• anthropology,  major,  minor,  programs

    if they don’t say no, it’s a yes

    April 9, 2024

    I’m from an Ontario high school, can I double major in Anthropology and Archeology and minor in Indigenous studies? Like is that a thing?

    hey there,

    well, have i got good news for you. *fishes in my pocket* here it is: to my understanding, yes, you can absolutely do a double major in anthropology and archaeology while also doing a minor in indigenous studies. i think that’s a really great combination, those programs compliment each other so well!

    below is my explanation. there are a couple reasons why i think you might have asked this question, and i think i’ve got them covered.

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    1. are anthropology and archaeology too similar?

    there is nothing i can find on the department of anthropology website or on the arts & science calendar that says you can’t take both anthropology and archaeology together. i get how it might be confusing because they’re both in the same department, and require several of the same courses. but if they don’t say otherwise, i’m pretty sure you can take them at the same time. because usually, if you can’t take two programs together, they’ll clearly say it on the program pages that i linked above.

    and, it’s actually a good thing that archaeology and anthropology are similar. if you do choose to do a double major and a minor, you may be worried about fitting in all the courses into four years, since that minor adds on extra credits to fulfill. but you should know that you’re able to take courses that count towards both of these programs.

    for example, if you took ANT100Y1, it would be counted towards both your archaeology and anthropology majors. hitting two credits with one class! that’s not the only one, too. there are many other courses i can see that overlap between these programs. work smarter, not harder.

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    2. can i take 2 majors and a minor?

    another reason you might have asked the question is because it initially seems like you only have 3 program combinations to build your own degree with: one specialist, or two majors, or one major and two minors.

    but these options are just the minimum that you need to graduate. some students choose to do more than this, and it’s great! the maximum number of programs you can take is 3, as long as one of them is a minor.

    3. 12 distinct credit rule

    keep in mind that there is a rule about having 12 distinct credits. this means you need at least 12 different credits that aren’t overlapped, and it kind of just makes sure that people don’t overlap their entire degree. like, there is a limit.

    finally, i’d recommend checking out one of my recent answers to a similar question. and if you’re ever unsure about anything programs-wise, or need an Official Answer TM, literally just send an email to the department you’re looking at. they’re so helpful and will have answers, too. (it’s literally their job! take advantage of that!)

    good luck with everything, hope this clears things up!

    over and out,

    aska

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  • computer science,  minor

    if you got into cs, you ate (the competition up)

    January 22, 2024

    hi aska! I am a 1st year in rotman interested in pursuing a cs minor. I read something on reddit about asking the cs department to grant a minor after completing the required courses, and was wondering if it is possible to get a cs minor without being officially enrolled in the stream? (as I know there is an official application process that’s very competitive)

    hey there,

    i guess it’s that time of the year when everyone rethinks their choice of programs, huh? it seems like that’s all anyone can talk about these days (the time of year is everyday, All Semester Round! it never ends!)

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    anyways. take a look at the cs page on the artsci calendar. you’ll see that it is possible to get a cs minor without being officially enrolled in the admission stream. however, it’s true that it is very competitive. i personally have no experience in applying for the cs programs, but the general vibe i’ve gotten is that it’s hard to get into, and hard to stay in — in terms of the coursework. but for getting in, it really depends on how the competition is your year. eat or get eaten i guess?

    those in the cs admission stream have different enrolment requirements compared to those in different admission streams:

    people already in the cs admission stream have guaranteed admission into the minor, as long as they meet minimum grade requirements: they need a 70% in CSC110Y1 and a 70% in CSC111H1.

    meanwhile, to my understanding, those not in the cs admission stream (you) have to fill out a 250 word supplemental application where you answer three questions to tell them about your non-academic skills, like leadership and the like. in terms of prerequisites, the minimum grade changes depending on how many people are applying that year, but grades below 70% will not be considered for admission. the course prerequisites are also different, being CSC148H1, and either CSC165H1 or CSC240H1.

    just note that the cs minor is available only in the first enrolment request period, so apply between march 1, 2024 and april 26, 2024.

    i hope this helps, good luck, dear future cs student! you’ll be brilliant!

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    over and out,

    aska

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  • courses,  current student,  minor

    a minor issue

    July 5, 2022

    do i have to take every course required for a minor in my first year to be able to declare it?

    hey there,

    probably not. most minors that i know of are open enrolment and only require at least 4.0 FCEs completed by the time you apply. other than that, there are no restrictions on the year that you complete the program courses, as long as you complete them all by the time you graduate. although courses might be 100-level or listed as “first year”, in most cases those are kind of just recommended, not required.

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    some exceptions would be the computer science minor, for example, where students in the CMP1 stream would need to complete the required courses in their first year, but even for out of stream students, there isn’t really any restriction on having to complete courses in a certain year, you’d just need to have them ready by the time you apply for POSt.

    you can search up the minors you’re interested in on the artsci calendar or email the department to see if there are other restrictions.

    hope that helps!

    aska

     

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