ï»¿ ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓÆµµ¼º½ : 4. Program Descriptions

4. Program Descriptions

Master of Architecture

The professional Architecture program offers a three year curriculum, based on a two year MArch program, plus a Foundation Year when appropriate, leading to the professional Master of Architecture degree accredited by the Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB) that prepares students for practice as a registered architect in North America. After its last review in 2011, the ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓÆµµ¼º½ Master of Architecture professional program in architecture was accredited for another six years by the Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB). This is the maximum period for which programs can be accredited between reviews. Under the North American Free Trade Act, this means that accredited Canadian degrees are fully recognized in the United States and vice versa. In Canada, all provincial associations recommend a degree from an accredited professional degree program as a prerequisite for licensure. The Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB), which is the sole agency authorized to accredit Canadian professional degree programs in architecture, recognizes two types of accredited degrees, the Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Architecture. A program may be granted a six-year, three-year, or two-year term of accreditation, depending on the degree of conformance with established educational standards. Master's degree programs may consist of a pre-professional undergraduate degree and a professional graduate degree, which, when earned sequentially, comprise an accredited professional education. However, the pre-professional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree.

The MArch degree provides a foundation for a range of career opportunities in design, construction and management of the built environment as well as a basis for subsequent advanced design and scholarly research. The MArch curriculum offers an integrated foundation for developing skills and knowledge in design, communication, technology, history, and theory, cultivated within the program's teaching and research expertise in sustainable design, digital design and fabrication, architecture and the contemporary city, critical practice, and architectural history and theory. In the interdisciplinary design milieu of the Faculty of Environmental Design, architecture students explore innovation and creativity side-by-side with students interested in a wide variety of environmental design disciplines focused on a comprehensive understanding of the built and natural environments.

Architectural design studios provide structured opportunities for advanced design studies and projects in both an individual and collaborative context. Enrichment opportunities include a distinguished lecture series, distinguished international guests delivering seminar and design charrette experiences, publications, and the award-winning Barcelona Studies Abroad (where students are immersed in Catalan design culture for one term).

Master of Environmental Design (Thesis)

The Master of Environmental Design is an interdisciplinary degree program concerned with designing, planning and managing human activities in the built and natural environments. As both a field of study and practice, environmental design involves creative problem solving and change management. Interdisciplinary design skills, research skills, communication skills, critical thinking skills and teamwork skills are critical for successful interventions into complex human environment systems at multiple scales. Environmental design represents a curriculum and research synthesis of four thematic areas: ecological design, urban systems design, human and cultural systems and technological systems design. The program is thesis based and student Program of Study driven. Therefore, a clear statement of design or research interest in one or more of these thematic areas is of particular importance in the admissions process. Students are admitted from a variety of backgrounds including interdisciplinary undergraduate degrees, first professional design or planning degrees, post professional degrees, undergraduate degree and work experience. Enrichment opportunities include a local, national and international lecture series, distinguished guest experts, exposure to real-world design problems, and the expectation of an international component in each student's Program of Study.

Master of Environmental Design (Planning)

The Master of Environmental Design (Planning) is a two-year, course-based program leading to accreditation as a professional planner. There are three planning streams: (A) Regional and Environmental Planning; (B) City and Community Planning; and (C) Urban Design and Development. Students are required to take one course from across the three streams to gain exposure to the breadth of planning, and to take all of the courses listed under one of the streams, including the corresponding final project studio section, to gain some depth of knowledge in one planning sub-field. The emphasis in the program is on sustainability, interdisciplinarity and design. The MEDes (Planning) degree prepares students for a wide variety of planning and design positions in the fields of community, urban and regional planning, environmental planning and development.

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