BA/BS in Architecture is a bachelor's degree in Architecture programme taught at University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Canada. The programme runs for 5 years, delivered on campus. Tuition for international students is CAD 34,942 per semester (CAD 4,661 per semester for local students).
Also offered as: Master's Degree
At a glance
Degree:Bachelor's Degree
Field:Architecture
Duration: 5 years
Delivery: On Campus
Local tuition: CAD 4,661 / semester
International tuition: CAD 34,942 / semester
Last checked September 2026 · Source: uwaterloo.ca ·
Program details
Overview
Architecture at the University of Waterloo leads to a Bachelor of Architectural Studies, a pre-professional undergraduate degree that can be followed by the university's professionally accredited Master of Architecture, and is offered only as a co-op program based at the School of Architecture in Cambridge, Ontario, roughly a 45-minute drive from the main campus. The studio-based curriculum covers design studio work, building materials and construction techniques, cultural history and social context, sustainable and environmental building design, visual and digital media, architectural history, structural systems, and urbanism, using the school's studios, labs, and exhibition spaces. Co-op work terms alternate with study starting in the winter term of second year, and the fall term of fourth year is spent at the program's studio in Rome, Italy. It suits students who combine artistic and creative interests with a mathematics and science background, and who are drawn to design work that brings together social, cultural, and engineering considerations, with career paths in architecture, design, and project management.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Direct entry from Ontario high school. Required: six Grade 12 U/M courses including English (ENG4U) at a minimum final grade of 78%, and Advanced Functions or Calculus and Vectors plus Physics, each at a minimum final grade of 70%; Grade 11/12 art courses or other creative and cultural studies are recommended. Admission is competitive, with an average trend in the mid-80s for entry beginning September. Selected applicants are invited to submit a portfolio of creative work as part of the Architecture application process. As with most Waterloo undergraduate programs, admission also requires the Admission Information Form (AIF), submitted through the applicant portal, per the university's general admission requirements. Applicants whose secondary education was not in Canada or in English follow the same OUAC route and must meet Waterloo's institution-wide English proficiency requirement: IELTS Academic 6.5 overall (6.0 minimum band, 6.5 in writing and speaking), TOEFL iBT 4.5 overall with 5 in writing and speaking for tests from 21 January 2026 onward (90 overall with 25 in writing and speaking for earlier tests), PTE Academic 63 (65 in writing and speaking), or Duolingo 120 (125 in Literacy and Production).
Application Details
Start Date:September
Application Deadline:Waterloo admits first-year students for September entry only, through the OUAC, with identical deadlines for domestic and international applicants. For Fall 2027, most programmes must be applied to by 1 February 2027 with documents due 15 February 2027; Engineering programmes (excluding Architecture) close earlier, on 15 January 2027, with documents due 1 February 2027, and require an online interview. Waterloo states a deadline may be extended if a programme is not yet full, but publishes no separate rolling-admission date and no explicit application-opening date. Pharmacy is a named exception with its own earlier deadline; Social Work and the Conditional Admission to Pharmacy stream are directed to programme-specific timelines outside this page. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
