Admissions (M.Arch.)

MArch admission requirements

1 – Applicants for Direct Entry into 2-year M.Arch Program

Due to accreditation requirements, all applicants seeking direct entry into the 2-year M.Arch Program must have a pre-professional architecture degree (i.e. BAS, BES, BEDS, etc.). Pre-professional architecture programs are those whose curriculum are designed to meet accreditation requirements established and cyclically reviewed by the Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB) or foreign equivalent.

For a list of Accredited Programs, please visit: https://cacb.ca/accreditation/

Deadline to apply: February 1st each year. If this falls on a weekend, then the application is due on the following business day.

2 – Architecture Qualifying Year (for Applicants from a non-pre-professional program)

Applicants who have an undergraduate degree in architecture (or a closely related field such as Environmental Design) from a non-pre-professional program (i.e. curriculum is not reviewed by the Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB) or foreign equivalent), can apply for acceptance into an Architecture Qualifying Year. The Architecture Qualifying Year is designed to allow applicants to obtain the professional M.Arch degree over 3 years, while ensuring that accreditation requirements are met. Acceptance into the graduate program, upon completion of the Qualifying Year, is contingent on the student maintaining good academic standing.

Similarly, in some cases, international students with limited or no experience in cold climate construction and building envelope design, and/or who have not demonstrated sufficient comprehensive design experience, and/or who are not deemed to have the requisite digital proficiencies to succeed in the M.Arch program, will also be recommended to the Architecture Qualifying Year.

*Note: In some cases, depending on the quality of the portfolio and academic transcript, students may instead receive advanced standing into the third year of the BAS program. If so, and upon successful completion of 60 undergraduate credits at the university (over 2 years), the student will receive a Bachelor of Architectural Studies degree (pre-professional) and would be eligible to apply to the M.Arch program.

In order to apply for acceptance into the Architecture Qualifying Year, applicants shall follow the same “Application Process” below. In the letter of intent, applicants should clearly state that they are applying for the “Architecture Qualifying Year”.

Students who maintain Good Academic Standing during the Qualifying Year will need to provide a “Letter of Intent to Continue into the M.Arch Program” to the Graduate Coordinator prior to the February 1st application deadline, but will not need to reapply.

Deadline to apply: February 1st each year. If this falls on a weekend, then the application is due on the following business day.

Application Process

Step 1.

Click the button below to submit the online application. Once students have applied, they will receive instructions (typically within 48 hours) from the Office of Admissions leading them to the MyLaurentian portal. Students can access the portal at my.laurentian.ca; sign-in credentials will be provided in the correspondence received from the Office of Admissions upon successful completion of an application. The following documents will be required in order to complete an application.

• Login to LU OUAC to Submit Application

For those continuing on after the BAS program at Laurentian:

This package will be reviewed by the School of Architecture Admissions Committee:

• Three (3) references (to begin the process at my.laurentian.ca click on “Reference Submission” on the left-hand navigation menu – you will need to send the electronic form provided on the portal to your referees)
• A current curriculum-vitae/resume (to be uploaded via MyLaurentian)
• A 1-2 page letter expressing what area(s) of design you wish to focus upon for graduate work including any particular professors you may want to work with (to be uploaded via MyLaurentian). Please note that M.Arch Thesis advisors are assigned after entry into the program.
• A Design Portfolio showing your creative and design skills, technical knowledge, and relevant professional experience. Due to the pandemic, portfolios must be submitted electronically via the platform Issuu (https://issuu.com). We ask that you:
  • 1 – send the link of your online portfolio to march@laurentian.ca, and
  • 2- embed the link in the letter of interest requested above.

An overall average of at least 70% (min. GPA 5.5) is required to be admitted in the MArch program.

For those applying to the MArch program from outside of the BAS program:

Submit the following accompanying documentation at my.laurentian.ca to the Office of Admissions:

• Official transcripts, indicating their previous pre-professional architecture degree*
• Three (3) references (to begin the process at my.laurentian.ca click on “Reference Submission” on the left-hand navigation menu – you will need to send the electronic form provided on the portal to your referees)
• A current curriculum-vitae/resume (to be uploaded via MyLaurentian)
• A 1-2 page letter expressing what area(s) of design you wish to focus upon at the McEwen School of Architecture for graduate work (to be uploaded via MyLaurentian). Please note that M.Arch Thesis advisors are assigned after entry into the program.
• A Design Portfolio showing your creative and design skills, technical knowledge and relevant professional experience. For each project in your portfolio please note if it was completed for school, extra-curricular or during employment. For each project in your portfolio also indicate for which climate and what location it was designed for. Due to the pandemic, portfolios must be submitted electronically via the platform Issuu (https://issuu.com). We ask that you:
  • 1 – send the link of your online portfolio to march@laurentian.ca, and
  • 2- embed the link in the letter of interest requested above.

*Please note that official transcripts or WES course-by-course (for institutions attended outside of North America) must come directly to the Office of Admissions from the previous post-secondary institution by requesting at the time of your application or by contacting the institution’s Registrar’s Office.

Step 2.

Once the Admissions Office receives all information and the application is deemed complete, the application will be forwarded to the department. An Admissions Committee meets to review the applications.

Step 3.

The Admissions Committee will review all applications on file and make a decision regarding the suitability of each applicant. The Admissions Committee will then make a recommendation to the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies at Laurentian University. The Graduate Studies office will verify the dossier and if satisfactory, the Dean of Graduate Studies will forward the recommendation to the Office of Admissions at Laurentian University for admission.

Step 4.

If approved for admission, the Office of Admissions will send the student an Offer of Admission via MyLaurentian. Applicants wishing to accept the offer of admission must indicate their response on MyLaurentian within 3 weeks of receiving the offer. Once the student has accepted the offer, a transition to the registration process occurs.

To apply to the Master of Architecture Program at the McEwen School of Architecture, please visit:

• Apply to the MArch Program