Carleton University Programs & Pathways
Ottawa, Ontario
Program strengths and how to compare pathways. This focused guide keeps the detailed tables, official sources, and practical next steps in one manageable reading path.
The short answer
- Carleton has more than 200 undergraduate programs across five faculties.
- You apply to a specific degree program through OUAC (the Ontario Universities' Application Centre, Ontario's university application site).
- Each program has its own conditional-offer floor, prerequisite rule and co-op structure.
- Floors for 2027–2028 run from 70% for Architectural Studies to 88% for Mechanical Engineering.
- Six programs need extra material: Architecture, design, Nursing, Music and Social Work.
Reviewed October 8, 2026 · Official university sources · How we review guides
Current program structure and 2027–2028 planning floors
Carleton University programs, faculties, and pathways
Carleton advertises more than 200 undergraduate programs. These are spread across five faculties. Every applicant applies to a specific degree program through OUAC (Ontario's university application site). So your program choice is the real admission decision. Each program has its own conditional-offer floor. Each has its own prerequisite rule. Each has its own supplementary material. Each has its own co-op structure.
Program scale
200+ programs
Five faculties; the admissions A–Z directory filters by degree, faculty, and department.
2027–2028 floor range
70% to 88%
From Architectural Studies at 70% to Mechanical Engineering at 88% for 2027–2028, with program prerequisite averages on top.
Additional material
6 programs
Architecture, design, Nursing, Music, and Social Work routes use the March 1 and March 5, 2027 deadlines.
Read the floors correctly
Program floors describe 2027–2028 offer conditions
The percentages in this section come from Carleton's 2027–2028 conditional-offer table. They are the conditions for keeping an offer you already have. They are not guaranteed Fall 2027 entry averages. Carleton says the overall average needed for admission is set each year, program by program. Competitive averages can be above a published floor.
Carleton's five faculties at a glance
| Faculty | Signature direct-entry programs | Entry notes (2027–2028) | Planning guidance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences | Bachelor of Arts majors across the humanities and social sciences, plus Music | Applicants select a specific BA major through OUAC. Music requires an audition or supplementary material with the March 1 and March 5 deadlines. | Check the exact major's prerequisites and combined-honours options. Do not apply to a generic arts intent. |
| Faculty of Engineering and Design | Bachelor of Engineering streams including Aerospace, plus Architectural Studies, Industrial Design, and Interactive Multimedia and Design | Engineering applicants choose a stream at application. Carleton's 2027–2028 conditional-offer floors run from 72% to 88%, depending on stream. Mechanical is at 88% and Aerospace is at 86%. Architectural Studies (70% floor) and the design programs require portfolios or other additional material. | Treat each engineering stream as its own competitive pool. Keep the March 1 program deadline and the March 5 material deadline together. |
| Faculty of Public and Global Affairs | Bachelor of Journalism and Public Affairs and Policy Management, alongside public policy, international affairs, economics, law, and political science units | Journalism's 2027–2028 floor is 76% overall with English at 70%; Public Affairs and Policy Management sits at 80% overall with no course prerequisite. | These programs read as national flagships with capital-city placements. Verify each program's own page, because FPGA degrees differ sharply in structure. |
| Faculty of Science | Computer Science, Cybersecurity, and Data Science, plus BSc majors, Health Sciences, and Mathematics | For 2027–2028, Computer Science, Cybersecurity, and Data Science share a 78% overall floor. They also share a 76% combined Advanced Functions and Calculus and Vectors average. Health Sciences uses an 80% floor with a 75% combined prerequisite average. | Check whether your intended stream requires four co-op work terms. Computer Science, Cybersecurity, Data Science, and Mathematics Honours do. Do this before planning the degree length. |
| Sprott School of Business | Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Accounting | Both carry a 75% overall floor for 2027–2028 with Advanced Functions at 70%, English at 60%, and Calculus and Vectors or Data Management at 60%. | Look at the concentrations and the co-op option inside Sprott. Do not treat Commerce and Accounting as the same thing. |
Programs Carleton itself documents as national differentiators
Each of these claims comes from Carleton's own program pages. So a family can separate documented history and structure from marketing talk.
Aerospace Engineering
Carleton says it became the first university in Canada to offer a Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering, in 1988. Carleton describes it as the largest program of its kind in the country. After first year, students pick one of four streams. The streams are aerodynamics, propulsion and vehicle performance; structures, systems and vehicle design; aerospace electronics and systems; or space systems design.
The 2027–2028 conditional-offer floor is 86% overall. It also needs an 86% combined prerequisite average. This is second only to Mechanical Engineering at 88%. Co-op work terms run 4 to 16 months.
Cybersecurity and Data Science
Cybersecurity runs as a Bachelor of Computer Science stream. It covers software security. It covers computer and Internet security and privacy. It covers applied cryptography. Carleton's own page points at employment with federal government departments. It also points at Ottawa's high-tech sector.
Cybersecurity and Data Science sit beside Computer Science in the 2027–2028 conditional-offer table. They have the same 78% floor and 76% Advanced Functions and Calculus average. The co-op versions require four work terms rather than three.
Journalism
Carleton says its Bachelor of Journalism is the oldest and best-known journalism program in the country. Students take a second major outside Journalism. Published combinations include Journalism and Humanities and a Health Sciences concentration.
The 2027–2028 floor is 76% overall, with English at 70%. Professional apprenticeships, summer internships, and the Global Journalism International Internship partnership are program features. They are not guarantees of a specific placement.
Public Affairs and Policy Management
PAPM is the policy flagship of the Faculty of Public and Global Affairs. It is selective. In the 2027–2028 conditional-offer table, it carries an 80% overall floor. It has no specific course prerequisite. It is level with Health Sciences.
Separate scholarship opportunities may be tied to the program. Verify the live program page and award pages together before ranking OUAC choices.
Verified program facts for Fall 2027 planning
Each card states the cycle it belongs to, its verification status, and the official Carleton page it came from.
Carleton's five faculties
Current structure · Published for this period
Carleton organizes its undergraduate degrees into five faculties: the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, the Faculty of Engineering and Design, the Faculty of Public and Global Affairs, the Faculty of Science, and the Sprott School of Business.
Applies to: All applicants
Carleton University Academics: Departments and faculties listing: Carleton's five faculties · Verified August 14, 2026
2027–2028 conditional-offer floor range
2027–2028 (Fall 2027 entry) · Latest published information; newer cycle not yet confirmed
Carleton's 2027–2028 conditional-offer table runs from a 70% overall floor for Architectural Studies to 88% for Mechanical Engineering. Aerospace Engineering is at 86%. Program prerequisite rules attach to each floor. Computer Science, Cybersecurity, and Data Science have a 78% overall floor. They also need a 76% combined Advanced Functions and Calculus and Vectors average. Journalism's 76% floor needs English at 70%. Commerce and Accounting have a 75% floor with Advanced Functions at 70%. Public Affairs and Policy Management has an 80% overall floor with no course prerequisite. These are conditions for keeping a Fall 2027 offer. They are not admission cut-offs.
Competitive entry averages can sit above these published floors and change with demand each cycle.
Applies to: Ontario high school, Other Canadian, International
Carleton Undergraduate Admissions: 2027–2028 conditional-offer requirements by program · Verified October 8, 2026
Fall 2027 program requirement status
2027 pending · Fall 2027
Partly published. Carleton's conditional-offer table now covers the 2027–2028 academic year, for Fall 2027 entry. Carleton states that the overall average required for admission is determined each year. It is determined on a program-by-program basis.
The 2027–2028 floors are conditions for keeping an offer, not admission cut-offs; re-check each program page for its Fall 2027 cut-off range.
Applies to: All applicants
Carleton Undergraduate Admissions: Ontario high-school admission framework and cut-off principles · Verified August 14, 2026
Aerospace Engineering scale and streams
Current program · Published for this period
Carleton became the first university in Canada to offer a Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering, in 1988. Carleton describes the program as the largest of its kind in the country. Students choose one of four streams after first year. The streams are aerodynamics, propulsion and vehicle performance; aerospace structures, systems and vehicle design; aerospace electronics and systems; or space systems design. A paid co-op option offers work terms of 4 to 16 months.
Applies to: All applicants
Carleton Undergraduate Admissions: Aerospace Engineering program page · Verified August 14, 2026
Cybersecurity and Data Science entry model
Current program · Published for this period
Carleton delivers Cybersecurity as a Bachelor of Computer Science stream covering software security, computer and Internet security and privacy, and applied cryptography, with an optional co-op. The program page points at employment with federal government departments and Ottawa's high-tech sector, and the 2027–2028 conditional-offer table lists Cybersecurity and Data Science beside Computer Science with the same 78% overall floor and 76% combined mathematics average.
Applies to: All applicants
Carleton Undergraduate Admissions: Cybersecurity program page · Verified August 14, 2026
Bachelor of Journalism structure
Current program · Published for this period
Carleton calls its Bachelor of Journalism the oldest and best-known journalism program in the country. Students take courses outside Journalism and pursue a second major. Published combinations include a Journalism and Humanities degree and a Health Sciences concentration. There are also professional apprenticeships, summer internships, and the Global Journalism International Internship partnership.
Applies to: All applicants
Carleton Undergraduate Admissions: Bachelor of Journalism program page · Verified August 14, 2026
Carleton program-choice checklist
- 1.Name the exact degree and stream first; Carleton admits by program, and Engineering, Computer Science, and design programs each run their own competitive pool.
- 2.Read the 2027–2028 conditional-offer floor and prerequisite rule for that program, then treat both as planning context rather than a Fall 2027 promise.
- 3.Check whether the program requires a portfolio, audition, or supplementary application, and hold the March 1 and March 5, 2027 deadlines together.
- 4.Compare the co-op and regular versions of the same degree, including whether the co-op route requires three or four work terms.
- 5.Re-verify the live program page when Carleton posts Fall 2027 requirements, because the overall average is set each year program by program.
Official Carleton program sources
- Departments and faculties: Carleton's five faculties
- Carleton academics overview and program scale
- Undergraduate program directory and A–Z listing
- 2027–2028 conditional-offer requirements by program
- Ontario high-school admission framework
- Aerospace Engineering program page
- Cybersecurity program page
- Bachelor of Journalism program page
- Programs with additional admission requirements
- Eligible undergraduate co-op programs
Official Sources and Next Steps
Stellar keeps this guide structured for comparison, but official university pages remain the source of truth for program requirements, tuition, residence, scholarships, deadlines, and policy changes.
Prepared by Stellar Advisers Editorial Team · Reviewed October 8, 2026 · Editorial, corrections, and source methodology