Residents of the People’s Republic of China must apply through Can-Zhong International Education Consulting Services Ltd. in Vancouver or Shanghai. Contact them directly for application deadlines and procedures.

Application procedures for Master of Design:

• Download and complete the Graduate application form.
• Submit a portfolio of not more than 20 slides (analog or digital) representative of current work. If an applicant sends more than 20 slides, only the first 20 will be viewed. Analog slides should not be glass mounted and should be submitted in a plastic sheet with the applicant’s name clearly marked on the sheet. Each slide should be marked with the applicant’s name and should be numbered. Digital submissions may include still and/or time-based work and should be submitted on CD or DVD. Disks should be readable by Macintosh computers. A numbered list of titles, date, medium and dimensions of each work must also be included with all portfolios.
• Films, photographs, videotapes, or similar materials may also be submitted, but applicants are requested not to send original works. Applicants outside Canada are particularly requested to consult postal and customs authorities about the declared value of any application materials being sent to the university. The university is not responsible for, and will not receive materials that require customs duty to be paid and we recommend that the declared value should not exceed $1.00. Submissions should be clearly marked “MDes Admissions Portfolio”.
• Submit a statement explaining the direction of your practice in design, and your purposes and intentions in seeking to enter the MDes Program at NSCAD University. Maximum length is 500 words.
• Arrange for at least two letters of recommendation from professors or other appropriate persons, referring to your ability as a designer, and your general academic competence to be sent directly to the university.
• International applicants for whom English is a second language must arrange for the results of an English language test to be sent directly to the university. Further information on these tests and the required level of achievement are given in the Undergraduate Level Admissions section of this document.
• Request transcripts of your records at all institutions of higher education previously attended, be sent directly from the previous institution to the Director of Admissions (MDes Admissions).
• Pay a $50.00 non-refundable application fee.
• Include a self-addressed, stamped (only Canadian) postcard if acknowledgment of your application is desired. US and other International applicants should include international postal coupons rather than stamps.
• The return of visual submissions to applicants is the responsibility of the applicant, and must be arranged for and paid for prior to the return of the work. Canadian applicants should include a stamped self-addressed mailer for this purpose. US and other international applicants should include either a money order in Canadian funds or international postal coupons to cover the cost of return.
• Send all application materials to:
  MDes Admissions
  Office of Student and Academic Services
  NSCAD University
  5163 Duke Street
  Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 3J6
  Canada

The language of instruction at the university is English. Required courses in all Graduate Programs include small group seminars in which discussion, reading, and writing at the graduate level are expected. International applicants for whom English is a second language must submit evidence of their ability to carry on studies in English. Applicants for whom English is a second language must submit evidence of their ability to carry on studies in English. This evidence must be provided through one of the following:

• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): 575 (paper), 233 (computer), or 90-91 (internet)
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS): 6.5
• Michigan Examination (MELAB): 80
• CanTEST (Saint Mary’s University): 4.5
• Canadian Academic English Language Assessment (CAEL): 70

These test results must be sent directly from the testing service to NSCAD University, Admissions Office, to be considered valid. No offer of admission will be made until such scores are received.

Some members of the Metro Halifax Universities Consortium offer summer and year-long programs in English as a Second Language. International students may wish to contact Saint Mary’s University regarding such programs at Continuing Education, Saint Mary’s University, Halifax, NS, Canada, B3H 3C3 or fax (902) 420 5151.

The MDes (International) Program is specifically developed for Chinese students and includes an intensive English Language training component prior to enrollment in Design studies.

Transfer From Other Institutions

NSCAD University accepts transfer graduate liberal arts credits at par from those public or private universities and colleges that are either members of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, or are chartered or accredited as post-secondary degree-granting bodies by appropriate agencies in other countries. Students admitted to the graduate programs may transfer a maximum of 3 graduate liberal arts credits.