BA/BS in Planning is a bachelor's degree in Urban Planning programme taught at University of Waterloo in Waterloo, Canada. The programme is delivered on campus. Tuition for international students is CAD 23,598 per semester (CAD 3,125 per semester for local students).
Also offered as: Master's Degree, Doctorate
At a glance
Degree:Bachelor's Degree
Field:Urban Planning
Delivery: On Campus
Local tuition: CAD 3,125 / semester
International tuition: CAD 23,598 / semester
Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
The Planning program at the University of Waterloo leads to a Bachelor of Environmental Studies in Planning and addresses how cities and regions grow and change. Coursework draws on economic, legal, and design considerations alongside land development and geographic information systems, covering topics such as transportation planning, protection of natural areas, and heritage conservation. The degree is offered exclusively as a co-op program, with work terms alternating with academic study from second year onward. Students may pursue up to two specializations, chosen from Environmental Planning; Land Use, Transportation, and Infrastructure Planning; Social Planning and Community Development; and Urban Design, and often combine the degree with a Geography and Environmental Management minor. The program is accredited by the Canadian Institute of Planners, one of only two undergraduate planning programs in Canada to hold this accreditation, supporting graduates' path toward professional planning designation. Classes are based in the Faculty of Environment on Waterloo's main campus. The program suits students interested in shaping the built and natural environment through policy, design, and land-use decisions. Career paths include government planning roles, transportation and transit agencies, land development, consulting, project management, and further study in law or public policy.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Ontario applicants apply directly to Planning through OUAC, presenting six Grade 12 U/M courses including any Grade 12 U English (minimum 75%). Admission is competitive, with recent admission averages in the low 80s. Planning is offered only as a co-op program; there is no regular (non-co-op) option. Applicants studying outside Ontario follow the University's general admission requirements for Planning, presenting an equivalent senior secondary qualification with the same prerequisite subjects. Applicants whose four most recent years of full-time education were not completed in Canada or at English-language schools must submit an accepted English test: IELTS 6.5 overall (6.5 writing and speaking, 6.0 reading and listening), TOEFL iBT 90 overall with 25 in writing and speaking for tests completed before 21 January 2026 (4.5 overall with 5 in writing and speaking for tests on or after that date), PTE Academic 63 (65 writing and speaking), Duolingo 120 (125 Literacy and Production), or Cambridge C1/C2 180 (176 per skill).
Application Details
Start Date:September
Application Deadline:Waterloo admits first-year students for September entry only, through the OUAC, with identical deadlines for domestic and international applicants. For Fall 2027, most programmes must be applied to by 1 February 2027 with documents due 15 February 2027; Engineering programmes (excluding Architecture) close earlier, on 15 January 2027, with documents due 1 February 2027, and require an online interview. Waterloo states a deadline may be extended if a programme is not yet full, but publishes no separate rolling-admission date and no explicit application-opening date. Pharmacy is a named exception with its own earlier deadline; Social Work and the Conditional Admission to Pharmacy stream are directed to programme-specific timelines outside this page. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
