That's a whole buncha questions there...

To get into a M.Arch program in Canada, the quickest route is to have an undergraduate degree in architecture. Different schools (in Canada) have different names for this degree: B.Des., B.ED., B.Arch., B.Sc.Arch, B.A.Arch., etc. Graduate schools know of most/all of the Canadian undergrad programs, and will assess you based on your undergrad curriculum, as well as your portfolio, etc....

So the short answer is that in Canada, as long as you have an architectural undergrad degree and your portfolio is strong (and you have some life experience), then there's likely an M.Arch program for you. This could be anywhere from 2 to 4 years in duration, so do your homework.

i went to u manitoba and did b.env.des. followed by m.arch. the degrees were kinda connected to be honest. that is, the assumption when doing undergrad was that i would do the grad degree in the future. without it the undergrad is useless professionally.

as for where it takes you...well, one former classmate went off to sci-arc after b.env-des and is doing well in china, another got into harvard but they asked him to do another year cuz they didnt recognise all his edumacation...or something like that...so he went to bartlett instead, and did his m.arch there, where he could finish faster (and more cheaply).

if you do undergrad in canadian school i am pretty sure it will be accepted as pre-professional degree in most schools in north america. the particular initials of the degree probably will not be so important. which is to say, pick the school that looks best to you based on other stuff, like atmosphere, teachers, what-cetera.

What are the differences between B.S.Arch, B.A.Arch or plain B.Arch? Is there any undergrad degree leading to a M.Arch? What are the differences between Masters program?

First, be aware of preprofessional degrees vs. professional degrees. The BS Arch or BA Arch or BENVD are typically referred to preprofessional degrees in that you would NOT be able to become an architect in most jurisdictions with that degree alone. You must obtain the professional BArch / MArch degrees. For more details visit NAAB -- www.naab.org and CACB-CCCA - www.cacb-ccca.ca/

Preprofessional degrees lead to the MArch, but be aware of differences as the undergraduate degree may determine how long your MArch would be. Talk with students from your desired program.

The are many differences in MArch degrees; what is most critical is that it is accredited by NAAB or CACB-CCCA which will allow you to meet the education standard for licensure. For the U.S., visit NCARB -- www.ncarb.org

Visit ARCHCareers.org for more information -- www.archcareer.org --

Dr. Architecture

>>>First, be aware of preprofessional degrees vs. professional degrees. The BS Arch or BA Arch or BENVD are typically referred to preprofessional degrees in that you would NOT be able to become an architect in most jurisdictions with that degree alone.<<<

This is basically true, but the original poster should know that there are no professional undergrad (architecture) degrees in Canada. To study, you need M.Arch. Your undergrad is irrelevant to licensure, however whatever combination of schools is chosen for undergrad and then grad schools DOES play a role in how long it takes to graduate with M.Arch. It could vary from as little as 2 years, to as much as 4 (or even longer).

With the bachelor of environmental design degree, there are certain Canadian universities that will not accept this as an acceptable prerequisite to their M.Arch programs as they do not recognize it as a Bachelor of Architecture. For the most part, many universities will consider it as an equivalent to the bachelor of architecture, but that decision is ultimately left up to the discretion of the school.

that amazing. so you can get into harvard grad school but not some canadian school? because our standards are higher? which schools don't take the b.e.d.?

I applied to a bunch of canadian universities for grad school and so far Waterloo and Ryerson both told me that they would not take my bachelor of environmental design as an acceptable prerequisite to their professional M.Arch programs.