Lots of changes have happened at the University of Calgary, Faculty of Environmental Design (EVDS). The incoming September 2008 class was treated to a surprise while over the summer, the faculty drastically made changes. The old silos surrounding the departments within Environmental Design, Environmental Science, Industrial Design, Urban Design, and Urban Planning were removed. Architecture was driven in a new interdisciplinary design approach. The faculty became non-departmentalized and offered everything accept M.Arch under the thesis based M.EDes (Masters of Environmental Design). It is sad to see the only professionally accredied planning program in Alberta disappear. That is the one mistake I see from the restructering, however it did drive the faculty in a new direction that after spending one term in the program I have to say that I like.
Now more changes are about to occur…
There is a tentative unapproved plans to offer the M.Arch as a 3 year accredited program. If you are new to architecture (undergrad in unrelated field) you take 3 years of course based work. There is no MDP!!! Apparently the MDP is not needed for accredidation and some school in the USA offer this sans-MDP solution. EVDS has decided to differentiate itself in two ways. 1) By offering a shorter degree to professional designation and 2) by offering a non-deparmentalized interdisciplinary design approach.
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