Faculty of Environmental Design 4. Program Descriptions4. Program Descriptions
Master of Architecture (MArch)
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®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ 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 base 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 public lecture series, distinguished international guests delivering seminar and design charrette experiences, publications, and the award-winning Barcelona and Pacific Rim Studies Abroad (where students are immersed in a foreign design culture for one term). |
Master of Environmental Design (MEDes)
The Master of Environmental Design is an interdisciplinary degree concerned with designing, planning, managing, and studying human activities in the built and natural environments. The degree is thesis-based and driven by the student’s Program of Study, developed in conjunction with their supervisor. For students with an appropriate academic or professional background, the degree provides the opportunity to pursue research in a specific area of interest. Therefore, a clear statement of design or research interest in one of the areas of faculty research expertise is of particular importance in the admissions process. Students are admitted from a variety of backgrounds, but normally are in possession of professional design or planning degrees, post-professional design degrees, or significant work experience in a related field. |
Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA)
The Master of Landscape Architecture is a three-year (a foundation year plus two years at the Master’s level) graduate professional program. It engages with the critical sociocultural and ecological challenges of place-making, climate change, and resilience, through the process of design. Our faculty’s strengths in urban design, ecological design, regional planning, and cultural landscapes give our program its focus, and we are heavily engaged in our local and regional communities through field studies and real-world projects that we take on in our studio and theory courses. Students learn about the professional practice of landscape architecture through courses in history/theory, technology, and urban and green infrastructure, as well as 2D and 3D graphics and modeling as tools for understanding and communicating. Students from a variety of backgrounds are welcome, with environmental design, geography/urban studies, natural sciences and fine art providing good entry points. As a new program, we will be seeking accreditation from the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects with the graduation of our first cohort in 2018 and we are currently a Candidate Member with the Landscape Architecture Accreditation Council. |
Master of Planning (MPlan)
The Master of Planning is a two-year, course-based program which is accredited by the Professional Standards Board of the Canadian Institute of Planners. The emphasis in the program is on sustainability, interdisciplinarity, physical planning and urban design. The Master of Planning degree prepares students for practice as urban, regional, community, and environmental planners in public, private and non-profit agencies, firms, and institutions in Canada and abroad. The program is studio-based with a sequence of thematic studios, required courses, selective courses, and technology courses that provide students with current and relevant skills and knowledge and understanding of planning issues. |
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
The Doctor of Philosophy is an interdisciplinary degree concerned with designing, planning, managing, and studying human activities in the built and natural environments. The degree is thesis-based and driven by the student’s program of study, developed in conjunction with their Supervisor. For students with an appropriate academic or professional background, the degree provides the opportunity to pursue research in a specific area of interest. Therefore, a clear statement of design or research interest in one of the areas of faculty research expertise is of particular importance in the admissions process. Students are admitted from a variety of backgrounds, but normally are in possession of professional design or planning degrees, post-professional design degrees, or significant work experience in a related field. |
Minor Field of Specialization in Architectural Studies
The courses required for the Minor are equivalent to the courses in the MArch Foundation Year, and constitute the prerequisites for the ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½â€™s two-year MArch degree. Completion of this Minor does not guarantee admission to the MArch or to other degree programs in the Faculty of Environmental Design, but it may reduce the number of courses that are required for an MArch. Students completing the Minor must apply for admission to the MArch degree. Students interested in pursuing an MArch at the ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓƵµ¼º½ should note that only those students who have completed a four-year degree are considered for admission. A three-year Bachelor of Communication and Culture coupled with the Minor is not sufficient. |
Requirements
The following 30 units (5.0 full-course equivalents) must be completed successfully to achieve the Minor:
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Recommendations
The following optional elective courses in Environmental Design are also available to students in the Minor:
Other undergraduate courses in Environmental Design available to all students include:
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