The University of British Columbia (UBC)

Overview of the university

The University of British Columbia is a global centre for research and teaching, consistently ranked among the top 20 public universities in the world. Since 1915, UBC’s entrepreneurial spirit has embraced innovation and challenged the status quo. UBC encourages its students, staff and faculty to challenge convention, lead discovery and explore new ways of learning. At UBC, bold thinking is given a place to develop into ideas that can change the world.

Master's and doctoral programs in a range of fields

UBC Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies offers more than 300 graduate degree programs in nearly every academic discipline. Both research-based and professional program options are offered across all 11 academic faculties at the Vancouver campus—including business, engineering, forestry, social sciences and humanities, visual and performing arts, education, life and physical sciences, agricultural sciences, and much more. UBC has highly-ranked research clusters in advanced materials, brain health, culture and diversity, digital technologies, sustainability and the environment, genomics, health, lung health, and HIV, just to name a few.

Focus on your success

UBC offers dozens of professional development opportunities for graduate students that prepare them for careers within and outside of academia. As well, internship and co-op placements provide opportunities to apply knowledge in real-life environments.

Research mobilization, innovation, and entrepreneurship are strategic initiatives at UBC, and close to 200 spin-off companies have started at UBC.

UBC Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies constantly challenges the status quo and pursues innovation in curricula and student support programs. For example, the Public Scholars Initiative supports doctoral pathways that encourage purposeful social contribution, innovative forms of collaborative scholarship, and broader career readiness for students.

Location

Located 30 minutes from the heart of downtown Vancouver, UBC's Vancouver campus is a spectacular location that is a ‘must-see’ for any visitor to the city — where snow-capped mountains meet the ocean, and breathtaking vistas are around every corner. This campus is home to more than 39,000 undergraduate and nearly 10,000 graduate students.

The campus includes stunning arts and culture venues including the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts, one of the world’s great concert halls, and the Museum of Anthropology, Canada’s largest teaching museum. UBC's science facilities include the Beaty Biodiversity Museum, home to Canada’s largest blue whale skeleton, and TRIUMF, one of the world’s leading laboratories for subatomic physics. The natural world is easily accessed at the Nitobe Memorial Garden, considered one of the top five Japanese Gardens outside of Japan, or at the UBC Botanical Garden and Centre for Plant Research.

Vancouver is ranked as one of the most livable cities in the world. While Vancouver is a sea-level port city known for its temperate climate, the surrounding mountains are perfect for winter sports and breathtaking views of the city below. Vancouver is one of the few places in the world where it's possible to ski in the morning and sail in the afternoon. Activities within easy reach of campus including skiing, hiking, bouldering, wind surfing, stand-up paddleboard, beach volleyball, or just a refreshing walk through the forest and beaches that surround campus.