Urban Studies: Master's Degree (MURB) at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, Canada is a master's degree in Urban Planning programme. The programme runs for 9 semesters, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English.
At a glance
Degree:Master's Degree
Field:Urban Planning
Duration: 9 semesters
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
We have no tuition fees on record for this programme yet — see the official programme page.
— it helps other students.
SFU's Master of Urban Studies (MURB) combines coursework with a supervised research project for a minimum of 32 units. Students take a methods course in urban research, a seminar examining two or three areas of urban studies in depth, four further graduate courses (up to two of which may come from outside the program with approval), and finish with a six-unit research project assessed on a satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis. The program is designed to be completed within nine terms. Most successful applicants hold an undergraduate degree in a related discipline such as economics, geography, history, political science, sociology or anthropology, though candidates with other academic backgrounds or relevant professional experience are also considered, and English-proficiency thresholds for the program run higher than SFU's general graduate minimums. An accelerated pathway also lets current SFU undergraduates count up to 10 graduate units toward both their bachelor's degree and the MURB.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: The program's own apply page states its material and language requirements directly but no GPA figure: a one-page statement of interest, a resume or CV highlighting urban-related work and volunteer experience, unofficial transcripts from every institution attended, and three referees of whom at least two must be academic (professional references are accepted, personal ones are not). English proficiency is required only for applicants whose undergraduate degree is from a country where English is not the official language, with program-specific minimums of Duolingo 130 (no subscore below 110), IELTS Academic 7.0 (no section below 6.5), TOEFL iBT 100, Cambridge English 185, PTE Academic 70, or CAEL 75. Securing a supervisor's support before applying is explicitly not expected. For September 2027 entry, applications open 1 October 2026 and close 31 March 2027.
Application Details
Start Date:September
Application Deadline:Domestic applicants apply through EducationPlannerBC, with one set of dates per applicant type rather than by citizenship. Fall 2027 entry: high-school-route applications open 1 October 2026 and close 31 January 2027, while transfer applications open 1 March 2027 and close 15 April 2027 (Education and Contemporary Arts transfer applicants may apply from 1 October 2026). Spring 2027 entry runs 1 July to 15 September 2026, and Summer 2027 entry runs 1 December 2026 to 15 January 2027. Admission documents are generally due 28 February 2027 (Fall) and offers must be accepted by 1 May. International applicants use the same EducationPlannerBC dates and portal; SFU publishes no separate international deadline. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
