4 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.

Full	Waterloo Architecture (Co-op Only) OUAC WR Remove	OCAD Environmental Design OUAC HED Remove	Carleton Architectural Studies – Conservation and Sustainability OUAC CRC Remove	Western Social Science OUAC EO Remove
Your average, their wayrequired courses forced in
Published rangetheir exact wording	83–87%“Mid-80s”	Not published“N/A”	78%“78% (regular and co-op)”	80–87%“Low to mid 80s”
Required coursesforced into your top 6 — options are the row below	ENG4U SPH4U	ENG4U	ENG4U MHF4U SPH4U	ENG4U
Choose one ofany of these satisfies it	one of MCV4U, MHF4U	—	—	—
Prerequisitesas published	English (ENG4U – min. 78%) Advanced Functions (min. 70%) or Calculus and Vectors (min. 70%) Physics (min. 70%)	OSSD with an overall academic average of at least 70% in six 4U/M courses, including English 4U with a minimum final grade of 70%	English (ENG4U) Physics (SPH4U) Advanced Functions (MHF4U) 3 best 4U/M courses	English, ENG4U Notes: All Honours Specializations and Majors in Psychology require a first-year university Math course; therefore any Grade 12 U-level Math is highly recommended for this program. Math is helpful in preparation for Sociology and Geography programs. MFH4U and MCV4U are required for all Economics modules. +1 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 Admission is based primarily on your portfolio assessment. All offers of admission are conditional on meeting the minimum academic requirements. Alternative Offers There are no alternative offers. 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	No	Available	Available
Degree	—	—	—	Bachelor of Arts, BA, Bachelor of Science, BSc
First-year intakewhere published	75	—	—	850
What you study	ArchitectureBuildingDesign	Architecture DesignFacilities ManagementLandscape & Garden Design	Architecture Design Environmental Studies History	Aboriginal Studies Accounting Animal Science Anthropology
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.	Environmental Design at OCAD combines architecture, landscape design, and urban planning to teach you how to shape buildings and outdoor spaces that work well for people and the environment. Unlike a traditional architecture program, it emphasizes the relationship between design and sustainability across multiple scales, from gardens to whole neighbourhoods. It suits students who want to design physical spaces but prefer a broader, more environmentally conscious approach than architecture alone.	You study how to design and restore buildings while minimizing environmental impact, combining architecture, history, and ecological design. This program emphasizes conservation of existing structures and sustainable materials and methods, setting it apart from general architecture programs that focus mainly on new construction. It suits students interested in heritage preservation and green building who want hands-on experience through co-op placements.	Social Science is a broad study of how people, societies, and economies work. You choose a focus like economics, anthropology, history, or business studies, then take courses across that field. Western offers this as either a BA or BSc depending on your focus, and you can do it with co-op, meaning you alternate between school terms and paid work placements in your field.
The door tomajors you reach through it	architecture	Applied to directly	Applied to directly	criminology economics geography history political science psychology sociology
Entrance awardsat this campus, by average	4 published, 3 with no applicationfrom 80%See them	None published by average	16 published, 9 with no applicationfrom 75%See them	6 published, 5 with no applicationfrom 85%See them
Source	University of Waterloo on OUInfo	OCAD University on OUInfo	Carleton University on OUInfo	Western University on OUInfo

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