Building your degree

In many of Carleton’s programs, you can add degree elements that reflect your interests, build your passions and prepare you for future opportunities.

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Many programs provide the flexibility to add a minor, a cohesive set of courses that offer a foundation in another area of study. A minor usually consists of 4.0 credits.

In many programs, you can pursue a concentration, specialization or stream, where you study a selection of specialized courses that relate to your degree program.

Some programs are offered as Combined Honours degrees, where you fulfill the degree requirements of two major programs.

Adding a minor

The following programs are only offered exclusively as minors.

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Archaeology

The minor in Archaeology allows students from any discipline to pursue a wide variety of approaches to the field of archaeology. Courses are drawn from the Greek and Roman Studies program as well as from allied subjects, such as Earth Sciences, Geography, Anthropology and Art History. Students have the option to receive credit for participation in archaeological projects worldwide, including the Gabii Project (Italy), run in collaboration with Carleton faculty.

Business (Entrepreneurship)

The Minor in Business (Entrepreneurship) is designed for students pursuing a non-business degree program who have aspirations of launching their own business or an enterprise within an organization. Hands-on learning is emphasized and students will have the opportunity to design and create their own business.

Business (Sustainability)

Open to students outside of our Business programs, this unique minor will give you access to the fundamentals in business and will focus specifically on the field of sustainability as it relates to business issues.

Community Engagement

Increasingly governmental, nongovernmental, economic, social, advocacy and research organizations are realizing the need for meaningful and ethical community engagement to bring about positive social change. Students in this minor develop theoretical tools and practical skills to engage with and build community, enabling them to work for change while respecting differences.

Critical Race Studies

Drawing on interdisciplinary perspectives from across the university, this minor explores white supremacy, settler colonialism, anti-black and systemic racisms, and histories of racialization, migration, and diaspora in Canada and around the world. You will have the opportunity to think about the categories of race and racialization as necessarily entangled with other forms of social difference.

Design

The minor in Design provides an opportunity for students to learn the fundamentals of design and creatively integrate them into their main field of study. Students will learn about the design of products, systems, services and experiences with consideration of how they are related to environmental, psycho-social and economic factors, and their contribution towards a better quality of life.

Digital Humanities

This minor engages with powerful trends in the discipline of English studies to equip you with critical thinking and cultural literacy skills. You will be able to harness the theoretical and creative possibilities opened up by computing technologies, networks and digital culture. Explore the ways in which digital technologies are transforming reading, writing and literature, and providing new insights into our textual past.

Disability Studies

This minor allows students to explore the ethics, politics, history and contemporary cultural dynamics of ‘disability’ from an interdisciplinary perspective. Students will focus on the discourses that create the category of disability in society.

Drama Studies

This minor allows students to study the history and criticism of drama, and, to a lesser extent, dramaturgy, a substantive and separately identified part of their BA programs. Course options include a combination of workshops (in acting and stagecraft and/or writing for stage and screen) and the intensive study of world and historical drama, including Shakespeare.

Environmental and Climate Humanities

The minor in Environmental and Climate Humanities (EACH) responds to the urgency of our current moment. This minor allows students to explore environmental issues and climate change through a humanities and social sciences lens. It provides students with a strong grounding in interdisciplinary methodologies and experiential, collaborative pedagogies and equips them — wisely, justly, and creatively — to meet the social, political, economic and cultural challenges posed by environmental stresses and climate change.

Heritage and Conservation

The discipline of Heritage Conservation is undergoing a period of expansion and evolution. Carleton’s minor in Heritage and Conservation provides students with an opportunity to critically examine definitions of heritage, why it matters, who it serves and who makes decisions as to what is preserved. Carleton offers a unique minor that addresses intersecting questions surrounding built heritage, intangible heritage, memory studies, sustainable heritage conservation, cultural landscapes, Indigenous and settler heritage, commemoration and tourism.

Industrial Economics

Offered through the Department of Economics, this minor is designed for engineering students who wish to learn the aspects of economics that are most relevant to their major.

Latin American and Caribbean Studies

Learn about the diverse politics, cultures and economies of this exciting region through perspectives drawn from disciplines such as Political Science, Sociology and Anthropology, Human Rights and Social Justice, History and Law. One objective of this minor is to provide a community for students interested in Latin American and Caribbean Studies. This minor also presents students with new possibilities in research and participation in community-building.

Medieval and Early Modern Studies (MEMS)

Gain an interdisciplinary understanding of the Middle Ages and the early modern period, as experienced not only in European and Byzantine contexts but also in the Islamic world. The MEMS minor offers a pathway for students to explore these periods by linking together many courses offered at Carleton in different departments.

Modern Languages

Learning to communicate in a second or additional language can be an enriching and fulfilling part of your educational experience. It can also open many doors in the worlds of work, travel and future education. Minors are available in the following modern languages: American Sign Language (ASL), German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Russian and Spanish.

News Media and Information

Perhaps you’re looking to enhance your understanding of news media while studying a discipline other than Journalism. This Minor explores journalism’s roots, evolution and vital role in modern democracies. Offering instruction beyond basic news literacy, the Minor will familiarize you with the all aspects of news work through various courses, from media law and ethics to contemporary digital disruptions.

Professional Writing

This minor teaches writing as a network of skills and cultural practices. Students learn how to tailor their writing to specific contexts, and the program offers exciting opportunities to gain experience writing in the workplace. Writing is one of the most valuable transferable skills in today’s knowledge-based economy, and our students leave prepared for their professional lives in government, NGOs, medical institutions and beyond.

Québec Studies

This minor allows students to develop an interdisciplinary understanding of Québec. As a distinct society, Québec’s rich historical tradition and vibrant culture is explored through the study of history, culture, literature and politics, while students also reach an advanced level of French-language proficiency. Students will be able to participate in experiential learning opportunities including a course in Québec City. Knowledge of Québec and of French is a definite asset for students interested in career opportunities such as government, foreign affairs, cultural institutions, education, translation, tourism, etc.

Sexuality Studies

This minor offers an interdisciplinary approach to a rapidly evolving field of study. Examine sexuality in its historical context and through current social, political and cultural practices. Topics include queer and trans theory and politics, marriage and the family, pornography and censorship, reproductive rights and HIV/AIDS activism.

Technology, Society, Environment Studies (TSE)

Multidisciplinary in nature, the TSE minor addresses the problems that have been created by the interactions of technology, society and the environment. The courses in this program cover a wide range of topics from technology in ancient societies to contemporary issues in risk, innovation, forecasting, information technology, environmental sustainability, product life cycle analysis, energy use and the philosophy of technology.

Urban Studies

Urbanization has become a defining feature of the twenty-first century. Rapidly urbanizing areas pose both challenges and opportunities with regards to sustainability, social justice, equity and human rights. The minor in Urban Studies helps students understand how cities work (or fail to work), and provides the concepts and skills needed to tackle critical questions of metropolitan governance, urban development and quality of life. It serves as a springboard for students interested in urban planning, community activism, working in urban policy in the public or non-profit sectors, or pursuing further studies in a related field.

Major programs available as minors

The following programs can be taken as a minor, but are available as major programs as well: