Master of Environmental Design (MEDes) Admissions

A professional design degree from an accredited school.

A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 on a 4.0 point scale, calculated over the last 60 units (minimum of 20 courses) of university-level courses at the time of application. Please see self-calculated GPA information under the Application Materials section below.

An applicant whose primary language is not English may fulfill the English language proficiency requirement in one of the following ways:

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 105.
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 7.5.
• Pearson Test of English (PTE)  score of 62, or higher (Academic version).
• Canadian Academic English Language test (CAEL) score of 70 with no section less than 70.
• Academic Communication Certificate (ACC) score of A- in each course.
• On a temporary basis, the University of Calgary will accept both the Duolingo English Test and the TOEFL IBT Home Edition. 
  • The minimum Duolingo test score required is 135.
  • The minimum TOEFL IBT Home Edition score required is 105.  

Create an eID to log in. If you already have an eID, you can begin your online application. 

Once in the online application form, scroll down in the program list and click on School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape, then select the Master of Environmental Design (MEDes) degree.

Remember to click 'Save & Continue' often to ensure your application is saved.

Once your application has been submitted, you will be required to upload unofficial transcripts from each of the post-secondary institutions you have attended. International students will also be required to include provisional and degree certificates along with your transcripts (where applicable/available). If your application is successful, final official transcripts will be requested with your offer of admission.

Please note: If you are still in an undergraduate program (graduating in 2025), please upload unofficial transcripts after your Fall grades have been posted. 

If admitted, you must provide one official transcript (and degree certificates from those institutions that do not indicate the awarding of degrees on the transcript) from all post-secondary institutions attended, regardless of the number of courses taken or the amount of time spent there. Transcripts and degree certificates issued in a language other than English must be accompanied by certified, word-for-word English translations.

To be considered official, all academic records must be sent directly to the University of Calgary from the institution and received in envelopes that have been sealed and endorsed by the issuing institution. If you have transcripts from multiple institutions, you may bundle the sealed and signed envelopes (unopened) in one package. Students and graduates from the University of Calgary do not have to submit official transcripts. If you attended university in another country, review international admissions requirements.

Physical or electronic copies of your official transcripts can be submitted: 

A) Send physical official transcripts to the following address:
Faculty of Graduate Studies, ES 1010
University of Calgary
2500 University Drive NW
Calgary, AB, Canada, T2N 1N4

B) If your post-secondary institution has the capacity to email official transcripts, they should be sent directly to the Faculty of Graduate Studies at gradtranscripts@ucalgary.ca. These must be emailed by the school, transcripts emailed by the applicant will not be accepted.

The non-refundable application fee is CDN $125 for Canadian citizens and permanent residents, and CDN $145 for international students attending on a Study Permit.

Please provide 4-6 keywords that relate to your intended area of research to this program. They should be related to the main discipline associated with your project (architecture, planning, landscape architecture, other), key terms related to the research area, and potential outcome.

Please upload a digital portfolio that provides examples or illustrates your design, academic, or professional work, as well as other research, community action, or projects that has inspired your research interest area. Your portfolio should be focused on the discipline that you are interested in pursuing for the MEDes program (architecture, planning or landscape architecture).

• 8.5" x 11”-page size, maximum 25 pages
• First and last name on cover page
• Indicate your specific role on group projects 
• Filename: Lastname_Firstname_MEDes_2025.pdf
• Maximum file size 30 MB

The admissions committee wants to see your writing skills! At least one example of academic or professional productivity such as a written essay, published paper, thesis, design project, consulting report. The examples of writing should be submitted in digital form (one portable document .PDF file). If there is more than one sample in the pdf document, please include a table of contents at the beginning.

Provide three referees, with names and contact information, both phone and email, in your online application. At least two should be academic. Once your online form has been submitted, referees will be provided a link via email to complete a reference. The deadline for references is one week after the application deadline - February 8.

Please provide a clear, concise, and substantive statement of interest (1,000 to 1,500 words; maximum of two (2) pages), which informs the Admissions Committee of the applicant’s reasons for pursuing the MEDes degree.

Questions to consider:

• Did a specific question, project, or theme from your studies capture your interest?
• Do you want to begin advancing your career towards a specific area of interest?
• What expertise would you like to develop to become more marketable for your future career goals?

Document structure:

• Why are you pursuing the degree?
• What is the research question?
• What is your current understanding of it (topic background)
• Potential methodology to address it

Please provide a two-year funding plan that confirms sufficient financial resources are available to carry out the entire program of study. The funding plan should include a brief overview that demonstrates your understanding of your financial responsibility and explains your funding source(s) (we do not need official banking or loan records). Please upload this as a one-page pdf document to your online Student Centre after you submit your online application form.

Please consider that while the expectation is that students will have the financial resources required to attend the program if admitted, they will have opportunities to seek additional scholarship, student award funding, and assistantships to supplement their own funds.

Scholarships: various SAPL and University scholarships are available (https://sapl.ucalgary.ca/future-students/admissions/entrance-scholarships-awards and https://grad.ucalgary.ca/awards).  

Graduate Assistantships: Employment opportunities as a research assistant (GAR) working with a faculty member or research lab; or as a teaching assistant (GAT) aiding in course delivery. Notably, there are increased GAT opportunities with SAPL’s newly launched Bachelor of Design in City Innovation Program.

A summary of your experiences in education, work, volunteering, and other relevant research items. Please include any academic awards, achievements, honours, or other distinctions you have received. Please list any publications and/or scholarly or professional organizations in which you hold (pending or certified) membership.  - give examples, such as AAA or AALA.