The Master of Architecture is a four-year course based first professional degree at the graduate level that prepares students for practice as registered architects in North America. There are no prerequisites as to undergraduate programs or courses. Those admitted to the program who hold a pre-professional degree in architecture or design may be admitted into the second year.

In Canada, all provincial associations recommend a degree from an accredited professional degree program as a prerequisite for licensure. The Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB) is the sole agency authorized to accredit Canadian professional degree programs in architecture. A program may be granted a six-year, three-year, or two-year term of accreditation, depending on its degree of conformance with established educational standards. Master's degree programs may consist of a pre-professional undergraduate degree and a professional graduate degree, which, when earned sequentially, comprise an accredited professional education. However, the pre-professional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree. After its last review, in 2005, the University of Calgary Master of Architecture professional program was accredited for six years.

The Master of Environmental Design is an interdisciplinary degree program concerned with designing, planning and managing human activities in the built and natural environments. As both a field of study and practice, environmental design involves creative problem solving and change management. Interdisciplinary design skills, research skills, communication skills, critical thinking skills and teamwork skills are critical for successful interventions into complex human environment systems at multiple scales. Environmental design represents a curriculum and research synthesis of four thematic areas: ecological design, urban systems design, human and cultural systems and technological systems design. The program is thesis based and student Program of Study driven. Therefore, a clear statement of design or research interest in one or more of these thematic areas is of particular importance in the admissions process. Students are admitted from a variety of backgrounds including interdisciplinary undergraduate degrees, first professional design or planning degrees, post professional degrees, undergraduate degree and work experience.