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.

	Western Media & Communications Studies OUAC EI Remove	Carleton Communication and Media Studies OUAC CCR Remove	Lakehead Interdisciplinary Studies (Orillia Campus) OUAC AZ Remove
Your average, their wayrequired courses forced in
Published rangetheir exact wording	80–87%“Low to mid 80s”	75%	70%
Required coursesforced into your top 6 — options are the row below	ENG4U	ENG4U	ENG4U
Choose one ofany of these satisfies it	—	—	—
Prerequisitesas published	English, ENG4U	English (ENG4U) 5 best 4U/M courses Alternative Offers Find more information about alternative offers .	ENG4U Alternative Offers If you do not meet the admission requirements for your program of choice but do meet the General Admission Requirements of Lakehead University, you will automatically be considered for an alternate program.
More than marks?supplementary application	Marks only	Marks only	Marks only
Co-op	Available	Available	No
Degree	—	—	—
First-year intakewhere published	300	200	—
What you study	Information Systems Information Technology Media and Communication StudiesOthers in Technology	Media and Communication Studies PoliticsPublicity StudiesSocial Policy	Anthropology Chemistry English Studies Entrepreneurship
What it is	This program combines the study of media, communication, and information technology — learning how messages are created, shared, and understood across digital and traditional platforms alongside practical IT skills. The co-op requirement means you alternate between classroom terms and paid work placements in media, tech, or communications companies, giving you real industry experience alongside your degree. It suits students interested in how technology shapes storytelling and public conversation, who want hands-on workplace experience before graduating.	You study how media works, how messages spread, and how communication shapes society and politics. This program combines theory with hands-on practice, and includes a mandatory work term where you apply classroom learning in real media or communications settings. It suits people interested in journalism, public relations, social media strategy, or understanding how news and information influence the world around them.	This program lets you design your own degree by combining courses from multiple fields — anthropology, chemistry, English, history, philosophy, law, media studies, and others — rather than following a single major. You choose which subjects to focus on and how much depth in each, creating a customized path that suits your interests. It works well if you're curious about several areas and want flexibility to explore across disciplines before committing to one specialization.
The door tomajors you reach through it	communications	communications	Applied to directly
Entrance awardsat this campus, by average	6 published, 5 with no applicationfrom 85%See them	16 published, 9 with no applicationfrom 75%See them	6 published, 5 with no applicationfrom 80%See them
Source	Western University on OUInfo	Carleton University on OUInfo	Lakehead University on OUInfo

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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.