The Master of Planning (MPlan) program is a distinctly different design- and studio-based program. This studio emphasis means that you'll be engaged with real-world problems and real clients, often helping to directly shape the built environment. Studio-based learning is applied learning, so you'll synthesize the skills and knowledge gained throughout the program to address complex problems at a variety of scales, and emphasizing a design approach. Our MPlan program is the only accredited planning program in Alberta, and is fully accredited by the Professional Standards Board, Canadian Institute of Planners, and the Alberta Professional Planners Institute. Graduation from an accredited planning program is the most direct path to becoming a Registered Professional Planner (RPP) and member of the Canadian Institute of Planners (MCIP).

This two-year Canadian Institute of Planners-accredited graduate degree teaches students the legal and institutional processes of planning, and prepares students with a depth of applicable knowledge for identifying and leveraging opportunities to make our cities and communities more sustainable, vibrant, healthy, equitable, and economically secure. In this studio-based program, students engage with real-world problems and real clients. They emphasize the importance of form-based planning, where design and graphic skills are an integral part of the planning process. We offer a series of studios and technical courses that prepare students for this challenging work.