Dalhousie University offers Hons in Community Design, a honours degree in Urban Planning programme in Halifax, Canada. The programme runs for 4 years. Tuition for international students is CAD 34,120 per year (CAD 9,435 per year for local students).
The Bachelor of Community Design is a four-year, accredited honours undergraduate degree in planning, delivered at Dalhousie's Faculty of Architecture and Planning in Halifax. Instruction combines lecture, seminar, and studio courses, grounding planning theory in both natural and social sciences to examine how human and natural systems interact in addressing community, environmental, and urban challenges. Students choose between two tracks, Environmental Planning or Urban Design and Planning, either of which can be combined with a Sustainability major. The program emphasizes experiential learning through projects done with community clients, small class sizes, and place-based instruction, supported by connections to local professional planning organizations, community advocacy groups, and development firms. Graduates are eligible to become Professional Planners recognized by the Professional Standards Board and the Canadian Institute of Planners, and typically go on to work as planners across Canada. The program suits students interested in the connections between human and natural systems who want to address community-level challenges.
Requirements
Minimum GPA:70.00 / %
Admission Requirements: Direct entry from a completed Grade 12 requires a minimum overall average of 70 percent or greater across five Grade 12 subjects, including English, Math and one Science course; Biology and/or Geography are recommended, and a background in art or design is considered an asset though not required. Applicants who have already completed university coursework can still apply, and credit for some Community Design requirements may transfer; students with a full year of transfer credit can take the first- and second-year requirements concurrently. The programme's own page names no portfolio or interview requirement. International applicants are assessed on the same subject list through Dalhousie's equivalency tables and must also meet the university's English-language requirement unless exempt, for example IELTS Academic 6.5 overall with no band below 6.0, or TOEFL iBT 90 overall with no section below 20.
Application Details
Application Deadline:Dalhousie's live Dates and Deadlines page still shows the September 2026 entry cycle as of mid-September 2026, not the 2027 cycle. For that cycle, Bachelor of Science (Nursing), Bachelor of Health Sciences, Bachelor of Science (Medical Sciences) and Bachelor of Social Work close February 15, 2026; the Bachelor of Environmental Design Studies (Architecture) closes March 1, 2026; and the Health Sciences post-diploma option closes June 15, 2026. All other undergraduate programmes are considered on a rolling, space-available basis for both domestic and international applicants, with no separate international closing date published; May 15, 2026 is only the deposit and English-proficiency deadline, not an application deadline. Dalhousie has not yet published September 2027 entry dates. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
