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	TMU Undeclared Engineering (First Semester Studies Only) OUAC SEU Remove
Your average, their wayrequired courses forced in
Published rangetheir exact wording	87–90%“High 80s”	80–83%“Low 80s”	85–90%“85-90%”
Required coursesforced into your top 6 — options are the row below	ENG4U MCV4U MHF4U SCH4U SPH4U	ENG4U MCV4U MHF4U	ENG4U MCV4U MHF4U SCH4U SPH4U
Choose one ofany of these satisfies it	—	two of MDM4U, SBI4U, SCH4U, SES4U, 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	English/Anglais (ENG4U/EAE4U preferred) Advanced Functions (MHF4U) Calculus and Vectors (MCV4U) Physics (SPH4U) Chemistry (SCH4U)
More than marks?supplementary application	Marks only	Marks only	Marks only
Co-op	Available	Available	No
Degree	—	—	—
First-year intakewhere published	800	250	145
What you study	Aerospace EngineeringChemical Engineering Civil Engineering Computer Science	Astronomy Chemistry Geology Materials Science	Aerospace EngineeringChemical Engineering Civil Engineering Electronic & Electrical Engineering
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.	In your first semester, you take core engineering courses in math, physics, and design while exploring different engineering specializations — aerospace, chemical, civil, electrical, mechanical, software, and manufacturing. You won't choose your specific engineering stream until after first semester, letting you test what each field actually involves before committing. This suits students who are confident they want engineering but unsure which branch matches their interests and strengths.
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	2 published, 0 with no applicationfrom 85%See them
Source	Queen's University on OUInfo	University of Waterloo on OUInfo	Toronto Metropolitan University on OUInfo

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