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.

	Waterloo Architecture (Co-op Only) OUAC WR Remove	Carleton Architectural Studies – Design OUAC CR Remove	Ottawa Biomedical Mechanical Engineering (4 years) OUAC OEC Remove
Your average, their wayrequired courses forced in
Published rangetheir exact wording	83–87%“Mid-80s”	75–77%“75-77% (regular and co-op)”	80–85%“80-85%”
Required coursesforced into your top 6 — options are the row below	ENG4U SPH4U	ENG4U MHF4U SPH4U	MCV4U MHF4U SBI4U SCH4U SPH4U
Choose one ofany of these satisfies it	one of MCV4U, MHF4U	—	one of ENG4U, FRA4U
Prerequisitesas published	English (ENG4U – min. 78%) Advanced Functions (min. 70%) or Calculus and Vectors (min. 70%) Physics (min. 70%)	English (ENG4U) Physics (SPH4U) Advanced Functions (MHF4U) 3 best 4U/M courses	ENG4U or FRA4U MHF4U MCV4U SPH4U SCH4U +3 more on the program page
More than marks?supplementary application	Yes Qualified applicants will be invited to submit a portfolio. Usually closes before January 15	Yes Application deadline: March 1 Portfolio deadline: March 5 Alternative Offers Usually closes before January 15	Marks only
Co-op	Available	Available	Available
Degree	—	—	Bachelor of Applied Science, BASc, Bachelor of Engineering (Co-op), BEng (Co-op)
First-year intakewhere published	75	—	63
What you study	ArchitectureBuildingDesign	Architecture Design	General or Integrated Engineering Interdisciplinary Studies Mechanical Engineering Medical Technology
What it is	You study how to design and plan buildings and structures, learning both the creative design side and the technical skills needed to make buildings work safely and function well. This program requires you to do paid work terms at architecture firms throughout your degree, alternating with school semesters, so you graduate with real professional experience. It suits people who want hands-on learning alongside theory and are ready to balance intensive coursework with workplace responsibility.	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 the engineering principles behind medical devices and equipment, combining mechanical engineering with biology and healthcare applications. Unlike pure mechanical engineering, this program integrates biomedical sciences so you design systems that work inside or on the human body. It suits students interested in engineering who also want to apply their skills directly to medicine and health technology, with mandatory paid work terms built into the degree.
The door tomajors you reach through it	architecture	architecture	Applied to directly
Entrance awardsat this campus, by average	4 published, 3 with no applicationfrom 80%See them	16 published, 9 with no applicationfrom 75%See them	22 published, 5 with no applicationfrom 75%See them
Source	University of Waterloo on OUInfo	Carleton University on OUInfo	University of Ottawa 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.