As a computer science student, you’ll need to take several non-CS courses to complete your degree. Instead of just filling space, why not use those credits to earn a minor?
Having a minor means you’ve completed a structured set of courses in another area of study.
At Carleton University, a minor usually consists of 4.0 credits in a subject outside your major (COMP). It can be a great way to explore a passion, gain interdisciplinary skills, and stand out to employers—especially if the subject complements computer science.
A number of minors pair well with a computer science major. Here are some popular options:
But don’t feel limited to these! You should ultimately consider a minor that aligns with your interests and career goals.
This is one of the most common pairings with CS. It strengthens your theoretical foundation and is especially useful in Algorithms, Cryptography, Data Science, Machine Learning, and more.
Good news: Your CS major already fulfills 2.5 of the required 4.0 credits, so you only need 3 more math courses to complete this minor.
MATH 1007: Elementary Calculus I
MATH 2007: Elementary Calculus II
MATH 1104: Linear Algebra
MATH 2107: Linear Algebra II
MATH 1800: Introduction to Mathematical Reasoning
1.0 credit in MATH at 2000-level or higher
0.5 credit in MATH at 3000-level or higher
To fulfill the the COMP major’s required 0.5 credit in MATH at 2000-level needed for students often choose to take either MATH 2007 or MATH 2107.
If you just take both MATH 2007 and MATH 2107, and two other MATH courses at the 2000-level or higher, you will complete this minor.
A popular choice to easily fulfill one of the 2000+ level math courses is MATH 3808: Mathematical Analyses of Games of Chance. This course has heavy overlap with STAT 2507 and COMP 2804 (other COMP major requirements) making it a relatively easier course to complete.
A minor in stats is great if you’re interested in data science, AI, or analytics. It gives you a strong background in understanding and working with data, a skill highly relevant for both research and industry roles.
Your COMP major already covers:
This gives you 1.5 out of 4.0 required credits for the minor.
Having a background in Business is valuable because it helps you develop a better understanding of how the world operates.
Almost everything around you—apps, products, services—are influenced by business decisions. Why does something exist? Who is it for? How does it make money? Those aren’t just technical questions—they’re business ones.
A minor in business might be a good fit if you:
A Minor in Economics is a good idea for many of the same reasons you’d consider a Business minor. It helps you understand how the world works—how people, companies, and governments make decisions around money, trade, and policy.
It’s also a smart choice for personal reasons. Understanding how investing works, how interest rates affect the economy, and what inflation means aren’t just business skills—they’re important life skills once you start saving and earning real money.
A minor in Psychology is a great background to have if you’re interested in fields like user experience (UX), human-computer interaction (HCI), accessibility, game design, or even AI and behavior modeling.
Both Psychology and AI are concerned with understanding how humans think, learn, and make decisions. Many ideas in AI—like neural networks, reinforcement learning, and natural language processing—are inspired by concepts from cognitive psychology. For example, reinforcement learning is based on how humans learn through trial and error, while NLP models aim to understand and generate language the way people do.
Carleton offers not just a minor of psychology, but also minors for specific domains like Cognitive Psychology.
As a computer science major, you’re only allowed to take 7.0 credits at the 1000 level, including the ones required as part of your major. That might sound like a lot, but it fills up quickly once you factor in required courses like MATH 1007, MATH 1104, and any COMP courses that are considered 1000-level.
At some point, you’ll need to take more advanced (2000-level or higher) courses, and most of those require prerequisites. Pursuing a minor helps with this because it gives your elective choices direction and structure. Instead of taking disconnected 1000-level courses that don’t lead anywhere, you can intentionally take first-year courses that build toward 2000- and 3000-level courses within a minor.
Having a minor on your transcript shows depth and versatility. It tells employers and grad schools that you took initiative to go beyond your core program and explore another discipline in a structured way.
A minor is a great opportunity to explore something you’re curious about but didn’t want to commit to as a major.
This is especially helpful if you’re unsure about your long-term path. A minor can give you exposure to another field that might influence the kinds of roles, industries, or graduate programs you consider after graduation.
