Planning: Master of Science (MSCP) - UBCV is a master's degree in Urban Planning programme offered by The University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. The programme is delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition for international students is CAD 10,082 per year (CAD 5,739 per year for local students).
At a glance
Degree:Master's Degree
Field:Urban Planning
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 5,739 / year
International tuition: CAD 10,082 / year
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
A thesis-based research master's from the School of Community and Regional Planning, aimed at students heading toward doctoral study, mid-career professionals, and researchers who want in-depth expertise in planning and public policy. Required coursework covers the role of theory in planning research, the design of planning- and policy-oriented research and a master's thesis workshop, together with an approved qualitative research methods course; a further twelve credits form a concentration built around the student's own line of inquiry, drawn from SCARP and other UBC courses. Focus areas include community development and social planning, comparative development planning, disaster and risk management planning, ecological and natural resources planning, transportation planning and urban development planning. The school admits students from both arts and science backgrounds on the grounds that the field needs a diverse array of perspectives; whether the degree is conferred as a Master of Science in Planning or a Master of Arts in Planning follows the student's undergraduate degree type.
Requirements
Minimum GPA:76.00 / %
Admission Requirements: Admission is administered by UBC's Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (FGPS) under its published requirements for this master's program. Bachelor of Science undergraduate degree. FGPS's minimum admission average is in the B+ range (76 per cent), and this program's page states no higher academic minimum, though meeting it does not guarantee admission in a competitive process. Applicants from a university where English was not the language of instruction must meet this program's published English-proficiency minimum: IELTS Academic overall 7 with no band below 6.5; or TOEFL iBT overall 5 with no skill below 4 on the 6-point scale in effect for tests sat from 21 January 2026 (overall 100 with no skill below 21 on the prior 120-point scale); or Duolingo English Test overall 130 with no skill below 120. The GRE is optional. The application also requires three letters of reference and transcripts from all prior post-secondary study.
Application Details
Application Deadline:Domestic and international undergraduate applicants both apply through EducationPlannerBC for Winter Session 2027/28 (September 2027 entry) and Summer 2027: applications open in early October 2026 and the equal-consideration deadline is 15 January 2027, 11:59 p.m. PST, the same date for both groups; a few programs keep reviewing late applications on a space-available basis afterwards. Earlier dates apply only to entrance-award consideration -- 15 November 2026 for the International Scholars Program and 1 December 2026 for Presidential/Centennial/Beyond Tomorrow scholars. Several limited-entry programmes -- Law, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Nursing (advanced entry), Occupational/Physical Therapy, Social Work and Teacher Education -- set their own earlier deadlines from October 2026 through February 2027. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
