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• Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)

Canadian Immigration Updates

Applicants to Master’s and Doctoral degrees are not affected by the recently announced cap on study permits. Review more details

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In the Chemistry department Faculty, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, undergraduates and staff members work cooperatively in a collegial environment to tackle some of the world's most pressing problems related to energy, health and sustainability.

Research areas in the department cover a wide range of subject matter, including applied chemistry, chemical synthesis, biological chemistry, environmental chemistry, chemical analysis, materials chemistry, chemical physics and theoretical chemistry.

For specific program requirements, please refer to the departmental program website

What makes the program unique?

All students admitted into our graduate program will receive a competitive stipend. Tuition fees are paid for all qualifying PhD students, as part of complete multi-year funding packages that also include funding via Teaching Assistantships (TA) and Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA).

Outstanding facilities and resources accommodate more than 500 graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and faculty that call the Department of Chemistry home. The Department has one of the most comfortable and up-to-date research spaces in North America.

The best part of the graduate program is by far the research aspect. It's thrilling to make discoveries that nobody else has made!

Hayden Scheiber

Quick Facts

Program enquiries, admission information & requirements, 1) check eligibility, minimum academic requirements.

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies establishes the minimum admission requirements common to all applicants, usually a minimum overall average in the B+ range (76% at UBC). The graduate program that you are applying to may have additional requirements. Please review the specific requirements for applicants with credentials from institutions in:

• Canada or the United States
• International countries other than the United States

Each program may set higher academic minimum requirements. Please review the program website carefully to understand the program requirements. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission as it is a competitive process.

English Language Test

Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application.

Minimum requirements for the two most common English language proficiency tests to apply to this program are listed below:

TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language - internet-based

Overall score requirement : 92

IELTS: International English Language Testing System

Overall score requirement : 6.5

Other Test Scores

Some programs require additional test scores such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Test (GMAT). The requirements for this program are:

The GRE is required by some applicants. Please check the program website.

2) Meet Deadlines

January 2025 intake, application open date, canadian applicants, international applicants, deadline explanations.

Deadline to submit online application. No changes can be made to the application after submission.

Deadline to upload scans of official transcripts through the applicant portal in support of a submitted application. Information for accessing the applicant portal will be provided after submitting an online application for admission.

Deadline for the referees identified in the application for admission to submit references. See Letters of Reference for more information.

3) Prepare Application

Transcripts.

All applicants have to submit transcripts from all past post-secondary study. Document submission requirements depend on whether your institution of study is within Canada or outside of Canada.

Letters of Reference

A minimum of three references are required for application to graduate programs at UBC. References should be requested from individuals who are prepared to provide a report on your academic ability and qualifications.

Statement of Interest

Many programs require a statement of interest , sometimes called a "statement of intent", "description of research interests" or something similar.

Supervision

Students in research-based programs usually require a faculty member to function as their thesis supervisor. Please follow the instructions provided by each program whether applicants should contact faculty members.

Instructions regarding thesis supervisor contact for Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD)

Citizenship verification.

Permanent Residents of Canada must provide a clear photocopy of both sides of the Permanent Resident card.

4) Apply Online

All applicants must complete an online application form and pay the application fee to be considered for admission to UBC.

Research Information

Research focus.

Applicants who are interested in the production, preparation, and application of nuclear isotopes for science and medicine may consider the IsoSiM program. Applicants who are interested in quantum materials may consider the QuEST program.

Tuition & Financial Support

Financial support.

Applicants to UBC have access to a variety of funding options, including merit-based (i.e. based on your academic performance) and need-based (i.e. based on your financial situation) opportunities.

Program Funding Packages

All full-time students who begin a UBC-Vancouver Ph.D. program in Chemistry will receive a funding package of at least $26,000 for each of the first five years of their program (contingent on satisfactory teaching and research performance). The funding package may consist of any combination of internal or external awards, teaching-related work, research assistantships, and graduate academic assistantships.  In addition to this salary, Ph.D. students receive full tuition awards paid for by funds from the Graduate Student Initiative and the Faculty of Science for the first five years of the program.

Average Funding

• 116 students received Teaching Assistantships. Average TA funding based on 116 students was $7,213.
• 123 students received Research Assistantships. Average RA funding based on 123 students was $12,337.
• 8 students received Academic Assistantships. Average AA funding based on 8 students was $5,156.
• 131 students received internal awards. Average internal award funding based on 131 students was $13,384.
• 17 students received external awards. Average external award funding based on 17 students was $21,961.

Scholarships & awards (merit-based funding)

All applicants are encouraged to review the awards listing to identify potential opportunities to fund their graduate education. The database lists merit-based scholarships and awards and allows for filtering by various criteria, such as domestic vs. international or degree level.

Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA)

Many professors are able to provide Research Assistantships (GRA) from their research grants to support full-time graduate students studying under their supervision. The duties constitute part of the student's graduate degree requirements. A Graduate Research Assistantship is considered a form of fellowship for a period of graduate study and is therefore not covered by a collective agreement. Stipends vary widely, and are dependent on the field of study and the type of research grant from which the assistantship is being funded.

Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA)

Graduate programs may have Teaching Assistantships available for registered full-time graduate students. Full teaching assistantships involve 12 hours work per week in preparation, lecturing, or laboratory instruction although many graduate programs offer partial TA appointments at less than 12 hours per week. Teaching assistantship rates are set by collective bargaining between the University and the Teaching Assistants' Union .

Graduate Academic Assistantships (GAA)

Academic Assistantships are employment opportunities to perform work that is relevant to the university or to an individual faculty member, but not to support the student’s graduate research and thesis. Wages are considered regular earnings and when paid monthly, include vacation pay.

Financial aid (need-based funding)

Canadian and US applicants may qualify for governmental loans to finance their studies. Please review eligibility and types of loans .

All students may be able to access private sector or bank loans.

Foreign government scholarships

Many foreign governments provide support to their citizens in pursuing education abroad. International applicants should check the various governmental resources in their home country, such as the Department of Education, for available scholarships.

Working while studying

The possibility to pursue work to supplement income may depend on the demands the program has on students. It should be carefully weighed if work leads to prolonged program durations or whether work placements can be meaningfully embedded into a program.

International students enrolled as full-time students with a valid study permit can work on campus for unlimited hours and work off-campus for no more than 20 hours a week.

A good starting point to explore student jobs is the UBC Work Learn program or a Co-Op placement .

Tax credits and RRSP withdrawals

Students with taxable income in Canada may be able to claim federal or provincial tax credits.

Canadian residents with RRSP accounts may be able to use the Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) which allows students to withdraw amounts from their registered retirement savings plan (RRSPs) to finance full-time training or education for themselves or their partner.

Please review Filing taxes in Canada on the student services website for more information.

Cost Estimator

Applicants have access to the cost estimator to develop a financial plan that takes into account various income sources and expenses.

Career Outcomes

192 students graduated between 2005 and 2013: 3 graduates are seeking employment; 5 are in non-salaried situations; for 31 we have no data (based on research conducted between Feb-May 2016). For the remaining 153 graduates:

Sample Employers in Higher Education

Sample employers outside higher education, sample job titles outside higher education, phd career outcome survey, alumni on success.

Peter Caravan

Job Title Co-Director, Institute for Innovation in Imaging and Associate Professor of Radiology

Employer Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School

Tracey Stott

Job Title Lawyer

Employer Norton Rose Fulbright Canada LLP

Sherry Zhao

Job Title Senior Director, Strategic Accounts & Business Development

Employer Mitacs

Jean Michel Lauzon

Job Title Partner Marketing Manager

Employer SAP

Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats

These statistics show data for the Doctor of Philosophy in Chemistry (PhD). Data are separated for each degree program combination. You may view data for other degree options in the respective program profile.

ENROLMENT DATA

Completion rates & times, upcoming doctoral exams, thursday, 23 may 2024 - 9:00am - room 200, monday, 27 may 2024 - 9:30am - d213, chemistry d block, 2036 main mall.

• Research Supervisors

Advice and insights from UBC Faculty on reaching out to supervisors

These videos contain some general advice from faculty across UBC on finding and reaching out to a supervisor. They are not program specific.

This list shows faculty members with full supervisory privileges who are affiliated with this program. It is not a comprehensive list of all potential supervisors as faculty from other programs or faculty members without full supervisory privileges can request approvals to supervise graduate students in this program.

• Algar, Russ (Luminescent Materials; Bio/Chemical Sensing; Materials synthesis and biofunctionalization; Understanding the nanoparticle interface; New energy transfer configurations for sensing and imaging; Point-of-care diagnostic devices; Intracellular sensing)
• Andersen, Raymond (Chemicals produced by marine organisms)
• Berlinguette, Curtis (Combinatorial Chemistry; CO2 conversion and utilization; clean energy; advanced solar cells; electrochromic windows; dynamic windows; hydrogen fuels production; catalysis; robotics and automation; machine learning / artificial intelligence)
• Bertram, Allan (Atmospheric sciences; Chemical sciences; Atmosphere (Including Chemical Aspects); Physical and analytical chemistry of atmospheric aerosols)
• Bizzotto, Dan (Electroanalytical chemistry; Electrochemistry; Colloid and surface chemistry; Electrochemical Systems; Surface Characterization; Surfaces, Interfaces and Thin Layers; Sensors and Devices; Electrochemical and Fuel Cells; biosensors; electrocatalysis; fluorescence microscopy; interfacial analysis; self assembled monolayers; spectroelectrochemistry)
• Borduas-Dedekind, Nadine (Chemical sciences; atmospheric chemistry; chemical mechanisms; atmospheric ice nucleation; Biogeochemistry; mass spectrometry; Photochemistry; indoor chemistry; atmospheric aerosols; singlet oxygen)
• Brumer, Harry (Biochemistry; Chemical sciences; Genomics; Biological and Biochemical Mechanisms; biomass; carbohydrates; cellulose; Chemical Synthesis and Catalysis; Enzymes; microbiota; plant cell walls; polysaccharides)
• Burke, Sarah (Scanning probe microscopy, organic materials, nanoscale materials, surface physics, photovoltaics )
• Chen, David (Instrumentation)
• Chou, Keng Chang (Chemical physics)
• Cooke, Ilsa (Role of icy dust grains in interstellar chemistry; Constraining aromatic and carbon chemistry during star formation; Observational Astronomy)
• Dake, Gregory (Organic, bioactive, metal as catalyist)
• Gates, Derek (Inorganic chemistry, materials science, polymer chemistry, catalysis)
• Grant, Edward (Spectroscopy, molecular electronic structure, Chemical physics)
• Hariri, Amani (Biological chemistry, Integrated Biosensors, Ultrasensitive sensor platforms for low abundance molecular detection, Aptamer switches for multifunctional stimulus-responsive Nano-systems)
• Hein, Jason (discovery, design and study of new organometallic and organocatalytic reactions; investigating complex systems where multiple pathways compete, partitioning the active catalyst among many possible pathways)
• Hepburn, John (Chemical physics)
• Huan, Tao (Bioinformatics, n.e.c.; Analytical spectrometry; Metabolomics; Separation science; Cancer progression and metastasis; Human nutrition and metabolism; Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry; Machine Learning; Bioinformatics)
• Hudson, Zachary (Synthesis of materials; Functional materials in materials chemistry sciences; Organic chemical synthesis; Optical properties of materials; Luminescent materials; Organic electronics; Polymer chemistry; Organic chemistry; Organic light-emitting diodes)
• Jetter, Reinhard (Analytical Chemistry; Plant Ecophysiology; Plant Biochemistry; Molecular Genetics; Biological Chemistry)
• Krems, Roman (Theoretical chemistry, Molecular Spectroscopy, Dynamics of few- and many-body molecular systems in electromagnetic fields)
• Li, Hongbin (Biophysical chemistry, biomaterials, single molecule studies, biological, atomic force, polymer chemistry)
• MacFarlane, Andrew (Chemical physics, Electronic and magnetic properties of crystalline solids, especially strongly correlated materials such as the cuprate high temperature superconductors)
• MacLachlan, Mark (Supramolecular inorganic chemistry; Inorganic materials; Supramolecular organic chemistry; Synthesis of materials; Functional materials in materials chemistry sciences; Supramolecular Chemistry; Nanomaterials; Biomaterials; Cellulose nanocrystals; Chitin; Materials Chemistry; Inorganic Chemistry)
• Mehrkhodavandi, Parisa (Chemical sciences; Inorganic and Organometallic Compounds; Polymers; Chemical Synthesis and Catalysis; Bio-based polymers; Bioproducts; catalysis; Green Chemistry; Inorganic and Organometallic Chemistry; Polymer Chemistry and Characterization)

Doctoral Citations

Sample thesis submissions.

• Investigating the anti-proliferative effects of somatostatin on HER2-positive breast cancer cells using biochemical methods and capillary electrophoresis
• Biosynthetic enzymes for assembly of nonproteinogenic α-amino acids piperazic acid and azaserine and heterocyclic natural product azomycin
• Chemical modifications of perovskite solar cells at interfaces
• Realizing challenging C-H functionalization reactions using a zirconium complex with an expanded coordination sphere
• Design and development of macromolecular polyanion inhibitors (MPIs) and their evaluation as therapeutics to prevent or treat thrombosis
• Heterocyclic peptide staples : from function oriented synthesis to fluorescent peptide crosslinks
• Development and characterization of dextran-functionalized nanoparticles and assemblies for applications in bioanalysis and imaging
• Exploring molecular complexes and clusters at ultra-low temperatures through spectroscopic analysis
• Catalytic synthetic designs of aminated polyolefins with tunable dynamic interactions and material applications
• Exploring extreme limits of chemical bonding and their applications in functional materials designs
• Viscosity of biogenic secondary organic aerosol and atmospheric implications
• Antibiofilm coatings with long-term activity for medical devices
• Photochemistry of matrix isolated chiral molecules
• Modulating the properties of cellulose nanocrystals for advanced applications
• Development of ultrabright luminescent nanoparticles for smartphone-based point-of-care diagnostics and single-particle characterization of various luminescent nanoparticles

Related Programs

Same specialization.

• Master of Science in Chemistry (MSc)

At the UBC Okanagan Campus

Further information, specialization.

Chemistry covers a wide range of subject matter, from synthetic organic chemistry to chemical physics and theory, including inorganic, organic, analytical, biological, physical, theoretical, nuclear, environmental, and materials chemistry.

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Program website, faculty overview, academic unit, program identifier, classification, social media channels, supervisor search.

Departments/Programs may update graduate degree program details through the Faculty & Staff portal. To update contact details for application inquiries, please use this form .

Rama El-khawaldeh

UBC has an outstanding reputation for research and academic excellence, especially in the field of chemical robotics, which aligns perfectly with my interests and career goals. The opportunity to work with Professor Jason Hein, who is a leading expert in the field, as my doctoral advisor was also a...

Sabrina Scott

UBC is my institution of choice not only because of its state-of-the-art research facilities and top-tier faculty, but because I am able to work for Prof. Laurel Schafer exploring green chemistry methodologies. In my work I operate at the intersection of fundamental catalyst research and applied...

Isaiah Betinol

UBC is a world-class university and the campus is one of the most scenic in the world. The city of Vancouver is also one-of-a-kind with access to mountains and the ocean only a short distance away.

My research interest and the connection I felt with my supervisor were the most significant factors in coming to UBC. Of course, Vancouver being one of the best cities in Canada and UBC being a world-class university made the decision quite easy.

Considering UBC for your graduate studies?

Here, you can choose from more than 300 graduate degree program options and 2000+ research supervisors. You can even design your own program.

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Applicants for both the master’s and PhD programs are required to meet admission and application requirements for both the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at UBC and the School of Information.

Application procedures

Each of our programs has specific requirements and deadlines, but the application procedure is the same.

Note: The UBC School of Information is in the process of implementing a recently-redesigned curriculum for the MLIS. As part of this update, the UBC iSchool will be transitioning to a single intake admission model and phasing out the January intake. From January 2024 onwards, we will only be accepting applications for the September intake , with the annual deadline on January 15. Please apply by January 15, 2024, if you are interested in pursuing master degrees at the iSchool in September 2024.

Transcripts

We will require official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions you have attended, whether or not you completed the program or degree.

If you participated in a university exchange program, you must provide an official transcript from the exchange institution, even if the exchange study is confirmed on the transcript of your home institution.

Letters of reference

Submit three confidential letters of reference. Preferably from instructors who have taught you at university or employers. All references must be submitted in English or must be accompanied by a word-for-word translation.

PhD applicants are encouraged to seek letters of reference from persons in academic communities who can assess the applicant’s research ability or potential. The references must contain original signatures and must be received in a sealed and endorsed envelope, or submitted electronically through the E-Ref system, initiated by the applicant in the online application system. Emailed references are not accepted. Applicants whose graduate work was completed three or more years ago may substitute a professional reference for one of the academic references.

Curriculum Vitae

Upload an up-to-date CV or résumé.

English language proficiency

Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must present evidence of competency to pursue studies in the English language. Accepted tests (taken in the past 24 months) include the TOEFL examination and IELTS.

TOEFL  - Test of English as a Foreign Language (UBC’s institution code for the Test of English as a Foreign Language is 0965)

• Internet-based Test - minimum score of 100
• Paper-based Test - minimum score of 600

IELTS  - International English Language Testing System

• Must be the academic test
• Minimum score of 7.5 with no band less than 7.0

Canadian Permanent Residents

If you are a Permanent Resident of Canada, upload a scan or photocopy of your PR card with your application.

Program-specific admission requirements

Do you identify yourself as an Aboriginal person, that is, First Nations, Métis or Inuit? The School of Information is able to cover the application fee for applicants who self-identify as Indigenous on their applications (that is, First Nations, Métis or Inuit).

Please email the program to request a unique coupon code that must be entered in advance of submitting the application in eVision. Eligible applicants who have paid the fee will not be issued a refund. Applicants who apply to multiple programs may receive a coupon from one program but not another.

MAS, MLIS, dual MAS/LIS

For admission to the program, a candidate must:

• Possess a four-year bachelor’s degree or the equivalent from a recognized university in any academic discipline. We welcome degrees with areas of concentration in the sciences, humanities, social sciences and interdisciplinary studies, as well as dual degrees, double majors, and major/minors. Applicants holding undergraduate degrees in the master's degree subject areas (library science, archival science) are examined on a case-by-case basis. The admissions committee reviews degree transcripts closely for evidence of coursework showing significant theoretical and academic content.
• Have achieved a minimum overall average in the B+ grade range (76% at UBC) in third- and fourth-year level courses of a bachelor’s degree. This is the minimum admission standard; exceeding this requirement will increase the likelihood of being recommended for admission. For students with a degree from a university outside of North America, academic coursework from all years of study is used to calculate academic performance. International students should check admission requirements for their country via the UBC Graduate Studies website.
• Show promise of superior professional performance as attested by letters of reference and the School of Information application questionnaire.

Personal statement

Include a personal statement within the constraints of 700-1000 words. Please address the following:

• Your primary reasons for entering the chosen information field (archival, library, or both).
• What you perceive to be the current/future challenges and opportunities in such field.
• Your career goals and how the program at UBC iSchool will help you to achieve them.

Statement of experiences

Please discuss how your prior experiences (paid or volunteer work, academic history, interests and hobbies, etc.) have prepared you to undertake rigorous graduate studies at UBC iSchool.

This statement should be within the range of 250-500 words.

Designing for People

Students interested in the Designing for People (DFP) specialization should apply to the DFP program separately after they receive acceptance at the iSchool. For specific admissions requirements or a timeline of how/when to apply, visit the DFP website.

Blockchain@UBC

Students interested in the Blockchain@UBC specialization should apply to the Blockchain@UBC program separately after they receive acceptance at the iSchool. For specific admissions requirements or a timeline of how/when to apply, visit the Blockchain@UBC website.

• An undergraduate student considering working in the field of children’s literature should consult the iSchool about useful preparatory classes. An interview may be arranged at any time.
• A broad cultural background is expected of MA candidates. The prospective student should select courses to give some acquaintance with the humanities and social sciences during undergraduate studies. Particular attention should be paid in undergraduate or graduate studies to courses in children’s literature, English, writing for children, child psychology, and the history of childhood.

Additional supporting documents

In addition to the online application form, candidates must submit:

• Copies of two essays as examples of your written academic work in English. If you are intending to complete a creative writing thesis as part of your program, one of your samples should be a creative writing piece you have written in the past;
• A personal statement (one to three pages) outlining your goals and expectations for the program;
• This last statement will help the selection committee with respect to understanding which of the four departments working in the Master of Arts in Children’s Literature program is likely to have a faculty member to supervise your thesis.
• The thesis statement should be well-researched and cited.

The student must meet the overall admission standards established by the UBC Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Applicants must possess a graduate degree in library, archival or information studies. Consideration will be given to applicants with a master’s degree or equivalent in another discipline relevant to their field of research. First-class standing is strongly preferred. Applicants with a graduate program standing below B+ (upper second class) will not be considered for admission.

In addition, the Doctoral Studies Admissions Committee will consider the following in making its decisions:

• The applicant’s suitability for advanced graduate work, as evidenced by the application and supporting documentation.
• A match between faculty expertise and the applicant’s research interests.
• The availability of a research supervisor among the UBC iSchool faculty.

Identify a potential supervisor

Applicants must identify a potential research supervisor as part of their application and are encouraged to research faculty members to identify shared interests and the possibility of supervision. Please see the PhD program page for more details.

All PhD applications must include:

• A statement of research (maximum 500 words) and a personal statement (maximum 500 words).
• Three confidential reference reports,

Applications that do not include a research and personal statement, or the required letters of reference, will be considered incomplete and will not be adjudicated by the Doctoral Studies Committee.

Research statement (500 words)

The statement should describe the applicant’s research interest and articulate how the iSchool/prospective faculty supervisor is perceived to support this research. It may include a bibliography in addition to the 500-word research statement. Some guiding questions in developing the statement:

• What issue will the research address?
• Why is this issue important?
• What is already known about the issue?
• How is the approach innovative? How will it advance knowledge in the field?

Personal statement (500 words)

The personal statement should outline the applicant’s research experience, reasons for choosing UBC, and career objectives. It should describe how the applicant is qualified to carry out the research and what academic knowledge and experience he or she brings to the research proposal.

The Doctoral Studies Admissions Committee reserves the right to request an interview, in person, by telephone, by video conference, or to request additional references.

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Things to note before you start:

NOTE: The instructions on this page are for MASc and PhD applicants only. Students interested in applying for our professional program ( MEng ) should visit our Applications and Admissions information page, which will point you to the application instructions for each specific program.

Applicants who are experiencing extenuating circumstances are encouraged to reach out to potential supervisors to see how they can support you in the application process.

September 2024 Intake

January 2025 intake information.

January intake into our graduate programs is not common, as the majority of research positions are filled in September. For availability of research positions, we strongly encourage interested applicants to talk directly to the faculty member with whom they are interested in working.

January 2025 Intake

Application deadline for awards consideration.

Students who wish to be considered for Awards & Scholarships listed below must submit an online application through eVision (Admission Application Portal) to the appropriate graduate program in the School of Biomedical Engineering with all required supporting documents by the below scholarships & awards deadline. Applications must be complete with no missing documents or references. No late applications will be considered.

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Please note.

*Applicants interested in the Tri-Agency CGS-M are encouraged to email [email protected] to be added to our mailing list to receive updates, information and reminders regarding the award application process

International students are responsible for ensuring they have enough time to gather visa and appropriate documentation to start the program on time.

An applicant with a research supervisor confirmed, may be considered for late application, on a case-by-case basis, however the request must be initiated by the supervisor. We do not extend deadlines at applicant’s requests.

Graduate Studies Online Application

Steps for application, 1. before you apply – explore our degree programs and research areas.

Degree Programs

Prospective students should be familiar with the requirements and advantages of the various programs BEFORE beginning the online application process as you will be asked there to specify your desired program of study. Once your application is complete, it will be made available to all BME-affiliated faculty members for review. MASc and PhD applicants will be asked to indicate any professors they are particularly interested in working with, and these professors will be alerted to your interest. It is not necessary to contact a prospective research supervisor prior to applying, but it is strongly encouraged to invite, by email, your preferred prospective research supervisor(s) to view your application because all requests for offers of admission are initiated by individual BME-affiliated faculty members.

Research Areas

In order to ensure that your application is considered by the faculty members with interests closest to your own, we ask you to indicate which of our main research areas (clusters) you are most interested in and if there are any researchers (supervisors) you would particularly like to have your application directed to (these might be faculty members you have previously been in contact with).

Faculty Members & Research

• BME-affiliated faculty members
• BME research

2. Before You Apply – Review Application Requirements

Canada/US Applicants

Normally, applicants for a master’s degree program must hold the academic equivalent of a four-year bachelor’s degree from UBC including one of the following:

• A minimum overall average in the B+ range (76% at UBC) in third- and fourth-year courses.
• Academic standing with at least 12 credits of third- or fourth-year courses in the A grade range (80% or higher at UBC) in the field of study.

Applicants for the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) must have completed one of the following requirements prior to admission:

• A master’s degree (or equivalent) from an approved institution with clear evidence of research ability or potential.
• A bachelor’s degree with one year of study in a master’s program with 12 credits of first class average, of which 9 credits must be at the 500-level or above and at least 9 credits must be of first class standing. Also, clear evidence of research ability or potential.
• In exceptional cases, applicants who hold a bachelor’s degree with an overall average in the A grade range and who demonstrate advanced research ability may be granted direct admission to a doctoral degree program on recommendation of the admitting graduate program and approval of the Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Students entering directly from a bachelor’s degree must, during the first year of study, complete 12 credits with a first class average, of which at least 9 credits must be at the 500-level or above and at least 9 credits must be of first class standing, to maintain registration as a doctoral student.

For a full list of requirements for Canada/US applicants, visit the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website.

Applicants from other countries

Application criteria is dependent on the country in which you studied. Visit the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website for the full list of country-specific criteria.

If your credentials are from outside of North America, you will be considered an international applicant even if you have Permanent Resident status or Canadian citizenship.

Applicants from Other Countries

English Requirements

Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application. For more information please visit the Faculty of Graduate Studies website.

If the main language of instruction for the whole institution is English, you can provide a letter in lieu of the English Language Proficiency test. Please see the following requirements below:

• Has official letterhead and signature from the institution
• State that “English is the main language of instruction for the whole institution”
• Please note a letter stating English is the main language of instruction for the program is not sufficient to waive the English Proficiency test.

Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application.

Minimum requirements for the two most common English language proficiency tests to apply to this program are listed below:

3. Contact Faculty Members

After you’ve confirmed you’ve met minimum requirements, you should reach out to faculty members. Admission into the MASc and PHD programs require the recommendation of a specific potential research supervisor. While you do not need to have a supervisor secured at the time of application, we recommend that applicants reach out as soon as possible to faculty members with whom they are interested in working to see if the faculty member is accepting students into their lab and if the applicant would be a good fit.

4. Gather Supporting Documents

Copies of All Post-Secondary Transcripts Copies of official transcripts submitted via the online application from ALL post-secondary institutions. If the transcripts are in a language other than English a translation must be provided. Please include the front and back of each page of all transcripts. Ensure that there is a grading key accompanying the transcript. Each transcript must be uploaded to the application system as a single PDF. Do not upload a separate PDF for each page of the transcript. These will be used for initial evaluation of the applicant. Official paper transcripts and certificates will not be required or accepted until after an applicant receives an offer of admission.

Do not mail physical copies of your post-secondary transcripts to our office. They will not be accepted.

Recent Curriculum Vitae (CV) Your CV should outline professional employment, experience, education, publications and awards which you feel should be taken into account in considering your application for admission and/or scholarships. Please ensure that you list the titles of research projects/graduation theses; if these are available online, please consider including HTML links.

Statement of Purpose (SOP) A two pages maximum Statement of Purpose outlining your goals for your degree program. Specifically, you should detail why you would like to come to UBC to engage in studies leading to a degree in Biomedical Engineering. Please describe your aptitude and motivation for graduate study in your area of research interest, including your preparation for this field of study, your academic plans or research goals, and your future career goals. Additionally, please indicate whether you have been awarded or have applied for any scholarships (e.g., NSERC PGSM/PGSD, CIHR PGSM/PGSD, China Scholarship Council, etc.) and include amount of funding, duration of funding, etc.

English Proficiency Exam (if required) Applicants from a university outside North America in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application.

International English Language Testing Service (IELTS) On the IELTS application form you will be asked to specify institutions where you would like the results to be sent. To ensure UBC receives your results correctly, use the following details on the application: 1. Name of institution: Th e University of British Columbia 2. Name of person/department: Graduate School Admissions 3. Address: 170-6371 Crescent Road, Vancouver BC V6T 1Z2, Canada

Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) 1. Use the University of British Columbia’s institution code 0965 . 2. Give the reason for taking TOEFL “to enter a college or university as a graduate student”

English proficiency test results must be self reported during the application process. These will be used for initial evaluation of the applicant. Please have official English proficiency test results sent electronically from the test centre using the above information, or the application will be considered incomplete.

GPA Calculation (if required)

Upload a PDF version of your GPA calculation if your GPA is not clearly indicated on your official transcript. All transcripts should still include a grading key. Use the GPA calculator found here .

For Canadian/US institutions:

• Bachelor’s: GPA is calculated using only senior level courses (300- and 400-level) no matter when they were taken within the degree. If no 400-level grades are issued at the time of application, calculate using 300-level courses only.
• Master’s: Overall GPA is used – calculate using all courses listed on the transcript.
• For international institutions: Overall GPA is calculated using all grades listed on the transcript. If your transcript does not show an overall GPA (CPGA), you must upload a PDF of your GPA.
• For UBC: applicants do not need to provide transcripts or GPA to their applications for their UBC degrees, as we already have UBC transcripts on file.

Some transcripts use a combination of numerical and non-numerical grades. If your transcripts states grades that are non-numerical (Good, A, B, etc.), we will review your transcript to identify eligibility and contact you if further clarification is needed.

Scan of your Permanent Residence Card (PR) If you are a Permanent Resident of Canada, you will be asked to submit a PDF scan of both sides of your Permanent Residence card via the online application system.

Scan of your Passport If you are an international student, you will be asked to submit a PDF scan of your passport via the online application system

Reference Letters Your application requires three letters of support from referees. At least one of your references should detail your academic achievement and how you would perform in a graduate-level degree program. Please be sure to contact prospective individuals in advance of your application so that you have their contact information prior to accessing the online application system. Specifically, for each referee, you will need to provide:

• email address
• contact information at his/her institution
• title or position held

Please let your prospective referees know that the online application system will email them asking for a reference to be entered.

There are three possible formats for references:

1. Electronic references We utilize an electronic reference (“e-ref”) system. In the online application system, applicants are asked to provide an email address for each referee. (Please note, that we are unable to accept e-mails from Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail, MSN or other free e-mail accounts for referees.) A unique link will be emailed to each referee, allowing them to log in to a secure site and submit an online reference or upload a reference document as an attachment.

2.Paper letters of reference Your referee may wish to send a paper letter. Paper letters of reference should be on referee’s official letterhead and must be mailed directly to the relevant program in a sealed and endorsed envelope.

3.Paper reference forms UBC provides an academic reference form and a professional reference form.

• The academic reference form is used in situations where the referee is someone who you have interacted with in an academic setting (e.g. referee was the professor of a course in which you were enrolled).
• The professional reference form is used in situations where the reference is someone who you have interacted with in a professional setting (e.g. referee was your supervisor at work).

Your referee will fill out the applicable reference form and mail it directly to the relevant program in a sealed and endorsed envelope.

Paper copies of reference should be mailed directly to:

Graduate Admissions School of Biomedical Engineering 251 – 2222 Health Sciences Mall Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 1Z3 Canada

Prepare your Answers for Program-Specific Questions The online application system will ask several BME-specific questions such as:

• Which research cluster and faculty member(s) would you like to work with?
• Would you like to be considered for the Engineers in Scrubs program? If you are interested in applying please fill out the link for the EiS application, deadline to apply 31 Jan 2023.
• PHD Only- would you be interested for the PHD Rotation program?

5. How to Apply – Submission & Supporting Documents

Ready to apply? Click the button below! The application process will take approximately 45-60 minutes.

Please follow the step-by-step instructions and enter your contact information, academic information and the program session to which you are applying. Be sure to record your Student Number as provided by the application system (eight digits; for example purposes, suppose that it is 56872159); you will use this in subsequent correspondence.

Early submissions of application packages are strongly encouraged. Please ensure that you prepare your online documents in the required format (PDF). Please do NOT submit documents other than those requested in our instructions.

Uploading Supporting Documents Upload your supporting documents as PDFs. You will have 14 days after the application deadline to have all required supporting documents uploaded to your online application. Applications missing the required electronic supporting documents after 14 days past the deadline will not be considered.

DO NOT send any documents by mail or courier to UBC during the first stage of your application. Paper applications and paper copies of supporting documents will not be accepted.

Save your documents/scans in PDF format. Only PDF format will be accepted. You should name the files as detailed below:

The School will review scanned PDF versions of documents uploaded to the online application portal, and will only require official paper documents if an applicant receives an admission offer and the offer is accepted. Information regarding submitting official paper documents will be outlined in the conditional admission letter. No registration or start of program is allowed until the conditions are fulfilled.

6. After Applying

Admissions Procedure Once you have submitted your application, it is evaluated to determine if minimum admission standards are met. Individual faculty members have immediate access to your completed file and can recommend admission at any time.

Admission to the Graduate Program is on a competitive basis and is not automatic even if minimum requirements are met. Once an applicant has submitted all required electronic documentation and it has been determined that minimum admission standards are met, the file is reviewed by faculty members. Please note that a supervisor is required for entry into our graduate research programs; if you are not selected by a faculty member, you will not receive an offer letter.

Selection is based on many factors including grades, reference letters, publications (if any), work experience, available space in the area of research interest, and finally and importantly, acceptance by potential supervisors. The number of applicants and the number of available spaces vary from year to year. We regret that we are unable to accept many excellent, qualified applicants due to space and funding considerations.

The admission process is timely and varies for each student and program. Faculty members evaluate applications on an ongoing basis; as such, we cannot provide a specific date for a decision.

Add to your Application Once you’ve completed your application and uploaded all supporting documents, we start to consider your application. You can make changes to your referee information or add additional documents through the application portal using your CWL up to the document deadline. Successful applicants will be contacted via email.

As we receive a high volume of applications, our priority is ensuring your application is processed into the system. We may be unable to provide individual confirmations as to whether or not we have received your documents. We will contact you only if further information is required. We apologize that we are also unable to respond to individual inquiries concerning application status. All successful applicants will be notified as soon as the School makes a decision.

Offers of Admission Applicants are sent a conditional admission offer by the School, which will indicate which faculty member has agreed to supervise them.

Once the applicant has received the conditional admission letter, they must accept or decline the offer through the application portal. If the offer is accepted, official paper copies of transcripts, certificates, and English proficiency scores (if applicable) must be sent to Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (G+PS) at the following address:

Graduate School Admissions University of British Columbia 170-6371 Crescent Road, Vancouver BC V6T 1Z2, Canada

Please see the information provided by G+PS regarding official documents for domestic and international applicants.

Admission offers will not be finalized and applicants will not be allowed to register in a graduate program until all required official documents are received and validated by G+PS.

After receiving notification of official acceptance from Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, students should refer to the information for newly admitted students on the G+PS website. International students can find additional information on required documentation for studying and working in Canada here .

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Take the next step in advancing your economics career by applying to our Master of Arts (MA) or our Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree programs at the Vancouver School of Economics.

Application Deadline

Entrance requirements.

Undergraduate degrees and grading systems differ widely across countries. Because of this, UBC's Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and the Vancouver School of Economics recommend that you meet the minimum entrance requirements. However, satisfying basic entrance requirements does not guarantee admission. We award admission only to the most qualified applicants.

To be a successful applicant to the MA program, you should have a strong undergraduate academic record, especially in economic theory, statistics, and econometrics, with at least one year of calculus. We strongly advise having an additional study of calculus and linear algebra.

Specific course requirements:

• Two-semester course in intermediate microeconomics (equivalent to ECON 301 and 303 at UBC): knowledge of consumer theory, producer theory, general equilibrium and welfare theorems, perfect competition, monopoly, oligopoly, externalities, public goods, risk and uncertainty, game theory, adverse selection, moral hazard, auctions.
• A one-semester course in intermediate macroeconomics (equivalent to ECON 302 at UBC): knowledge of income and employment theory, economic growth, monetary economics, the open economy, business cycle theory, intertemporal choice theory, choice under uncertainty.
• Two-semester course in statistics and econometrics (equivalent to ECON 325 and 326 at UBC): knowledge of descriptive statistics, probability, hypothesis testing, analysis of variance, simple and multiple regression, time series analysis, and simultaneous equation estimation.
• Two-semester course in calculus (equivalent to MATH 104 and 105 at UBC): knowledge of derivatives and rates of change, partial derivatives, exponential and trigonometric functions, Newton's method, Taylor series, graphing, anti-derivatives, the definite integral, techniques of integration, maxima and minima with constraints, discrete and continuous random variables.

If you are not familiar with the material in the first twelve chapters of Fundamental Methods of Mathematical Economics , by Alpha C. Chiang and Kevin Wainwright, you may have some difficulty with the first few weeks of the program. It has been our experience that students find an undergraduate-level course in linear algebra extremely useful, particularly in the econometrics course. While linear algebra is not a stated prerequisite, we suggest that you either take such a course or, at least, obtain an introductory textbook and work through it.

We do accept students without economics degrees. These students usually have a background in mathematics, physics, engineering or other STEM fields. For such applicants, we like to see some training or experience in math, including linear algebra, and statistics and/or econometrics.

PhD program

We expect applicants to hold a master's degree in economics. However, if you hold an outstanding record in your undergraduate honours program in economics, we may admit you directly. In which case, you should have demonstrated success in intermediate and upper-level undergraduate courses in economic theory, mathematics, statistics and econometrics.

We expect all applicants to have a demonstrated ability to undertake advanced studies and independent research.

Application Procedures

You must obtain an official paper transcript from every post-secondary institution you have attended, regardless of whether you obtained a degree or not (including Canadian DEC programmes). Each transcript should then be scanned as an individual .pdf file and then uploaded to the application system as indicated.

A certified English translation must accompany transcripts issued in languages other than English.

Original, official transcripts and degree certificates will be required once applicants are offered admission. More details will be in the official UBC letter of admission.

Letters of reference

You are required to submit three confidential academic letters of reference. Letters should be from referees who can provide a report on your academic abilities and qualifications.

Your referees will be automatically contacted via the online application system only when you have submitted your online application. Referees will have the option of submitting their letters online or by mail. Letters sent by email or fax are not acceptable .

English language proficiency requirements

If you are applying from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language, you must provide English language proficiency examination results as part of your application.

You do not require an English language proficiency examination if you graduated from a university from one of the following countries: Canada, United States, Great Britain, The Republic of Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, British West Indies, Singapore.

You must have taken the test within the last two years, and an official test score report ordered from the testing agency is required. Photocopies of test scores are not acceptable.

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

The GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) is optional for the current 2023 admissions cycle. Applicants that choose to include a GRE score as part of their application must have written the GRE in the last five years. Score reports that are more than five years old are not accepted. Please request for the submission of your test scores to be sent to UBC. The UBC institution code is  0965 . In order to avoid any issues with receiving your GRE results, we request applicants to please not include a department code along with the aforementioned institution code.

Note that we do not accept the GMAT as a substitute for GRE scores.

Statement of intent

You must submit a statement of intent with your application. The statement should be no longer than two pages, and you must format it according to the following parameters:

• US letter size layout
• One-inch margins
• Single spaced
• 12-point Times New Roman or similar professional font

Application form and fee

You are required to pay a non-refundable application fee. The online application requires a credit card payment via VISA or Mastercard, or Interac/debit from individuals with banking accounts at Scotiabank, Royal Bank, or TD Canada Trust.

The application fee is waived only for applicants who are citizens and currently residing in one of the world's 50 least developed countries, as declared by the United Nations. A list of these countries is available on the Faculty of Graduate Studies website . Waivers are made in no other circumstances.

To check your application status and provide new information or updated documentation, please log in to My Applications. In My Applications, you can also find information about your references and your reference requests' status.

Deposit to accept admission

To accept your offer of admission, a $1000 deposit is required. Acceptance deposits must be paid when applicants accept the offer of admission, and are credited towards the first tuition installment. These non-refundable deposits assure that only applicants who intend to enter the program accept offers of admission, and reduces the time for those remaining on the wait list.

Frequently Asked Questions

The MA program receives approximately 600 applications in a typical year. Each year, about 50 applicants enter the program.

The PhD program receives approximately 400 applications in a typical year. Each year, about 15 applicants enter the program.

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Programs & Applying

Applying to graduate school.

We are so pleased that you are considering joining our community of graduate students pursuing advanced degrees and innovative research.

We know applying to graduate school can be confusing and stressful at times. Watch the recording of last year’s Applying to Graduate School at UBC Okanagan session to learn more about the graduate school application process at UBC Okanagan, including admission requirements and key application elements.

Whether you’re passionate about exploring a research topic, looking to expand your knowledge in a certain area, or heading back to school to make a career change, there is a place for you here at UBC Okanagan.

Our 55 graduate programs bring together students from around the globe seeking innovative solutions for tomorrow’s challenges and changing how we live, in the Okanagan and beyond.

How to Apply

English Language Requirements

Application Deadlines

The deadlines for complete application packages can be found in our  Deadlines database  or in the program’s website.

Some programs may accept complete application packages submitted after the posted deadline date. Please check your respective program’s website before submitting an application after the published deadline date.

When you are ready to apply, access our online application system.

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The College of Graduate Studies is responsible for merit-based graduate awards at UBC’s Okanagan campus.

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Take the next step in advancing your anthropology career by applying to our Master of Arts (MA) or our Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree programs at UBC Vancouver, British Columbia.

We look for applicants with developed intellectual interests and abilities, a strong commitment to their area of study, and interests that fall within the current interests of our department.

If applicants have questions about the match between their interests and those of the department, they should contact the Graduate Program Manager at [email protected] . It is also helpful for applicants to discuss their program with potential supervisors before making a final application.

Admissions to our graduate programs are competitive and we consider applications in terms of available faculty and resources.

2023 Application Deadline: MA and Ph.D. applications must be submitted by December 15, 2023. 

The Department of Anthropology is a competitive graduate program with application numbers that go above spots we have available to offer. Before applying to our graduate program, please consider the admission requirements and deadlines:

https://www.grad.ubc.ca/prospective-students/application-admission/check-your-eligibility

Application for MA and Ph.D. in Anthropology is now open:

Program Start Date – Sept 1, 2024 Application Deadlines (International) – December 15, 2023 Application Deadlines (Domestic) – December 15, 2023

MA Application Requirements

UBC Anthropology welcomes Canadian and international applicants from a broad spectrum of anthropological sub-disciplines, such as archaeology, socio-cultural anthropology, museum and visual anthropology, and linguistic anthropology.

Applicants must hold a four-year bachelor’s degree with a major, honours or concentration in anthropology or the equivalent.

Applicants to the MA program must have completed at least 12 credits in senior anthropology courses with a minimum average of 80 (“A-”). The courses should cover a broad range of anthropology, including at least three credits of archaeology or physical anthropology, six credits in ethnography, three credits in methods, and, if possible, at least three credits of anthropological theory, and three credits in museum and visual anthropology.

Highly qualified applicants lacking one or more of these requirements may have courses in contiguous fields accepted as equivalents or may be required to take such courses as part of their program of study.

Outstanding candidates with undergraduate degrees in other disciplines, but with substantial background related to anthropology, or who are missing one or more of our admission requirements, are occasionally admitted on the condition that they complete a number of additional courses in anthropology.

PhD Application Requirements

Admission to the PhD is open to candidates with an MA in anthropology, although we may, in special circumstances, admit students with a master’s degree in a related subject. Candidates without a MA will not be admitted.

In all cases, students applying for the PhD should possess substantive previous training at the undergraduate and/or graduate levels in anthropology or a related discipline, such as sociology, geography, history, or political science.

They are also expected to have had undergraduate preparation equivalent to that of the UBC major in anthropology. Outstanding candidates who are missing one or more requirements may be required to take such courses as a condition of entry or as part of the program of study.

Admission to the PhD program is by application and requires an evaluation of the applicant’s previous work and capacity to pursue and complete original research. Students completing their MA at UBC must also formally apply in order to be considered for the PhD program.

The PhD in anthropology requires a major research project (normally involving fieldwork) and writing a dissertation. We thus seek applicants with developed intellectual interests and abilities, and a strong commitment to their area of study.

Applicants should outline their proposed dissertation research in their statement of intent in clear, non-technical language and provide a sample of written work (if possible) that demonstrates preparation for PhD level research.

Application Procedure

Step 1: ubc application for graduate admissions.

To be considered for September entry, please submit your completed application, including all supporting documents, reference letters and official, endorsed transcripts, by the deadline. The deadline for applying to the Anthropology graduate program is usually early-to-mid December. Early submissions are encouraged. Also, we highly encourage Canadian applicants to apply for the Canada Graduate Scholarships – Master’s (CGS-M) when applying to the UBC Anthropology program.

Step 2: Submit required documents by the application deadline

The most important first step in applying for admission to our graduate program is finding and approaching a potential supervisor in the department. This gives you an opportunity to discuss the research you are interested in completing as a graduate student and to determine if there is a good ‘fit’ with faculty expertise. However, all admissions decisions are made by the Anthropology Graduate Studies Committee and are only communicated after the application deadline following full review of all submitted applications.

English proficiency requirements

Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application.

All official post-secondary transcripts

If you are admitted to our program, two copies of official transcripts of all previous academic work from each university or college attended are required, including for courses taken but not yet completed.

Requirements

• A minimum overall average of 76% (“B+” in UBC grading system) in third- and fourth-year courses.
• Academic standing with at least 12 credits of third- or fourth-year courses of at least 80% (“A” in UBC grading system) in the field of study.

Alternatively, applicants who do not meet the requirements stated above, but who have had other significant formal training, relevant professional experience, and/or otherwise possess demonstrable knowledge or expertise that would prepare them adequately for successful study in a specific graduate program, may be granted admission on the recommendation of the appropriate graduate program and approval of the Dean of UBC Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

Applicants will be asked to upload transcripts with their grade key (usually located on the back of the transcript). Even if the applicant does not yet have final marks on the transcript, we still require a copy as evidence of registration and academic progress.

If you are admitted to our Graduate Program, you are required to submit 1 copy of all official transcripts from the issuing institution to the UBC Anthropology Department, and 1 copy to UBC Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies by postal mail.

Three reference letters

Three reference letters are required for a complete application. The three references the applicant chooses should be requested from individuals who are prepared to provide a report on your academic ability and qualifications.

Statement of interest

Your prospectus should be around 500 words (two pages, double-spaced). It should indicate your proposed area of study, outline what research you plan on undertaking in graduate studies, how you plan to accomplish your research, who you wish to work with, etc. Essentially, it outlines your research interest and intent at the graduate level.

Writing sample

The writing sample is to assess your writing. It is appropriate but not necessary for it to be on the topic of your proposed graduate work.

If you are applying for the MA program, an undergraduate upper-level major paper is appropriate.

If you are applying for the PhD program, we prefer to have students submit some portion of their MA thesis or major paper.

Please try to limit your writing sample to 20 pages double-spaced. If you wish to submit a writing sample that is longer than 20 pages, please include a rationale for doing so in your submission.

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Provide details of education, academic awards, relevant work experience, relevant volunteer experience, publications, conference presentations, workshops, etc.

We acknowledge that the UBC Vancouver campus is situated on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam).

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Applications for the PhD program open on November 15th, 2023 . The deadline for receipt of applications is January 7th, 2024 . The deadline for receipt of references is January 14th, 2024 . The Admissions Committee will not consider your application unless all documents have been received by the deadline. There is only one admission cycle per year, and all new students begin the program in September.

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SPPH is committed to addressing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action, including work that supports the implementation of the UBC Indigenous Strategic Plan and the UBC Faculty of Medicine Response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Calls to Action . SPPH values equity, diversity, and inclusion .

We encourage applications from members of groups that have been marginalized on any grounds enumerated under the B.C. Human Rights Code, including sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, racialization, disability, political belief, religion, marital or family status, age, and/or status as a First Nation, Metis, Inuit, or Indigenous persons.

The PhD program recognizes that SPPH and UBC are situated on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam). In partial recognition of the past, present, and future benefits that all members of the SPPH community receive from the use of this land, the PhD Program will pay the application fee for any Indigenous applicant. Applicants must contact the program in advance to receive a coupon code. The PhD program also reserves departmental funding to support indigenous student(s) in their first four years of PhD study.

Indigenous applicants are encouraged to contact the program before submitting an application for more information about supports for Indigenous students and applicants at UBC, such as the SAGE Program .

We accept applicants from many diverse backgrounds and countries, and we do not have a limit to out-of-province or international students. We rank all completed applications and applicants are offered admission based on merit. If you will complete your master’s degree before the entry date in September, we encourage you to apply.

Applicants must meet both the minimum academic requirements and relevant experience requirements set out by the PhD Program and the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Meeting the minimum criteria does not ensure acceptance into the program – most successful applicants present academic credentials and test scores that are above the minimum.

Supervisor support is required for all PhD applications. We are not able to review applications without supervisor support. The best way to connect with a potential supervisor is to investigate Faculty profiles (including research interests and recent publications) and then contact the faculty member you are interested in working with to inquire whether they are willing to serve as your supervisor. Use the G+PS Supervisor Tool to assist you in your investigation. The PhD Supervisor Support form should be submitted directly to the PhD Program by the potential supervisor.

Contact us with questions about the admission requirements or admissions process: [email protected] . You should also review the information on how to apply.

Minimum Academic Requirements

Relevant Work Experience

Master's degrees from Canada or USA

Degree and gpa:.

• A degree academically equivalent to a UBC master’s degree.
• A GPA of B+ or higher, calculated from all coursework taken for the master’s degree.
• Find more information about academically equivalent degrees and GPAs here .

Quantitative Skills:

• A short Quantitative Statement (150 words or less) is required for all applicants. Quantitative Statements should describe past quantitative experience, including, but not limited to: coursework in math, statistics, or research methods; experience with statistical software; and/or research experiences. Further information and example Quantitative Statements can be found here .

English Language Proficiency:

• Applicants do not need to submit an English Language test.

International Master's degrees

• Applicants with international credentials must have academic backgrounds that meet the minimum requirements outlined by Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for the country of origin of the credential(s) .
• A GPA of B+ or higher, calculated from all coursework taken as part of the degree.
• Please note that we do not accept transcript evaluations from WES or similar agencies.
• An English Language test is required for all applicants with an undergraduate degree from a university where English is not the primary language of instruction. Please note that it is not sufficient for the program or department to use English as the language of instruction. The institution as a whole must use English as the language of instruction.
• The test must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application.
• TOEFL minimum – 100 or higher (internet-based exam)
• IELTS minimum –  7.0 or higher and component scores of 6.5 or higher (IELTS Academic Test, IELTS general is not accepted).
• Find more information on acceptable tests here .

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

A detailed and up-to-date CV that highlights your academic, research, and professional experience. Please include (if relevant): academic history, publications, conference presentations, awards, fellowships, teaching experience, workshops, volunteer work, or employment. We recommend sharing your CV with your potential supervisor.

Find more resources to assist in preparing your CV from UBC Student Services or G+PS .

Letter of intent (LOI)

A letter of intent that describes your career objectives, your research interests, and how the PhD program will meet your career goals. The LOI should be about 700 words.

Additional instructions and suggestions can be found in our LOI Guide . You can find even more tips on writing your LOI from G+PS .

Three letters of reference

Three reference letters are required for each application. We prefer that two of these references be from former professors, but we will accept professional references if you do not have academic references. Please ask your references highlight your academic skills, research skills, and your ability to excel in an academic environment. This might include:

• Potential to succeed as a doctoral student
• Academic ability and initiative
• Critical thinking and complex problem solving skills
• Ability to interpret and communicate data clearly and effectively
• Demonstrated compassion, professionalism, and integrity

Please ask your referees to provide information on the context in which they’ve known you (e.g., work environment, your role and responsibilities, or the educational/course setting).

For additional information, including information for people writing reference letters, see our Reference Guide.

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PhD Program

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Our Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in English allows you to structure a course of study that aligns with your specific research interests in English language or literature.

The PhD degree requirements in English at UBC Vancouver are based on residency and coursework, the candidacy process, and a dissertation. We expect students to complete the degree within five to six years.

Program Overview

All PhD students are considered full-time and are not eligible to undertake their degree on a part-time basis.

• Students who enter the PhD program having already earned an MA must remain in residence in the Lower Mainland (Vancouver area) for two winter sessions of PhD study (roughly two years).
• Students who have been permitted to transfer via fast-track from the UBC English MA program to the UBC English PhD program require at least one winter session of residence in the Lower Mainland following the transfer.
• Under normal circumstances, the PhD should be completed in five years, although UBC allows up to six years.

For more information about the program completion time, including rules about leaves of absence, registration, and employment status, please consult the graduate handbook.

Students entering the PhD program with first-class MA degrees in English will normally take 15 credits of coursework at the 500 level.

Students transferring from the MA to the PhD or entering the PhD directly from an honours BA will be asked to take a minimum number of credits determined by the Graduate Committee.

All PhD students are required to take the Research Methods course, ENGL 500B. This pass/fail course introduces students to the forms and protocols of PhD research. It counts towards the 15 credits required for admission to candidacy.

PhD programs are individually planned in consultation with the Chair of the Graduate Program.

For detailed information about coursework such as how to take courses at other western universities under the Western Dean's Agreement, how to sign up for a Directed Reading course (ENGL 547), and rules about taking courses outside the English department, please consult the graduate handbook.

Doctoral candidacy process

In addition to coursework in the first year of the program, the candidacy process includes the field list and oral examination, the candidacy paper, and the prospectus.

Graduate students and supervisors should consult the graduate handbook for a convenient year-by-year summary and detailed step-by-step explanation of the candidacy process for PhD students.

Field list and oral examination

In consultation with the Pro tem committee, the student will prepare a general field list of primary and secondary material designed to ensure that they have sufficient knowledge of their field of interest. The Pro tem committee will examine knowledge of this field list in a two-hour oral examination.

Candidacy paper

After the field examination, the student will begin working with the Pro tem committee to develop an individually focused research topic or question that allows the student to conceptualize the thesis.

The student will then write a 20-25 page paper based on this topic.

With the completion of the field examination and qualifying paper, the Pro tem committee is dissolved. Then the student, in consultation with the graduate chair, invites an appropriate faculty member to supervise their prospectus and thesis.

Together, the student and supervisor establish the full committee, which generally consists of the candidate's supervisor and two other Department of English Language and Literatures members.

The thesis prospectus, prepared in consultation with the supervisory committee, is then submitted to the Graduate Committee for approval.

Candidacy review

Students who achieve a minimum of 85% GPA in their courses at UBC and who pass all stages of their candidacy exams will automatically be recommended for advancement to candidacy. For other students, a conference on their progress may be deemed necessary by the graduate chair in consultation with their supervisor.

For detailed information about the field list and oral examination, candidacy paper, prospectus and candidacy review, please consult the graduate handbook.

Second language requirement

All new PhD students must demonstrate a reading knowledge of a second language relevant to their particular area of research. In consultation with the Pro tem supervisor, the graduate chair will determine whether a student has already met the second-language requirement.

Students who have not met the requirement may do so by completing an approved language or literature course (it may be possible to do this as an auditor), or by passing an examination, provided that an examiner acceptable to the department is available.

While only one language is required, students should, of course, consider the scholarly and professional requirements of their chosen area when developing their language skills.

Doctoral progress report

Each May beginning in the student's second year in the doctoral program, both the student and their supervisor will be asked to write a brief report indicating the nature and extent of work completed on the candidacy process or thesis and any circumstances impeding progress on either.

PhD supervision

The student is assigned a Pro tem supervisor from their point of entry into the program.

By the end of the first year, the full Pro tem committee will be in place.

The committee members will guide the student through the qualifying process, beginning in the first year with the field examination. They also serve as academic mentors on all aspects of the program and the department.

The Pro tem committee is dissolved after the candidacy paper is passed. A new thesis supervisory committee is then constituted, which can (but need not) include members of the Pro tem committee. The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies must approve thesis supervisory committee members from outside UBC.

PhD Co-op (Optional)

What is Co-op?

The Arts Co-op Program offers students enriched educational experiences for personal and professional growth. Co-op is a high-impact educational program that allows you to alternate dissertation-writing terms with work terms, during which you gain meaningful paid work experience. We work with a diverse range of community partners and sectors to provide transformative workplace learning for co-op students.

The Arts PhD Co-op Program allows you to explore different career options, while gaining paid, professional work experience, guided training and reflection on career options, and a network of contacts. Some students are able to secure work terms that are relevant to their dissertation research, while others choose to pursue work experience that diversify their expertise and give them range. Students complete three work terms of 4 months each over the two to three years after achieving candidacy.

To read more about previous and current PhD Co-op students’ experiences, please refer to our ‘success stories’ on Jon Newell (English) , Pavlina Pajot (English) , and Henry John (History) , or see the 2019 update on UBC English’s co-op program for PhD students .  Henry John (History) also published a piece in Inside Higher Education about his experience in the program.

Applying to Arts Co-op

The application window for PhD Co-op is open once per year, and usually closes in the first week of October.

You are eligible to apply to the UBC English PhD Co-op Program if you have achieved candidacy (or are expecting to achieve candidacy by the time you begin your co-op term, typically in January of your third year in the PhD program). You also must have two years of PhD study left, in which to schedule three 4-month work terms. You cannot begin work-terms in the Co-op Program without advancing to candidacy first: that is, Co-op students must be ABD (all but dissertation) before their first Co-op work term.

SSHRC-holders and international students are both eligible to apply and go through the same application process.

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Department of Statistics

THE APPLICATION AND DOCUMENT DEADLINE FOR THE PhD PROGRAM IS DECEMBER 1ST, 2023, FOR THE MSc PROGRAM IS JANUARY 7TH, 2024

For application to either the MSc or PhD program for admission in September 2024, please read the following information carefully.  

• We will begin accepting applications on Monday, October 1st, 2023.
• The deadline to submit your application and all documents for the PhD Program, is  December 1st, 2023 .  This deadline is firm. Applications that are incomplete at that time will not be considered.
• The deadline to submit your application and all documents (including reference letters) for the MSc Program, is  January 7th, 2024 .  This deadline is firm. Applications that are incomplete at that time will not be considered.
• Please read the minimum requirements for admission to a UBC graduate program, as set by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
• Please read the information posted on the Statistics Department site, including the additional requirements , as set by the Statistics Department, described below.  
• Successful applicants must show evidence of their genuine interest in our discipline and have excellent grades in relevant courses and strong reference letters.  We receive over 350 applications each year and can only admit a small proportion of these.
• Please make sure your referees have enough time to submit their reference letter. They should not leave it to the last day to submit the reference letter incase they should encounter any technical difficulties.

Please also note that we only admit students for September enrollment. We do not offer a January start date, nor do we offer part-time programs.

After reading the information on this page, and the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies information, if you have questions please contact the admiss [at] stat.ubc.ca (subject: Query%20re%20program%3A%20%20MSc%20or%20PhD%20%20(specify%20one)) (Graduate Admissions Officer) .   

MSc Applicants

Our MSc in Statistics program has two distinct options or areas of concentration, Statistics and Biostatistics, each with its own set of program requirements. In your on-line application, please clearly indicate  if you are applying to the Statistics option or to the Biostatistics option. If admitted, you will not be able to switch between options.

Academic Background for the MSc

In addition to the minimum admission requirements enforced by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, the department's Admissions Committee has outlined the following requirements, along with other desired courses and skills. Note that meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. Note also that an applicant missing a course or two but with other strong attributes, such as work experience as a statistician, will be seriously considered.

MATHEMATICS COURSES

• required: calculus (differentiation, integration, multivariable calculus) as obtained in UBC MATH 100, 200, 253
• required:  linear algebra, as obtained in UBC MATH 221.

In addition, the student should have some ability in constructing proofs, for instance concerning continuity and limits, such as acquired in UBC MATH 200.  

PROBABILITY COURSES

• required: an introductory course including axioms of probability, various common distributions, multivariate distributions and some limit theorems, as obtained through UBC MATH/STAT 302 or via the text Introduction to Probability and Its Applications , 2nd edition, by R.L. Scheaffer.
• recommended but not required: stochastic processes, as obtained through UBC MATH 303.

COMPUTING SKILLS

• required:  familiarity with R
• recommended but not required: experience in coding such as C/C+ or Python.

STATISTICS COURSES

• required: an introductory course in statistical methods, such as UBC STAT 200 or via the text Statistics Data and Models , Pearson Canada, 2015, by De Veaux Velleman and Bock
• required: a course in statistical inference/mathematical statistics: theory of estimation and hypothesis testing, such as UBC STAT 305 or via the text Mathematical Statistics and Data Analysis , Wadsworth & Brooks/Cole, 1988, by John Rice
• required: either a course in regression analysis or a course in the design of experiments/ANOVA.  The regression course should cover the material in UBC STAT 306, with text Applied Linear Regression , Wiley, by S. Weisberg. The design/ANOVA course should cover the material in UBC STAT 404, with text Design and Analysis of Experiments , Wiley, latest edition, by D. Montgomery.

PhD Applicants

Background for the phd.

Successful PhD applicants typically have an MSc in Statistics or an MSc or PhD in Mathematics with strong evidence of interest in statistics.  A student with only a Bachelor's degree cannot usually be admitted to our PhD program, but rather must first enter the MSc program, either first completing the MSc or applying for transfer to the PhD after one year.  If you have only had a few courses in statistics, your application to the PhD program will not be successful.

For admission to the PhD program, the Admissions committee requires the following, in addition to the requirements for admission to the MSc program.

• a course in advanced statistical inference
• courses in rigorous mathematics
• at least 3 of the following courses at the graduate level: stochastic processes, advanced probability, mathematical statistics, linear models.

The above requirements are in addition to the minimum admission requirements of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Please note that meeting our admission requirements does not guarantee admission.

The following background will strengthen the application:

• courses in real analysis, and possibly measure theory, advanced probability (limit theorems, sigma fields);
• a broad range of courses in statistical methods (e.g., some topics among statistical computing, Bayesian statistics, generalized linear models, time series, multivariate statistics);
• undergraduate or graduate computer science courses;
• research or work experience relevant to statistics;
• solid programming experience (e.g., C, C++, Fortran, Python, R, SAS, Matlab).

Application Procedures

The application deadline for the PhD program is December 1st, 2023. The application deadline for the MSc program is January 7th, 2024.

Before you begin your application: Please read all instructions and procedures thoroughly and carefully. If your application is incomplete or incorrect at the time of the deadline, you will not be considered for admission. Extensions to the deadline will not be granted for any reason, and failure to follow instructions or submit material on time will result in your application being disqualified. 1. Detailed application instructions can be found on the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies webpage . Please consult their webpage, and read our Frequently Asked Questions , before beginning your application. 2. Fill out and submit the online application form (interactive application, pay by credit card). 3. References: Ask three referees to upload reference letters through the online application system. We are not always able to receive reference letters in the mail.  Detailed information regarding reference requirements and instructions can be found on the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies webpage .    4.Transcripts: Scan and upload copies of all post-secondary transcripts to the online system. Note that these must be scans of an official transcript. Transcripts downloaded from your university's student portal are not acceptable. These uploaded copies of your documents will be used for initial evaluation of the applicant. Conditional admission offers may be made based on documents uploaded to the application system. You are not required to submit hard copies of your transcripts unless you are made an offer of admission. Admission offers will not be finalized and applicants will not be allowed to register in a graduate program until one set of all required official academic records are received and validated by the University.

            If you are a domestic applicant, read and follow the instructions supplied by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies .             If you are an International applicant, read and follow the instructions supplied by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

5. Request an English Proficiency Test score to be sent to UBC if applicable. Do not have your score sent directly to the Department. Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. You can find a great deal of information regarding whether you need to submit a score by visiting our FAQ page. Please note that scores expire two years after the test date. We are unable to accept expired scores.     TOEFL : minimum score of 600 (paper version), 250 (computer version), or 100 (internet version). Institution code: 0965     IELTS : minimum overall band score of 7.5 with no component score less than 6.5.

When ordering your score, please specify the following details: Name of institution: University of British Columbia Institution code: 0965 Name of person/department: Graduate School Admissions Address: 170-6371 Crescent Road, Vancouver, B.C.  V6T 1Z2   6. Upload your CV and research proposal/personal statement onto the application system. Your statement may be a maximum one page for MSc. applicants, two pages for PhD applicants, minimum 9 point font . Please put your name on your statement. Your personal statement may include information on your areas of interest in the field, career goals, academic motivation, and any relevant information that is not covered in the online application or your CV. 7. Please do not send or upload any bank or financial documents. We do not require a GRE score . Please note that we are unable to print any extra material (e.g., writing samples, certificates) for your file, however you may supply a link to such documents in your CV. There is no additional application for funding. All applicants are considered for funding . The mailing address for the Department is:

Graduate Admissions Officer

3182 Earth Sciences Building, 2207 Main Mall

University of British Columbia

Vancouver, BC, Canada  V6T 1Z4

Applications cannot be processed until all the required documentation has been received. 

Please direct any questions to the Graduate Admissions Officer: admiss [at] stat.ubc.ca .

Application Tips

• Please note that we are unable to provide pre-application evaluations/screening, either in person or via email or phone. Applicants are responsible for determining their eligibility.
• From our experience, it can take up to six weeks from the time you order for your TOEFL score to arrive from ETS. Your score must be received by the deadliine, so make sure you order it as soon as possible.
• Make sure you give your referees plenty of warning and time to supply you with a reference. Referees need time in order to supply you with a detailed and effective letter. And remember that they are probably writing reference letters for many other students! We won't accept late reference letters, so make sure that you follow up with your letter writers as the deadline approaches. This is your responsibility!
• You can monitor the status of your application and documents online. Because of the volume of applications we receive, we are not able to monitor each application for completeness, and doing so is the responsibility of the applicant. The earlier you submit your application and materials, the more favorably it reflects upon you as a potential graduate student.
• The Graduate Committee occasionally begins reviewing applications before the deadline, so completing your application early is in your best interest. We are unable to provide updates as to the status of your application. We will make every effort to inform applicants about the results of the evaluation as soon as possible, but please allow several weeks for the evaluation process to take place.

More questions?

Check out our Graduate Admissions Frequently Asked Questions .

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Doctoral (PhD)

Our Doctoral (PhD) program is designed to develop the student’s ability for independent research. Students in the PhD program must have a thesis supervisor upon being admitted to the program. Students are expected to study full time, and will normally be required to spend a minimum of two consecutive years of full time study at the University.

The maximum time of completion is 6 years for the phd program, but substantial completion of the phd requirements is expected within three years for students with a master’s degree and within four years for those students who have transferred from the master of applied science (masc) program., in the final step of the phd program students are required to complete a final oral defence. phd students will be required to defend their dissertation and its underlying assumptions, methodology, results and conclusions in a manner consistent with that of the doctoral degree being sought., phd program details, requirements to complete the phd program.

• Minimum of 24 credits of approved courses
• Qualifying Exam recommended at 24 months
• Final oral defense and completion of thesis (EECE 699)

Directed studies courses only count for a maximum of 3 credits towards the PhD degree.

Students in the PhD program must have a thesis supervisor upon being admitted to the program. A supervisory committee, comprised of the student’s supervisor and two additional members, should be established by the end of the first year in the program.

For those who hold a Masters degree or have completed masters-level coursework, appropriate credit (maximum 18 credits) will be given for courses completed. At the start of your PhD program, our program staff will inform you of your course requirements and how many credits can be counted from your previous masters degree. No paperwork or transfer forms are required, as our staff will review your transcripts to determine how many courses will be counted towards your PhD program. In most cases, for students who have completed a Masters degree prior to their PhD program, 6 further credits of coursework are required in your PhD program.

A Qualifying Exam should be taken within 24 months of registration for a PhD program following submission of the thesis proposal. This examination is based on the student’s oral defence of a thesis proposal, which will state the objectives of the proposed research, summarize its significance and its relation to previous work, and outline the methods to be pursued during the course of the research.

A note for Direct to PhD students :

Students entering the PhD program without a previous research-based Masters degree must, during the first two years of study, complete a total of 12 credits with a first class average, of which at least 9 credits must be at the 500-level or above and at least 9 credits must be of first class standing. More information on Direct to PhD requirements can be found here: https://www.calendar.ubc.ca/vancouver/index.cfm?tree=12,204,340,181

First Month · Meet with supervisor to discuss expectations of both student and supervisor, degree requirements, course selection, policies, research plan and timelines

First Two Terms · Complete required coursework. Must be completed with a passing grade (68%). · Begin research.

Within 12 months of registering · Formation of a Supervisory Committee · Prepare for the Qualifying Examination · Complete the yearly Progress Reports

Within 24 months of registering · Take the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination/Thesis Proposal Defence to be admitted to Ph.D. Candidacy

Following years · Complete yearly Progress Reports · Complete research · Complete thesis within 6 years of initial registration

The Qualifying Exam

A comprehensive examination is a Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies requirement for the Ph.D. program. Normally, the examination will be held after the completion of all required course work. The comprehensive examination is in addition to any course examinations and is intended to test the students understanding of the chosen field of study as a whole and the students preparation for the thesis research to follow. A Ph.D. student must satisfy all the course work requirements and pass the comprehensive examination before being admitted to Ph.D. candidacy. In the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the comprehensive examination is in the form of the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination.

Deadline to complete PhD Qualifying Exam:

A student's first-year progress report will be used to confirm that the student is on track towards the PhD Qualifying Examination, which is recommended to be held within 24 months of a student’s program start date. If the student is not able to meet the 24 month deadline, he/she will be asked to submit another progress report requesting and explaining the need for a 3-month extension. Another progress report will be due every 3 months until the qualifying exam. If the qualifying exam has not been held within 24 months after the program start date, the student will prepare a status report for the supervisory committee and the department (Graduate Advisor) with a detailed plan for how to prepare for the examination. Based on the report, the supervisory committee and the graduate advisor will determine further deadlines for the student.

Qualifying Exam Guidelines:

Click here for a quick reference guide to help prepare for the qualifying exam

1. Within 24 months of registering a Ph.D. candidate should take the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination. Prior to the examination being scheduled a Ph.D. proposal has to be approved by the Graduate Advisor.

2. The purpose of the examination is to ascertain whether the proposed topic is suitable for a Ph.D. thesis and whether the candidate is capable of carrying out the work required to successfully complete the Ph.D. degree. Suitability relates largely to the possibility of making original and significant contributions. Capability relates largely to knowledge and understanding of material in the subject area of the proposal as well as areas related to it that affect the proposed research.

3. The examination consists of the presentation of the proposal for the thesis work, followed by questions from the examining committee. The questions are to address both the specific research topic and topics related to the general subject area of the proposal.

4. A two-hour period is scheduled for the examination. The first 25 minutes of which are devoted to the presentation of the proposal. Under no circumstances will the presentation be allowed to exceed 30 minutes.

5. Within 12 months of registering, the candidate should submit a draft copy of the proposal to the Graduate Advisor who will then advise the candidate on the acceptability of the format of the proposal and on the scheduling of the examination.

6. At least one week before the examination, the candidate must give a copy of the proposal to each member of the examining committee.

7. The written proposal should have 3 chapters: Introduction and Overview: in which the background to and motivation for, the proposed topic is succinctly discussed. It is only this chapter that the necessary details of the work of others are to appear. This work must be clearly and properly referenced.

Work Accomplished: In which any original work that the candidate has done on advancing he state-of-knowledge on the proposed topic is described. The candidate is expected to show evidence, commensurate with the period since registering in the Ph.D. program, which demonstrates the viability of the thesis proposal and the plans for future work.

Work Planned: In which the procedures to be implemented in carrying out the remaining and probably major part of the work are outlined. A tentative time schedule for completion is also to be included in this chapter.

8. The written proposal must not exceed 30 pages of normal typescript (12-point font, double-spaced with approximately 26 lines per page and 6.5-inch line length), plus extra pages for the list of references.

9. The examining committee is comprised of the candidate’s supervisory committee (supervisor plus at least two other members), plus Head’s nominee who acts also as the chairperson and is nominated by the Graduate Advisor who is either a full or associate professor. In event that the Graduate Advisor is the supervisor or is on the supervisory committee, the chairperson is to be appointed by the the Department Head.

10. The chairperson ensures that the committee uses good judgement about questions on related topics. She/He does not normally participate in the questioning except to clear up misunderstandings or at the end of the questions by the other members of the committee, to expose possible important weaknesses. The chairperson votes in a riving at the committee decision.

11. The examining committee may make one of the following recommendations: The candidate continue on the Ph.D. program.

The candidate be given a conditional pass.

The candidate be re-examined within 3 months time.

The candidates case be reviewed by an arbitration committee.

The candidate be asked to withdraw from the Ph.D. program but permitted to complete requirements for the M.A.Sc. degree.

The candidate be withdrawn from the University.

12. All recommendations of the examining committee must be submitted in writing to the Graduate Advisor of the Department and be signed by all members of the committee.

13. If the vote of the examining committee is unanimous, the recommendation stands.

14. In the event of recommendation 11B, the pass is subject to satisfactory correction of specified deficiencies of a minor nature. Assessment of these corrections is to be the sole subject of a meeting of the committee and the candidate. The outcome of this assessment cannot be again category 11B.

15. In the event of recommendation 11C, the re-examination is a completely new examination. The outcome of this examination cannot be again category 11C.

16. If the vote of the examining committee is not unanimous, the case will be referred to an arbitration committee. The arbitration committee will consist of all the full professors in the Department and will be chaired by the Graduate Advisor of the Department. The candidate’s supervisor must be present and the proposal must be available during the discussion. The supervisor will not be present during the vote. Where a member of the arbitration committee (full professors) is the candidates supervisor, she/he must withdraw during the vote. The chairperson of the arbitration committee votes but if there is a tie the supervisor’s vote will also be counted.

ECE Department Exam

To obtain department approval of the thesis for submission to the external examiner of the Final Oral Defense

Exam Committee:

The exam committee for the Department exam is typically the same committee as for the PhD Qualifying exam

The committee consists of four members; the supervisory committee (Supervisor/Co-supervisor/Committee member) and the Head's Nominee/Chair, who is either a full or associate professor.

- The Department exam is not public - The Candidate makes a presentation of the dissertation (roughly 30 minutes) - The Examining Committee questions the Candidate - The Examining Committee holds an in-camera discussion - The Head's Nominee conveys the findings of the Examining Committee to the Candidate - The Department Exam usually lasts two hours

The examining committee may make one of the following recommendations: • Pass (includes minor revisions) • Conditional pass: major revisions required and to be approved by the Examining Committee • Not pass: In the case that the decision is “Not pass”, the student and the Supervisory committee meet and discuss how to proceed

How to set up the Department Exam:

Department exams should be scheduled when the student’s thesis/dissertation is ready for final approval by the supervisory committee members for the Final Doctoral Examination at the university level. Generally the department exam is held two months before the Final Doctoral Examination.

The student and supervisory committee are responsible for finding an appropriate Chair for the department exam. If possible, it is recommended that the Chair and supervisory committee be the same as the student’s qualifying exam.

The student and supervisory committee should determine a preferred time/date for the exam to be held. Either the student or supervisor must email [email protected] to request the exam be set up and to book a room. Exams can also be held virtually if the supervisory committee agrees.

Students should refer to the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website for submitting their dissertation in preparation for their Final Doctoral Examination.

Final Doctoral Examination

To ensure the Candidate is able to present and defend the dissertation and its underlying assumptions, methodology, results and conclusions in a manner consistent with the doctoral degree being sought. To communicate the results of the work to the campus community.

The Final Doctoral Examination is set up with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Students and supervisors can refer to the Final Doctoral Examination Guideline for all information about the examination procedure and set up.

Questions about the PhD program can be directed to our student services staff by emailing [email protected]

Phd admissions, applications for september 2024 admission are now closed applications for january 2025 intake will open may 1st, 2024.

A note for Four Year Fellowship hopefuls: All PhD applicants who complete their September applications for the doctoral program by December 31st will be eligible to be nominated by an ECE faculty member for a Four Year Fellowship that year.

A note for CGSD/Affiliated/GSI award hopefuls: All applications (including references) must be submitted by the deadline posted on https://www.grad.ubc.ca/awards/canada-graduate-scholarships-doctoral-cgs-d-program

Before applying, we recommend that prospective students explore the general research areas that the ece department is structured around:.

• Micro and Nano Technologies

Prospective applicants can also explore the personal web pages of the faculty members they might be interested in working with. Our faculty listing can be found here .

We recommend that prospective students also consider their financial situation and the costs of living in vancouver during a graduate program. for information on the financial requirements of living in vancouver and studying at ubc, please visit the costs page., questions about phd admissions can be directed to our student services staff by emailing [email protected] . looking for suggestions on how to apply to ubc and how to approach your referees or supervisors click here for some advice, dates and deadlines.

Applications for the September 2024 intake are now closed. Applicants who submitted an application by January 29th will be able to continue to submit references, other application documents, and test scores until February 14th, 2024.

Applications for January 2025 admission will open May 1st, 2024.

Students applying for September admission will be notified of a decision in the Spring. Students applying for January admission will be notified of a decision in late Summer. These rough timelines of results depend on the number and competitiveness of applications being reviewed.

Tuition Costs

For full information on cost of tuition at UBC, please visit UBC Tuition Costs

As Vancouver and UBC can be an expensive place to study, work, and live, we encourage all prospective applicants to consider the financial costs of attending our program at UBC. UBC's graduate student Cost of Living Calculator can be used to help determine if attending UBC is the right decision for prospective students.

Application Requirements

Applicants to the program must have a high scholastic standing and demonstrate an aptitude for research to be admitted.

Applicants to the PhD program must have a course and thesis-based Master's degree and references should include a detailed letter from the Masters thesis supervisor. Applicants who have completed a course-based only Master's program are only eligible for the PhD program through "Direct Entry", which requires a strict set of admission requirements, listed on our admissions page. Applicants who have completed a degree by research only may have to complete a year of additional coursework as part of their PhD program.

Applicants to the PhD program must have a faculty member who is willing to supervise them before they can be admitted. It is not mandatory to find a supervisor before applying, but you are welcome to contact faculty beforehand to inform them of your interest in applying. Please note that all complete applications are made available to all faculty members for review. When you apply, you will be able to indicate your preferred supervisors or research groups you are interested in working with.

In ECE, there are two levels of admission requirements. First, applicants must meet the minimum UBC-wide requirements for admission . Second, applicants must meet the following ECE Department minimum requirements which are mandatory before you will be considered for admission to our graduate programs.

Grade Requirements:

Applicants to our Doctoral program from the US or Canada must have a minimum B+ (3.3 on a 4.0 point scale) average overall in their Master's program. For specific requirements for applicants from other countries, please check the UBC minimum requirements here.

Language Requirements:

Applicants who have recently completed a degree in one of the following countries do not need to submit a language score. Degrees must have been completed within the past 5 years of the date of application to our department in order for this language score requirement to be waived :

Australia, Botswana, Canada, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Malta, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Singapore, South Africa, Tanzania, United Kingdom, United States, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and the English-speaking countries of the West Indies.

Other applicants, including Canadians and Permanent Residents, who have completed their most recent degree in other countries must submit a current, official TOEFL or Academic IELTS score, regardless of the language of instruction.

TOEFL requirements: Total of 100 on the IBT with minimum component scores of 22 (reading, listening) and 21 (writing, speaking); Academic IELTS requirements: Total of 7/9 with a minimum score of 6.0 in each component. The General IELTS test is not acceptable.

Please note, the department may request proof of English proficiency from any candidate where there are concerns that their language skills may interfere with success in the program.

If your TOEFL score is within a few points of the minimum score (eg. 95+ on the iBT) you will not be asked to rewrite the test but your lower score will be pointed out on your evaluation and if a professor decides to accept your application they will have to provide a low-TOEFL rationale. We do not make exceptions for the IELTS score of 7/9. If you have a score of 6.5 we unfortunately will not be able to accept it.

Please note that in some cases there are a few other forms of acceptable language scores that are approved at UBC for submission. Please see the following website for more information: https://www.grad.ubc.ca/prospective-students/application-admission/english-language-test

Admission through the Direct to PhD Pathway

Admission to the PhD Program with a Previous Course and Thesis-based Master's Degree

Applicants applying should have: - A recognized course and thesis-based Master’s degree which includes graduate level courses and a written thesis - References must include a detailed letter from the thesis supervisor - North American degree holders must have an overall average of B+ (76% at UBC) in your master’s degree program - Non-North American degree holders must review the academic entrance requirements for students from your country at the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. - Applicants who have completed a degree by research only may have to complete a year of additional coursework as part of their Ph.D. program.

Admission to the PhD Program with a Previous Undergraduate Degree

This is also known as a direct entry PhD. In addition to the usual M.A.Sc. requirements, you must have: - A first class standing in your bachelor’s degree and evidence of prior research ability. First class standing is indicated for each nation by UBC G+PS guidelines (80% minimum or equivalent for Canadian institutions). It is understood that such a grade-average is a minimum requirement and depending on the overall applicant profile, higher grades can be expected. - Hard evidence of research experience and ability, by way of previous research internships, for example. Ideally, you should be a co-author on a manuscript or paper accepted in a high visibility, rigorously peer reviewed academic venue, e.g., an internationally recognized journal, or, in certain disciplines (especially computer and software engineering), top tier conferences. - Prospective supervisors of direct entry students must submit a maximum one page explanation of why the student is deemed sufficiently-prepared to be directly admitted to the Ph.D. program.

Admission to the PhD Program with a Previous Course-based Master's Degree

In addition to the usual M.A.Sc. requirements, you must have: - Hard evidence of research experience and ability, by way of previous research internships, for example. Ideally, you should be a co-author on a manuscript or paper accepted in a high visibility, rigorously peer reviewed academic venue, e.g., an internationally recognized journal, or, in certain disciplines (especially computer and software engineering), top tier conferences. - Prospective supervisors of students with a previous course-based masters degree must submit a maximum one page explanation of why the student is deemed sufficiently-prepared to be directly admitted to the Ph.D. program.

Application Documents

Hardcopies of documents are no longer required to apply for our programs. If you are admitted to UBC, further instructions on submitting hardcopies will be sent to you directly. We will require the following when you submit your online PhD application:

Official Transcript from each post-secondary institution you have attended (college, university, etc.): You are required to upload a PDF version of your official transcript that clearly shows your university grading scale. Please note that we do accept current transcripts from degrees that are in progress at the time of application.

• UBC students do not need to provide transcripts to their applications for their UBC degrees, as we already have UBC transcripts on file.
• Please upload a PDF version of your overall GPA calculation if your GPA is not clearly indicated on your official transcript. For Canadian and US universities, GPA is calculated using only upper-level (300, 400, and graduate-level) courses. For international students, GPA is calculated using all grades listed on the transcript.

Curriculum Vitae (CV): Your CV should outline professional employment experience, education, publications, and awards which you feel should be taken into account in considering your application for admission and/or scholarships. Please ensure that you list the titles of research projects / graduation theses. If your thesis or other writing is available online, please consider including links to your work.

UBC-Specific Statement of Purpose: A clearly written (two pages maximum) Statement of Purpose outlining your goals for your program. Specifically, you should detail why you would like to attend UBC to engage in studies leading to a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering. Please describe your aptitude and motivation for graduate study in your interest area, including your preparation for this field of study, your academic plans or research goals, and your future career goals. Additionally, please indicate whether you have been awarded or have applied for any scholarships for your time in our program, and include amount of funding, duration of funding, etc.

TOEFL or IELTS scores (if required): See above for specific language proficiency requirements. Please note that TOEFL and IELTS scores must be sent in via ETS transfer from the test centres directly. We are unable to accept any other means of TOEFL or IELTS submission.

• For TOEFL submissions, please use the UBC institution code 0965 when sending in your scores to UBC. If asked for a department code, please indicate the Electrical Engineering department.
• Name of institution: The University of British Columbia
• Name of person/department: Graduate School Admissions
• Address: 170-6371 Crescent Road, Vancouver BC V6T 1Z2, Canada

A scan of your Permanent Resident Card (if applicable): If you are a Permanent Resident of Canada, you are required to submit a PDF scan of both sides of your Permanent Residency card or, if you have not yet obtained a card, of your Record of Landing in Canada.

Three Reference Letters: All three reference letters must be submitted by your referees to your application. At least one of your references should detail your academic achievement and how you would perform in a graduate level degree program. Please be sure to contact your referees in advance of your application so that you have their correct contact information. When you apply, you will be asked to provide the following referee information, and an email will be automatically sent to them asking for their reference submission via either our e-reference form or uploading a written letter:

• An official institution email address - please note that we are unable to accept e-mails from Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail, MSN or other free e-mail accounts for referees.
• Contact information at his/her institution
• Title or position held

GRE scores are not required: All applicants are welcome to submit a GRE score in support of their application if they wish, but it is not required for a complete application. If you choose to submit a GRE score, please ask GRE to submit their examination report to UBC using the institution code 0965.

How To Apply

Submit Your Application Online through UBC's admission portal

The online application system will ask several ECE-specific questions. Please think about the following questions in advance of beginning your online application:

• Which research area are you interested in?
• For MASc and PhD applicants, which faculty members are you interested in working with?
• Do you require financial support?

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You are reading the 2024/25 Academic Calendar. The 2023/24 version remains in effect until August 31, 2024 and is available here .

Graduate Admission Procedures

Prospective graduate students apply for admission to the University of British Columbia online through the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies .

Application deadlines vary by degree program.

The following graduate degree programs are not administered by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies:

• MBA (Master of Business Administration)
• M.B.An. (Master of Business Analytics)
• M.D.S. (Master of Data Science)
• M.E.L. (Master of Engineering Leadership)
• M.Eng. (Master of Engineering)
• M.H.L.P. (Master of Health Leadership Policy)
• MM (Master of Management)
• PharmD (Doctor of Pharmacy)

For graduate admission procedures, please see the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies section on admission .

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• BA Human Geography
• BA Environment & Sustainability
• BSc Geographical Sciences
• BSc Atmospheric Science
• BA Urban Studies
• Minor in GIS & Geographical Computation
• Certificate in Climate Studies and Action
• Opportunities
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Students interested in the Department of Geography graduate programs must meet the minimum admission requirements and follow the application procedures below.

Masters' Program Application Deadline

Phd program application deadline, admission requirements.

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies sets the minimum requirements for admission to any graduate program at UBC. International students should also check their country’s specific requirements as they may differ.

Application Fee Coupon Codes

Do you self-identify as Black, Indigenous (including First Nations, Metis, or Inuit), or a Person of Color? Is your citizenship and correspondence address from a country in the Global South? If you self-identify in one of these ways, the Department of Geography is potentially able to cover your application fee. Please email your potential supervisor to request a unique coupon code that must be entered in advance of submitting the application in eVision. Faculty members are each allocated a specific number of coupon codes that they can provide to their potential supervisees; therefore, not all eligible applicants will receive a coupon code. All coupon codes will be specific to a single prospective applicant (based on email address), a program and a session that’s generated by the graduate program staff.  The applicant will enter the coupon code before they submit their application in eVision, which will set their application fee to zero.

For international applicants whose citizenship and correspondence address is located in one of the world’s 50 least developed countries, as declared by the United Nations, your application fee will be automatically waived (you will not be asked for a fee when you complete the online application): https://www.grad.ubc.ca/prospective-students/application-admission/online-application-fee .

Application Process & Documents

For both the MA and PhD programs, those interested must complete an online application. In this application you will be asked to submit the following documents:

• List your preferred supervisors
• Scanned copies of all official transcripts
• Three letters of reference
• Statement of intent (maximum 500 words)
• CV (maximum 1-3 pages)
• Evidence of English Language proficiency
• Permanent Resident Card (Both sides), if applicable

All documents can be uploaded as scanned documents through your online application.

Please go through each section carefully and ensure that your documents are fully completed.

The most important first steps in applying for admission to our graduate program is finding and approaching a potential supervisor in the department. This gives you an opportunity to discuss the research you are interested in completing as a graduate student. Every applicant to the graduate program should, in principle, contact a potential supervisor to confirm that they are interested in reviewing the application. This does not constitute a promise from the supervisor that the student will be admitted, since admissions decisions are made by the Graduate Committee; it only serves as an indication that the potential supervisor is willing to consider supervising a new, incoming student. Professors of Teaching do not supervise graduate students.

Visit our People page and find a comprehensive list of the current faculty and their research interests. There is a space in the application form for you to list your preferred supervisors.

Transcripts

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies has strict requirements for admissions documents, and the procedures may be unfamiliar to those outside of North America. Detailed instructions are available on the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website.

Applicants will be asked to upload transcripts with their grade key (usually located on the back of the transcript). Even if the applicant does not yet have final marks on the transcript, we still require a copy as evidence of registration and academic progress.

Please note that unofficial copies of transcripts will be accepted at the time of application. However, originals will be requested if you are shortlisted for admission. When sending original transcripts, please follow the guidelines for transcripts found on the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website.

Letters of reference

A minimum of three references are required for application to graduate programs at UBC. References should be requested from individuals who are prepared to provide a report on your academic ability and qualifications. Please review the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies details on reference letters.

References will be able to upload their letters once you have submitted your application, so please ensure that they are able to submit by the deadlines noted above and that you provide them with appropriate timelines.

For the 2024/25 academic year, references for masters programs are due by January 1st 2024, and for doctoral programs by January 15th 2024. Please review the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies details on reference letters.

Statement of intent

Each applicant must submit a short statement of purpose, approximately 500 words, which indicates what they hope to accomplish in the program. Please be as specific as possible in describing your research interests and explaining why you wish to join our department.

English proficiency requirement

Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application.

For more details and information on English proficiency requirements, please review the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website and consult the pages for our MA, MSc, and PhD programs.

CV or Resume

You are welcome to submit additional information (ex. resume or CV), regarding professional employment experience, publications, or awards, which you feel should be taken into account in considering your application.

Permanent residents

Permanent Residents are required to provide proof of immigration status and date of landing by submitting a copy of the Record of Landing Form or a copy of both the front and back of their Permanent Resident card.

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