Bachelor of Community Design
The Bachelor of Community Design is a three-year program that explores ways in which people can work towards creating and maintaining healthy and sustainable communities. Students locate a company or organization involved in some element of community design or planning and volunteer for eight hours a week in the office.
Eager to make positive, sustainable changes to the world, BCD students develop knowledge and skills that enable them to analyze salient issues facing communities and offer solutions. They have a multidisciplinary focus with a goal to promote the health and well-being of our communities, considering how to better use land, resources, facilities, and services to secure physical, economic, and social prosperity.
Student Skills
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Attention to Detail
- Creativity
- Organization
- Cross Disciplinary Collaboration
- Needs Assessment
- Research – Qualitative and Quantitative
- Communication - Oral, Written
- Graphic Communication & Design
- Dialogue facilitation
- Report writing
- Meeting & Discussion Facilitation
- Understanding Complex Issues
- Navigating policy, law, and bureaucratic processes
- Design
- Critical Analysis
- Relationship Building
- Collaboration
- Innovation
- Holistic Thinking
Industries
- Municipalities
- Planning Offices
- Consultant Firms
- Development Firms
- Planning Studios
- Academia Research & Development
- Non-profit Community Agencies
- Communities of Practice
- Land Development Companies
- Housing Agencies
- Provincial Government
- Federal Government
- Urban Revitalization Projects
- Non-profit Environmental
- Social Planning
- Transportation Planning
- Heritage Conservation
- Economic Development
- Land Use Planning
- Environmental Resource Management
Past roles
- Research and proposal writing
- Communication Strategies
- Community Consultation & Needs Assessment
- Project Management
- City and Community Planning Project Support
- Heritage Planning Intern
- Transit Planning Intern
- Community Design Intern
- Accessible Design Intern
- Data Analysis
- Community Design Consultant
- Research Analyst
- Policy Design Analyst Intern
- GIS Administrator
- Junior Designer
- Community Design Assistant
Past employers
- Dalhousie University
- Halifax Regional Municipality
- Hike Nova Scotia
- Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewables
- OSO Planning + Design
- Fathom Studio
- Fowler Bauld & Mitchell (FBM)
- Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia
- WSP Canada Inc.
Work term schedule
| Fall | Winter | Summer | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st year | Academic Term | Academic Term |
Academic Term |
| 2nd year | Academic Term |
Academic Term |
Academic Term |
| 3rd year | Academic Term |
Academic Term |
Academic Term |
| 4th year | Academic Term |
Internship/Thesis |
Graduation |
Average pay rates during co-op
| Hourly | Typically unpaid* |
|---|
*Although the work is typically unpaid, employers can choose to pay the student an hourly wage or stipend.