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.

	Queen's Smith Engineering – Common First Year programs OUAC QE Remove	Waterloo Physical Sciences (Regular/Co-op) OUAC WPS Remove	Queen's Concurrent Education/Science OUAC QF Remove
Your average, their wayrequired courses forced in
Published rangetheir exact wording	87–90%“High 80s”	80–83%“Low 80s”	83–87%“Mid 80s”
Required coursesforced into your top 6 — options are the row below	ENG4U MCV4U MHF4U SCH4U SPH4U	ENG4U MCV4U MHF4U	ENG4U MCV4U
Choose one ofany of these satisfies it	—	two of MDM4U, SBI4U, SCH4U, SES4U, SPH4U	two of SBI4U, SCH4U, SPH4U
Prerequisitesas published	ENG4U MCV4U SPH4U SCH4U MHF4U	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	ENG4U MCV4U 2 of SBI4U, SCH4U, SPH4U 2 additional 4U/M course
More than marks?supplementary application	Marks only	Marks only	Marks only
Co-op	Available	Available	No
Degree	—	—	—
First-year intakewhere published	800	250	100
What you study	Aerospace EngineeringChemical Engineering Civil Engineering Computer Science	Astronomy Chemistry Geology Materials Science	Astronomy Biological Sciences Chemistry Computer Science
What it is	Smith Engineering's common first year means you take the same core courses as all engineering students — math, physics, chemistry, and engineering fundamentals — before choosing a specialization like mechanical, civil, chemical, or aerospace engineering in second year. This delays your choice, letting you explore different engineering fields before committing. It suits students who know they want engineering but are unsure which branch fits them best.	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.	This program combines science study with teacher education, so you earn qualifications to teach science in secondary school while completing your degree. Unlike a regular science degree followed by teacher training, you work toward both goals at the same time, with coursework in science disciplines alongside education theory and practice teaching. It suits students who know they want to teach and want to study science deeply rather than broadly.
The door tomajors you reach through it	engineering	chemistry earth science physics	Applied to directly
Entrance awardsat this campus, by average	None published by average	4 published, 3 with no applicationfrom 80%See them	None published by average
Source	Queen's University on OUInfo	University of Waterloo on OUInfo	Queen's 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.