Bachelor of Design in Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urbanism

In addition to satisfying general university admission requirements (as appropriate to the secondary school curriculum being presented), applicants are encouraged to have completed either History or Geography at the BC Grade 12-level or the equivalent. Applicants are directed to UBC’s policies on admission from secondary school for detailed information.

Applicants seeking admission from UBC require an overall average of 65% or better calculated on the most recent credits with a minimum of 24 and a maximum of 30  credits used in the calculation, including any failed courses. The overall average is calculated in accordance with the general admission requirements for applicants from a college or university.

In addition, applicants require a minimum core design average of 65% on all attempts of DES 110, 130, 200, 220, 230 and VISA 180.

To be eligible for consideration for admission to second year standing in the Bachelor of Design program, applicants must have completed the following UBC requirements:

• Reading (3 credits) from one of ARTH 101, 102, ENGL 110, 111, 120
• Writing (3 credits) from one of ENGL 100, ENGL 112, WRDS 150, ASTU 100
• Geography (3 credits) from one of GEOS 102, 103, GEOG 121, 122. GEOS 102, 103 or Physical Geography equivalent highly recommended
• 6-12 credits of electives
• 6 credits of DES 130, 200, 220, 230 and 3 credits of DES 110 or VISA 180

Students with 24 or more transferable credits who are deficient in two of the above requirements are eligible to be considered for second year standing. Students with 24 or more transferable credits who are deficient in more than two of the above requirements will be considered for first year only.

To apply, complete the Change of degree program/campus form on the Student Service Centre (under Registration). Please see change of degree program and/or change of campus for further information.

Applicants seeking admission from post-secondary study require an overall average of 65% or better calculated on the most recent transferable credits with a minimum of 24 and a maximum of 30 transferable post-secondary credits used in the calculation, including any failed courses. The overall average is calculated in accordance with the general admission requirements for applicants from a college or university.

In addition, applicants require a minimum core design average of 65% on all attempts of DES 110, 130, 200, 220, 230 and VISA 180.

Applicants are directed to UBC’s policies on admission from post-secondary study for detailed information.

To be eligible for consideration for admission to second year standing in the Bachelor of Design program, applicants must have completed the following UBC requirements or their equivalent:

• Reading (3 credits) from one of ARTH 101, 102, ENGL 110, 111, 120, or the equivalent
• Writing (3 credits) from one of ENGL 100, ENGL 112, WRDS 150, ASTU 100, or the equivalent
• Geography (3 credits) from one of GEOS 102, 103, GEOG 121, 122, or the equivalent. GEOS 102, 103 or Physical Geography equivalent highly recommended
• 6-12 credits of electives
• 6 credits of DES 130, 200, 220, 230 and 3 credits of DES 110 or VISA 180, or the equivalent

Students with 24 or more transferable credits who are deficient in two of the above requirements are eligible to be considered for second year standing. Students with 24 or more transferable credits who are deficient in more than two of the above requirements will be considered for first year only.

Applicants from a post-secondary institution other than UBC are invited to consult the BC transfer guide for course equivalencies. Alternatively, applicants may contact the Bachelor of Design program office for a review of course equivalency.

Applicants who have greater than 6 but fewer than 24 transferable credits may be eligible for first year entry and are required to meet the requirements for both Post-Secondary Study and Secondary School as noted above. Further information is available at applicants from a college or university.

To be eligible for consideration for admission to second year standing in the Bachelor of Design program, applicants must have completed the following UBC requirements:

• Reading (3 credits) from one of ARTH 101, 102, ENGL 110, 111, 120
• Writing (3 credits) from one of ENGL 100, ENGL 112, WRDS 150, ASTU 100
• Geography (3 credits) from one of GEOS 102, 103, GEOG 121, 122. GEOS 102, 103 or Physical Geography equivalent highly recommended
• 6-12 credits of electives
• 6 credits of DES 130, 200, 220, 230 and 3 credits of DES 110 or VISA 180

Students with 24 or more transferable credits who are deficient in two of the above requirements are eligible to be considered for second year standing. Students with 24 or more transferable credits who are deficient in more than two of the above requirements will be considered for first year only.

To apply, complete the Change of degree program/campus form on the Student Service Centre (under Registration). Please see change of degree program and/or change of campus for further information.

If you are concerned about how this affects your trajectory towards a Master of Architecture or Master of Landscape Architecture, please contact the BDes program office for advice: des@sala.ubc.ca

If you are interested in our graduate programs after your bachelor's degree, please contact their respective program office. 

Applications must be received by the application deadline of January 15.

New UBC students must submit an online application and pay a non-refundable application fee. You will receive an email confirming your submission with additional details regarding your UBC student number, list of required documents, and accessing the Student Service Centre.

If you are from another UBC degree program or campus you must complete the Change of degree program/campus form on the Student Service Centre (under Registration) and pay a non-refundable application fee. Please see change of degree program and/or change of campus for further information.

If you are a former UBC student you must apply for readmission online at the Student Service Centre (under Admissions) and pay a non-refundable application fee. Please see readmission for further information.

All applicants are directed to the undergraduate admission procedures for detailed information on UBC undergraduate admission requirements.

Please cite ONE building, landscape, or urban design which is of compelling interest to you. Describe how your selection represents your current understanding of what is meaningful for the design of the built environment. Please be mindful of the 90-second time period to respond. You will be given a link to access the video interview system online after you have submitted your online application and will have until January 31 to complete the video interview. 

You will be required to complete three short design projects that will be assigned through our online system. These projects will be assigned randomly from a bank of questions. You will be given a link to access the creative test online once you have submitted your online application, and will have until January 31 to upload your responses. Each file should not exceed 5MB in size. 

A 1 or 2-page summary of your experiences in education, work, travel, volunteering, and other relevant areas. You will be sent a link to the online system to submit your resume after you have submitted your online application, and you will have until January 31 to upload your resume. 

While completing the online application, you will be required to pay a non-refundable application fee.

The first step for applying to the BDes program is completing an online application. The application is open until January 15.

We do not require applicants to complete the Personal Profile for the BDes, however, if you selected a second choice which does require the profile you will still be asked to complete it. If you choose to not complete it you will only be considered for BDes and not your second choice.

Due to the competitive nature of the BDes, it is available as a first choice only.

UBC and our donors provide a range of financial support to reward your academic and extracurricular achievements and meet your financial needs. For a full list of these opportunities please visit our awards website.

The overall number of students admitted will depend on acceptance rates in any given year, but we have 50 spaces available in the first year and 10 in the second.

To find out more about the transfer credit process at UBC, including IB, AP and post-secondary transfers, please visit our student services website.

Our Bachelor of Design prepares you to take a number of routes into the design world. Your degree can be the first step towards earning your accreditation as an architect or landscape architect, but continuing in a professional graduate program is far from your only option. To find out more about what you can do with your degree have a look at our BDes program page.

Promotion from Year 1 to Year 2 is achieved by completing a minimum of 24 credits that must include either DES 110 or VISA 180, and two of DES 200, DES 220 and DES 230. The full degree requirements can be found in the academic calendar. If you are unsure how your credits will transfer, you should apply for the highest standing you think you will be eligible for and the admissions office will evaluate your credit to determine your standing. If you are not eligible for Year 2 you will automatically be considered for Year 1.

The supplemental application is completed online. Applicants can expect an email 2-3 business days after applying with a link to the application along with further details about the process.  The submission deadline for the supplemental application is January 31^st.

We do not require you to have any prior software knowledge when applying for the BDes. We recommend you use the tools that you are comfortable with (analog or digital) to complete your creative test.

The creative test is meant to help us evaluate your design potential and as such there are no right or wrong answers. Just be yourself in your work and let it speak to your strengths.

Your resume is a 1-2 page summary of your experiences and is meant to help us get a better understanding of who you are. You should include relevant experiences in education, work, travel, volunteering, as well as academic or other achievements. It is up to you as to how you format, but it should be legible and include timelines where appropriate.

Once you have completed and submitted your creative test, you will receive an email with an invitation to complete the video interview. All applicants will have 90 seconds, and one attempt, to respond to the following question: “Please cite three places, buildings, or landscapes, which are, or have been, of compelling interest to you and describe how they represent your current understanding of design." You will have until January 31 to complete the video interview. 

We are not accepting portfolios or other works in addition to the required supplemental application at this time.

As this will differ depending on your basis of admissions, please see the academic calendar for further information on how we calculate GPAs.

Offers of admissions are sent out in mid to late April. 

Currently BDes students can choose to add a Minor in Arts or Minor in Science. BDes students may choose to complete 18 credits to Minor in Arts/Science or a 30 credit subject-specific Minor in Arts/Science.

The BDes does have an optional Co-operative Education Program. Students apply for this option in September of their third year.