2 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.

	Ottawa Géographie physique et géomatique (4 ans – majeure) OUAC OOG Remove	Waterloo Physical Sciences (Regular/Co-op) OUAC WPS Remove
Your average, their wayrequired courses forced in
Published rangetheir exact wording	70–80%“70%; co-op 80%”	80–83%“Low 80s”
Required coursesforced into your top 6 — options are the row below	MCV4U MHF4U SBI4U SCH4U SPH4U	ENG4U MCV4U MHF4U
Choose one ofany of these satisfies it	one of ENG4U, FRA4U	two of MDM4U, SBI4U, SCH4U, SES4U, SPH4U
Prerequisitesas published	FRA4U or ENG4U MHF4U MCV4U SPH4U SCH4U +3 more on the program page	English (ENG4U – min. 70%) Advanced Functions (min. 70%) Calculus and Vectors (min. 70%) Any two of the following: Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Space Science, Mathematics of Data Management, or Physics
More than marks?supplementary application	Marks only	Marks only
Co-op	Available	Available
Degree	Bachelor of Arts, BA, Bachelor of Arts (Co-op), BA (Co-op), Bachelor of Science, BSc, Bachelor of Science (Co-op), BSc (Co-op)	—
First-year intakewhere published	—	250
What you study	Geology Human Geography Interdisciplinary Studies Physical Geography	Astronomy Chemistry Geology Materials Science
What it is	You study how Earth's physical systems work — landforms, climate, water, soil — and learn geomatics, the technology and methods used to map and analyse geographic data. This differs from human geography programs by focusing on natural processes rather than societies and cultures. It suits you if you want to understand environmental change and work with mapping software and spatial analysis tools, whether in research, conservation, or resource management.	Physical Sciences is a broad first-year program where you study foundational chemistry, physics, mathematics, and biology before choosing a specialization in second year. The co-op option means you alternate between study and paid work terms at companies or research labs, giving you real experience in your field. This program suits students who are strong in math and science but not yet certain which specific physical science direction — from astronomy to polymer chemistry — they want to pursue.
The door tomajors you reach through it	Applied to directly	chemistry earth science physics
Entrance awardsat this campus, by average	22 published, 5 with no applicationfrom 75%See them	4 published, 3 with no applicationfrom 80%See them
Source	University of Ottawa on OUInfo	University of Waterloo on OUInfo

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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.