General
How do I know which courses to take for my program?
It is your responsibility to review and understand your audit prior to registration. Audits can be run easily through the “MyAudit” feature of Carleton Central.
By viewing your audit, you’re are able to see which degree requirements you have remaining in your program. Find assistance in reading your audit here.
The Carleton University Undergraduate Calendar also lists all program requirements.
How many courses should I take as a BJ or BJ-HUM student?
If you are in your first year in either program you must take a total of five courses, or 2.5 credits, in each of the fall and winter terms in order to qualify for promotion to second year.
If you’re in the upper years, 2.5 credits per term is a full course load.
Full time status, academically, is registration in a minimum of 1.5 credits per term; however, the definition of full time can differ depending on your inquiry and the nature of the service office (e.g. tuition fees, OSAP etc.). Please check with the office in question to confirm (e.g. Business Office, Awards Office).
Courses that I would like to take are full. What now?
Carleton Central provides access to courses on a first-come first-served basis. You get priority if you meet all of the prerequisites for classes. The capacity of a course can’t be overridden. If a course is full you’re encouraged to keep checking on Carleton Central to see if a space becomes available.
I have submitted an override. How long will it take to find out if I have been accepted?
Override requests are addressed in the order that they are received with priority given to students meeting the department and course prerequisites. Override decisions are provided only via your Carleton email, and permission will not be granted in person or over the phone. University-wide, you can expect a 5-7 business day wait on all override requests. In Journalism, those decisions may take longer.
I have missed the deadline to register into a course and require it as part of my degree. Is there anything I can do?
It is your responsibility to complete all registration action within the published dates of the University as provided by the Registrar’s office. If a significantly extenuating circumstance has prevented you from completing your registration prior to the deadline, you may petition for late registration through the Registrar’s Office. Please attend the Registrar’s Office in 300 Tory Building to collect a “Late Registration Petition” form. Both the Department and the instructor must approve and sign this form, and the instructor must indicate that a plan for catching up on missed work has been discussed. Once completed, you must submit the petition and the late registration request form to the Registrar’s Office, 300 Tory Building. Each decision is reviewed on a case-by-case basis and significant documentation is required to support your request.
How can I change a program element? (e.g. add a minor, switch or add a major, declare a concentration)
If you wish to make changes to your existing degree program, you can submit a Change of Program Elements request through Carleton Central. This form is used to add a minor or concentration, or switch or add a major within your current degree.
If you want to change your degree completely you must apply through Admissions for an Internal Degree Transfer. Find more information regarding degree program changes here.
When are grades released?
That depends on how quickly your instructor submits the grades for the course. The instructor generally has 10 calendar days after the date of the final examination to submit final grades. Once submitted, it will take a few days for the final grades to be approved by the departmental chair and the dean of the faculty responsible for your course.
When final grades are approved and entered into our computer system, you’ll see your grade on Carleton Central. You can log on to Carleton Central and select “Display Grades” in the main menu under Student Services > Student Records. You will be asked to select the term (year and semester) that you wish to view. Since you can view all grades from any previous academic session, remember to select the most recent term to see your latest grades.
Only courses with final grades will appear, so don’t be alarmed if some of your courses aren’t listed. The final grade for the course may not be available yet. Also, if you owe the University money for any outstanding tuition balances, access to your final grades will be withheld until you’ve paid. Please also note that Carleton Central reports final grades only. Mid-term and/or assignment grades can be obtained through your instructor.
How do I defer an exam?
Deferrals of exams are reserved for extenuating circumstances and require substantial medical documentation. Specific information, including the application process and deadlines for submitting a deferral request, can be found here. For more information please contact the Registrar’s Office at 613-520-3500 or registrar@carleton.ca
Audit
What is a program element and how many can I have?
Program elements are the Majors, Minors, Concentrations and Specializations that you have included in your degree.
In addition to your Major(s), the maximum number of allowed program elements in your degree (i.e. the combined number of Minors, Concentrations or Specializations) is two.
Note: Neither the co-op option nor the Mention Français are considered program elements.
Where can I find my audit and how do I read it?
Your audit is available 24/7 through Carleton Central. It is found under the “My Audit” feature. There is a guide on how to read and interpret your audit.
Can a course satisfy more than one degree requirement?
Yes. A course can satisfy more than one degree requirement. For example, a 3000-level course successfully completed in your Major may satisfy one (or more) of the following requirements:
- Breadth (depending on the course subject)
- Residency (the number of credits you need to complete at Carleton)
- Advanced Credits
- Minor requirements
- Concentration requirements
A course does not appear in the correct place on my audit. What should I do?
Program changes, exchanges or transfers may alter how courses are sitting in the audit. If any course does not appear to be included in the location where you think it should be, email your Undergraduate Adviser. She will review the audit and make any needed adjustments.
How can I calculate my CGPA?
Your overall CGPA is the sum of all of the grade points divided by the number of credits completed. Your major GPA follows the same calculation using courses, which have been included in your major. Your CGPA is most accurately found by consulting your Student Audit, which is available through Carleton Central using the “MyAudit” feature. If you would like to calculate your CGPA, the Student Academic Success Centre’s website offers a good walk through on how to do it correctly.
Computer and equipment purchase recommendations
What type of computer and software should I have for the program?
When on campus, you’ll work in our Mac-based Journalism labs. If you are planning to buy a new laptop for school, this does NOT mean you are required to have a Mac, although that’s our recommendation. If you prefer a PC, that’s fine, too.
For Mac users – we suggest you consider one of the several versions of a MacBook Pro (Note: We strongly recommend that you do NOT purchase a MacBook Air). Here are the minimum specifications we recommend:
- Apple M2 chip
- 16 GB RAM
- 512 GB SSD hard drive
- Retina display
For PC users – we suggest you check out Dell Latitude (Note: We strongly recommend that you do NOT purchase a Chromebook or other basic Web-based laptop). Here are the minimum specifications we recommend:
- Intel 12th Generation i7 or newer CPU – or AMD equivalent
- Windows 11 Pro
- 16 GB RAM
- 512 GB SSD hard drive
- 1920×1080 monitor resolution or greater
It is imperative that you have an external hard drive with a minimum of 1 TB of space to archive and back up your files. Computers sometimes crash and maintaining a proper backup of your system and project files will ensure you don’t have substantial data loss.
We highly recommend that you have a USB flash drive (minimum 16 GB) for day-to-day file storage.
Also, purchasing a printer for home use if you don’t already have one is a good idea.
Software
Microsoft Office 365
You will need an office software suite for your class assignments. You can use Microsoft Office 365 for PCs and Mac (It’s free for all Carleton students: https://carleton.ca/its/ms-offer-students/). You can also use the free OpenOffice apps. Each of these office suites will produce and read documents in the MS Word format, which is the word processing program used by the School.
Adobe Creative Cloud
As a journalism student, you will be provided with an Adobe Creative Cloud license at the start of the second year to use while you are in the BJ program. This licence will allow you to install and use all Adobe software titles – Premiere Pro, After Effects, Lightroom, Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and Audition – on your personal computer.