Master of Arts - MA in Community Planning Vancouver Island University - Nanaimo Campus

The Master of Community Planning (MCP) is an applied program that is fully accredited by the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP). Graduates are eligible to apply for student membership with CIP while at VIU and can apply for full membership post-graduation. The program focuses on small city and town planning; community and urban design, including a strong GIS component; rural/urban interface planning; First Nations planning (with attention to the issues relevant to the First Nations of Vancouver Island and coastal British Columbia); sustainable economic issues including tourism; and emerging issues such as climate change and planning for post-fossil fuel communities. This is an intensive program with many opportunities to apply the skills and techniques learned in the program to real-life questions and problems. Students will be engaged in self-directed learning and group studies, seminars, and discussions, and will have many opportunities to meet and learn from professional planners.

Ideally situated on Mid-Vancouver Island with spectacular views of the coastal mountains, Vancouver Island University is a comprehensive teaching university with approximately 15,000 students across four campuses. VIU proudly fosters student success, strong community connections, and international collaborations by providing access to a wide range of programs, from academic undergraduate and master’s to industry-responsive trades and vocational training.

To be a part of the VIU community is to know what it is like to matter here. The VIU community acknowledges the traditional, unceded territories of the Snuneymuxw, Quw’utsun, Tla’Amin, Snaw-naw-as, and Qualicum First Nation on whose lands it teaches, learns, researches, lives, and shares knowledge. It raises its hands and says, "Hay ch qa’ sii’em sieye’ yu mukw" Mustimuxw to the original stewards of these territories.