Academic Audit resource: How to Read Your Audit.

Courses Noted as “Extra to Degree” on the Audit

Any non-departmental courses will show as “course(s) not used – extra to degree” on the audit unless the following is applicable:

  1. You previously gained permission to take the course from the Graduate Advising team (MEng students) or supervisor(s) (MASc or PhD students) as outlined above (taking non-departmental courses).
  2. You are deemed eligible to graduate during the graduation confirmation period at the end of your final term of study. If approved to graduate, the approved course(s) would be applied to your requirement portion of your audit. Until this period, approved non-departmental courses remain in the “extra to degree” area by default.

Advising Support

For general assistance, please complete the graduate studies assistance web form.

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Registration and Course Overrides

Please familiarize yourself with each terms Registration Dates and Deadlines.

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Registration Override Requests

When attempting to add a course, you may encounter a Registration Error. Errors typically occur when you do not meet the registration criteria set out by the department. You can learn how to submit an override here: Registration Override Instructions. There are three main override scenarios to consider:

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Course Planning

Review Important Dates and Deadlines

Program Requirement Review

Important: Students should refer to the program requirements for the year of study they were admitted. The Graduate Calendar Archive is a good resource to confirm your requirements as per your year of admission (or the academic audit which is accessible via Carleton Central).


Course Inventory

The list of currently offered courses is available via the Public Class Schedule. Students are allowed to take joint institute courses that are relevant to their program of study, however they should consult their program requirements prior to making selections. To find prerequisites and preclusions, please refer to the relevant sections of the calendar for the courses you would like to take (the below ECE course inventory page includes information on joint institute (EACJ and ) and ELEC courses, where applicable):

Students are allowed to take courses not listed in the course inventory of their program (for example, for either the ECE or BME programs), as long as pre-approval is obtained first via the non-departmental course request process (see next section).

Special Topics Courses

Special topics courses require department permission via the override process. This is to ensure that students do not enrol in the same subtopic more than once. Each special topics course will have more than one subtopic offered in a given year, and subtopics may be offered again in subsequent years.

Students who are attempting a unique subtopic under a topics course offering are eligible to request the course, and if approved, take it for credit. You can learn how to submit an override here: Registration Override Instructions.

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Taking Non-Departmental Courses

Important: Backdated approval will not be granted.

We encourage all students to take their courses from the approved list of courses designated for their program. Please refer to your program’s course list for more details: ECE program requirements or Biomedical program requirements.  The department will consider a limited number of non-departmental courses if they are relevant to your program of study (relevance is subject to supervisor(s) review if a MASc/PhD student, or the review of the  Graduate Advising team if you are a MEng student).


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Direct Study Courses

Deadlines: must be registered by the late registration deadline of any given term.

A directed study course provides students with an opportunity to complete a course, normally one-on-one, with an instructor. A directed course is intended for students to take a course that is regularly offered, just not in the term they would like to enrol in it.


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MEng Projects

MEng students have the opportunity to engage in a course based project with a faculty member in the Department of Systems and Computer Engineering. In this course, MEng students collaborate with a professor to conduct an engineering studyanalysis, and/or design project. Learn more about MEng Projects.

Open Project – MEng Student Needed

Project Name: Cellular Movement Analysis through Image Registration

Supervisor: Dr. Leila Mostaço-Guidolin

Website: https://carleton.ca/mostacoguidolin/ 

Student Category: MEng

Description: We are developing in vitro models of artificial tissues able to mimic different microenvironment found in health and diseases. To optimize and guide the development of bio-inks and other in vitro approaches, we are combining mathematical and computational simulations with experimental work. This project is going to support these efforts. The objective of this project is to develop a framework to track biological cells based on microscopy images; cell move following different patterns and covering different distances. We are looking for someone interested in developing strategies to quantify these dynamic process based on image analysis. The work will include: image pre-processing and image registration; getting familiar with cell biology and tissue engineering fundamentals.

Learning Outcomes: exposure to tissue engineering technology; increased experience in image processing; exposure to GUI development and statistical analysis.

The Joint Institutes – OCIECE and OCIBME

Always confirm your course selection plans with your academic advisor or thesis supervisor.


Auditing Courses

Graduate students are allowed to audit up to 1.0 credit of courses for the entirety of their degree as per graduate regulation 7.7. To audit a course, begin by registering in the course. Then, approach the course instructor to request permission to audit the course, and have them sign the request for permission to audit a course form. Once completed, submit the form to the Graduate Studies office.

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Thesis Process and Registration

Thesis Policy and Procedures

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs has a variety of resources available for students completing their thesis: Thesis Forms, Templates and Policies. Students are encouraged to meet with their supervisor(s) to discuss expectation on thesis research, preparing for thesis defense, and other important thesis requirements.



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Grades

Grades and Academic Standing

As per graduate regulations 11.2 and 11.3 in the Graduate Calendar, Graduate students in System and Computer Engineering must obtain a grade of B- or better in each course credited towards their program. Find more information on Academic Standing and Academic Warning on the Departmental Regulations page.

Grade Appeal Process

Students who would like to appeal a grade should first begin by making a request to the course instructor. If, after receiving a response from the instructor, the student is not satisfied, the students may contact the Department’s Chair to commence a formal grade appeal. The complete process is outlined by the Faculty of Postdoctoral Affairs: Formal Grade Appeal Process.

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Data Science Collaborative Specialization

The Collaborative Specialization in Data Science is available for application in-program only.

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Teaching Assignments and Support

Teaching Assistants can access the TA Central Hub for training, support, awards and resources.


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Tuition, Funding and Awards

All questions regarding your financial account and tuition should be directed to Student Accounts Receivable.

Additional Funding Information and Support

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Ph.D. Fast-track requirements

Fast-track to Ph.D. must be requested within the first year of the master’s program. The requirements are: (1) demonstrating outstanding academic performance by completing at least 2.5 credits that fulfill the coursework requirements specified in the Master’s degree requirements, with a CGPA of A- (10.0) or higher, (2) successfully passing the Ph.D. comprehensive exams, and (3) progressing satisfactorily in their research, supported by a reference letter from their thesis supervisor.

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Graduate Professional Development

As a graduate student at Carleton, you have access to a variety of professional development resources. These include skill workshops, one-on-one career and writing consultations, career-oriented events, and even structured programs. Challenge yourself by acquiring new skills that can help you boost your employability.

To learn more, visit the Graduate Professional Development website.

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Services and Resources

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Glossary

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