3 programs, side by side

Rows marked with a dot are where these differ. Everything is each university’s own published wording; the “your average” row is yours, calculated the way each program does it.

	Carleton Architectural Studies – Design OUAC CR Remove	Ontario Tech Communication and Digital Media Studies OUAC DDC Remove	OCAD Visual and Critical Studies (Art History) OUAC HVC Remove
Your average, their wayrequired courses forced in
Published rangetheir exact wording	75–77%“75-77% (regular and co-op)”	70–73%“Low 70s”	Not published“N/A”
Required coursesforced into your top 6 — options are the row below	ENG4U MHF4U SPH4U	ENG4U	ENG4U
Choose one ofany of these satisfies it	—	—	—
Prerequisitesas published	English (ENG4U) Physics (SPH4U) Advanced Functions (MHF4U) 3 best 4U/M courses	Current Ontario secondary school students must complete the Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD) with six 4U or 4M courses, including English (ENG4U). Alternative Offers If you do not meet the admission requirements, or we cannot accommodate your application, you may receive an offer to another closely related program.	OSSD with an overall academic average of at least 70% in six 4U/M courses, including English 4U with a minimum final grade of 70%
More than marks?supplementary application	Yes Application deadline: March 1 Portfolio deadline: March 5 Alternative Offers Usually closes before January 15	Marks only	Yes In addition to meeting the academic requirements, you are required to submit the following to be considered for admission: A 1-page Statement of Intent (300 words maximum) on why you would like to study art history in a studio setting. An original essay of 500 words on an annually assigned topic. Usually closes before January 15
Co-op	Available	Available	No
Degree	—	—	—
First-year intakewhere published	—	500	—
What you study	Architecture Design	Business Studies Creative Writing Economics Interdisciplinary Studies	Creative Writing Design English Studies Fine Art
What it is	You study the creative and technical side of designing buildings and spaces, learning to sketch ideas, understand how structures work, and use design software. This program includes mandatory work terms where you apply classroom learning to real projects with architecture and design firms. It suits people who enjoy solving visual problems, thinking in three dimensions, and want hands-on experience before committing to a full architecture degree.	You study how people communicate through digital platforms, traditional media, and written content, combining journalism, creative writing, and media analysis with business and economics foundations. Unlike a pure journalism program, this combines multiple communication disciplines and requires hands-on digital media production alongside theory. It suits people who want to work in digital marketing, publishing, broadcasting, or content creation and value gaining real workplace experience during their degree.	You study the history of visual art and design, learning to analyze images, objects, and cultural movements across time periods and societies. This differs from a studio art program because you focus on understanding and interpreting art rather than creating it yourself. It suits people who want to think critically about visual culture and understand how art reflects and shapes society.
The door tomajors you reach through it	architecture	communications	Applied to directly
Entrance awardsat this campus, by average	16 published, 9 with no applicationfrom 75%See them	3 published, 3 with no applicationfrom 85%See them	None published by average
Source	Carleton University on OUInfo	Ontario Tech University on OUInfo	OCAD University on OUInfo

Also compare with

Same subject area and a similar published range, at a campus you have not got in the table yet.

Ranges are what each university publishes, not guaranteed cutoffs, and limited-enrolment programs often admit above them. Confirm anything you are about to act on with the university; each column links to its source.