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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 .

Minimum Funding for Ph.D. Students

The University of British Columbia is committed to ensuring that financial support is provided to all students enrolled in full-time PhD programs.

Students enrolled in a full-time PhD program are assured a Minimum Funding Package for the first four years of full-time study. Funding can be used towards expenses related to the academic program (e.g., tuition, books) as well as general living expenses. Minimum funding is an annual commitment spanning three academic terms per year for four years and is conditional on full-time registration. Full-time students typically devote a minimum of 35-40 hours per week to academic activities (e.g., research, teaching or research assistantship, professional development) related to their studies.

The Minimum Funding Package may be provided through any one or more of the following: internal or external awards and scholarships, graduate academic assistantships, teaching employment (e.g., teaching assistantships, sessional lecturers) and/or research assistantships. At the request of the student, other employment in the field of the student’s research may be considered part of the funding package, whether the work occurs on or off campus (e.g., continuation of part-time nursing practice to maintain professional skills and to understand current research needs in that setting). If a student receives additional funding (e.g., a scholarship, etc.) that elevates the amount of the funding package above the minimum amount per year, support from other components of the funding package may be reduced. The funding package amount is the minimum, and actual student support will be higher in many cases.

The Minimum Funding Package is inclusive of vacation pay and benefits, as well as external awards or sponsorships, if applicable. It does not include the International Tuition Award.

Students must apply for major scholarships as required by their Graduate Program to continue to qualify for the Minimum Funding Package. Students may be required to disclose their sources of university or scholarship funding, as well as other income sources to the Graduate Program and must inform the Program immediately of new or additional funding sources.

The Minimum Funding Package does not apply to students enrolled in a Part-time Doctoral Program or those enrolled in Doctor of Education (EdD) or Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) programs.

Students must satisfy academic progression requirements and maintain good standing in the program to maintain funding eligibility. See ‘ Academic Regulations ’.

Students who complete their degree requirements are no longer eligible to receive funding. Students who complete degree requirements in less than four years may forfeit a portion of their financial support. Students who withdraw, change to part-time status, or are approved for a leave of absence may no longer be eligible for funding or may be subject to repayment or pro-rating of their funding.

Students transferring from a UBC master’s to a PhD program without completing the master’s program will be eligible for the Minimum Funding Package once enrolled in a full-time PhD program. In line with UBC academic policies, the start of the PhD program for these students will be the date of first registration in the master’s program. Hence, a student who transfers to a PhD after one year of master’s study will be provided with a Minimum Funding Package for the next three years.

The student may decline all or part of the package after acceptance of an offer of admission without any prejudice to their admission. Where the student declines all or part of the Minimum Funding Package at the time of admission, the Graduate Program must submit a written statement to G+PS, signed by the student, which acknowledges that the University has met its obligations. If the student requires a funding package in the future due to a change in situation, the Graduate Program and Supervisor will make their best effort to secure funding, though this might not be possible as funding sources may already be fully committed.

The Minimum Funding Policy will be reviewed annually by the Graduate Council. The Council will decide on any increases in the amount of the minimum funding, and the amount will be published on the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website . Any annual increases will apply to both new and current eligible doctoral students.

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Tuition for the PhD program is about $5,400 CAD per year for Canadian students, and about $9,500 for international students. Student fees are about $1,100 CAD per year (fees are in addition to the tuition). Tuition and fees amounts are divided into three approximately equal payments per year, due in September, January, and May. The PhD tuition is the standard degree program rate. The exact amounts are listed in the Academic Calendar (scroll to the bottom of the page). More information about student fees is available from G+PS. We encourage applicants to review the information on cost of living .

Minimum Funding Guarantee

SPPH offers a minimum funding guarantee of $22,000 per year for the first four years in your PhD program.  All new full-time admissions to the SPPH PhD program will receive an offer of admission from the program that includes a funding package. The funding package may consist of any combination of external or internal scholarships, research assistantships, teaching assistantships, or income from other academically-related work at UBC (e.g. graduate administrative assistantships, lectureships). At your request, income from other employment in your field of research may be considered part of the funding package, whether the work occurs on or off campus. You may be required to disclose your sources and amounts of university employment income or scholarship funding, as well as other income sources to the graduate program, and you must inform the program immediately of any new or additional funding sources. You will be able to accept or decline the package as a whole or only accept specific components.

See  here  for full details.

Awards, Graduate Assistantships, & Teaching Assistantships

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 reserves departmental funding to support indigenous student(s) in their first four years of PhD study. Indigenous applicants are encouraged to contact the program for more information about specific supports for Indigenous students at UBC, such as the Indigenous Graduate Fellowships .

The PhD program encourages students to apply for scholarship funding. Major funding competitions include the Vanier Scholarship , the UBC Affiliated Fellowships or the Canada Graduate Scholarships-Doctoral Program (CGSD, this competition includes CIHR Awards). A list of other funding opportunities is available on the G+PS website: Award Opportunities . Applicants are encouraged to apply for funding. Applicants may apply for the Vanier Scholarship, Affiliated Fellowships, CGSD, and Spring Graduate Awards before they begin their studies.

Graduate research assistantship (GRA) positions are normally obtained through supervisors. Students can also apply for open positions listed on the SPPH website or via the UBC WorkLearn program . Teaching Assistant (TA) positions for SPPH are also posted on the SPPH website . Please note that most students do not TA in their first year, but will TA graduate courses after they have taken them. TA positions in other departments may also be open to PhD students.

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Minimum Funding Policy for PhD Students

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In June 2021, UBC Okanagan Senate passed the Minimum Funding Policy for PhD Students, which took effect in September 2021. The goal of the policy is to assist PhD students to be full-time scholars and to aid in graduate recruitment, by having a guaranteed minimum funding level.

MINIMUM FUNDING HANDBOOK

The Faculty Handbook on the Minimum Funding Policy for PhD Students describes the Minimum Funding Policy and suggests best practices for faculty and graduate support staff in operationalizing this policy.

VIEW THE HANDBOOK

Policy Overview:

View the full policy in the ubc okanagan academic calendar. .

• Effective September 2024, all full-time current and incoming UBC students (domestic and international) in PhD programs at UBC Okanagan will be provided with a minimum funding package of at least $24,000 per year for up to the first four years of a PhD.
• In many cases, PhD students will receive more than the Minimum Funding Package (PhD students at UBC-O currently receive an average of $31,681 per year).
• Graduate programs may set their own policies to require a funding level that is higher than the campus-wide minimum.
• The Minimum Funding Policy will be reviewed annually by Graduate Council. Any annual increases will apply to both new and current eligible PhD students.

Eligibility:

• All full-time current and incoming UBC students (domestic and international) in PhD programs at UBC Okanagan are eligible for the minimum funding package.
• Students with unsatisfactory progress become ineligible for award funding. Students will regain eligibility when improvement required or satisfactory status is reported in the required six month interim progress report or a subsequent annual progress report (see UBC Okanagan Academic Calendar for a definition of satisfactory progress).
• Students transferring from a UBC master’s to a PhD program without completing the master’s will be eligible for the minimum funding package effective the date of transfer to the PhD program. Consistent with UBC academic policies, the start of the PhD program for these transfer students will be the date of first registration in the master’s program. Hence, a student who transfers to a PhD after one year of master’s study will be provided with a minimum funding package for the following three years.

Applicable Funding Sources:

• The funding package may consist of any combination of external or internal scholarships, research assistantship, teaching assistantship, or graduate academic assistantships
• Example: A PhD student continues part-time nursing practice to maintain professional skills and to understand current research needs in that setting.
• Other stable sources of income may be considered. In such cases, if the student’s work and financial situation were to change, the department and supervisor will make their best effort to provide a minimum funding package, but this might not be possible as funding is planned well in advance.
• The minimum funding package does not include the International Partial Tuition Award (IDPT).
• For the purpose of this policy, internships will be considered similar to research assistantships, i.e. funds received from an internship position count toward the minimum funding package.
• If a student declines a teaching assistantship the graduate program is not obligated to replace that funding in order to meet the minimum funding level.

Funding Process:

• Students who do not receive the funding they anticipated under the Minimum Funding Policy should first discuss this with their supervisor.
• If the issue is not resolved, they should then speak with their Graduate Program Coordinator. The Graduate Program Coordinator may need to consult with the Department Head or Dean of their disciplinary faculty for a solution.
• If no solution is found, the Graduate Program Coordinator, as well as the student, can consult with the Dean of the College of Graduate Studies.

About Minimum Funding Policies

A minimum funding guarantee helps to attract outstanding PhD students to UBC Okanagan, enhancing our research enterprise and educational goals.

Funding has a substantial impact on student satisfaction: PhD students with insufficient funding have longer completion times, greater likelihood of attrition, and lower satisfaction regarding their graduate student experience.

In the 2019 Canadian Graduate and Professional Student Survey, 43% of UBC Okanagan PhD students considered financial pressures to be a major obstacle to academic progress. Those who considered them a major obstacle rated their academic experience more poorly relative to those who did not consider them an obstacle.

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Below is essential procedural and policy information for UBC graduate award recipients. Award recipients are advised to read the contents of this page carefully, particularly the Award Holder’s Guide section.

Accepting an award

Graduate awards are paid through the Student Service Centre.

For internal awards (awards funded by UBC), it is not necessary for the student to notify Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies that funding has been awarded. For external awards (awards funded by an agency outside UBC), however, students must notify Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies about the award, as the external agency may not notify Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies directly.

In order to activate each external award, students need to submit all required forms to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at least three weeks before requested award start date. Activation forms will be accepted after this deadline, but in such cases the first award payment(s) might be delayed (though students will receive payment retroactive to requested award start date).

Tri-Agency (CIHR/NSERC/SSHRC) Award Acceptance

• Refer to the Tri-Agency Award Holder's Guide  for steps.

Tri-Agency (CIHR/NSERC/SSHRC) Award Activation Forms

To be sent by the award recipient to [email protected]

• External Graduate Award Activation Form
• For Vanier CGS and CIHR doctoral awards, award recipients can download the Notice of Award from  ResearchNet .
• For NSERC and SSHRC doctoral awards, award recipients can download the Notice of Award from the application portal.
• For Tri-Agency (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC) CGSM (Master's), award recipients can download the Notice of Award from the  Research Portal .
• The Graduate Awards team would sign in the Part 4 section
• The recipient is then required by NSERC or SSHRC to upload the completed and signed form to the appropriate secure submission site  (the Graduate Awards team is not permitted to do so on the recipient's behalf)
• Copy of 'Authorization for Funding' (AFF) document provided by funding agency. This document is sent to doctoral award holders by CIHR/Vanier after the holder accepts the award. CIHR doctoral awards and Vanier awards cannot be processed without it.
• When an award is offered through the Student Service Centre (SSC), an e-mail is sent to the student, directing the student to their account on the Student Service Centre. Once logged into the Student Service Centre, the student can select the offered award and follow the online instructions to accept the award. Only after the award has been accepted will the award pay out to the student.
• If you have not done so already, make sure that you sign up for direct deposit in your SSC account ( https://students.ubc.ca/enrolment/finances/direct-deposit ).

Note: The content here is applicable for May 2024 and earlier award starts ONLY .  UBC is replacing the current student administration system (“SSC”) with a new system effective for September 2024.  As a result, the specific guidance (such as system links replacing “SSC”) will change for September 2024 award starts onwards.  The guidance here will be updated in June 2024 to reflect the up to date guidance on accepting your award for September award starts onwards.

REGISTRATION

Award payments will only be issued if students are registered in courses or thesis credits during the terms of the academic year that they are receiving an award.

AWARD PAYMENT

Awards issued by the University are first applied towards any outstanding tuition fees. If the amount of the award is greater than the outstanding fees in any term, the surplus funds are paid to the student through Electronic Funds Transfer. An email confirming the funds transfer will be sent to the student.

AWARD INSTALMENTS

Students are encouraged to check their financial record on the Student Service Centre (SSC) for confirmation of award instalment amounts and dates. Normally, awards are paid out using the following payment schedule:

Department Recommended Awards:

• Under $1,000 - paid out entirely in one term
• $1,000 - $5,999 - paid out in two terms (equal instalments)
• $6,000 or greater - paid out over the three terms of the year (33.3% in September, 33.3% January, and 33.4% in May)

External Awards and Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Awards:

• September 1st to April 30 amount is assigned in August and pays out in two equal installments in September and January (two thirds of yearly amount)
• May 1st to August 31st amount is assigned in April and pays out in one installment in May (one third of yearly amount)
• $5,250 in October 2018
• $7,000 in January 2019
• $7,000 in May 2019
• $1,750 in September 2019

Tuition awards, such as the International Tuition Award and the tuition portion of Four Year Fellowships, are assigned in August (for September and January terms) and April (for the summer term), to coincide with the tuition assessment at the beginning of each term.

Award holder's guide

The contents of the "Award Holder’s Guide" below outline the policies for holding graduate student funding at UBC.

Recipients of Four Year Doctoral Fellowship (4YF) funding should additionally review the 4YF Guidelines for 4YF-specific policies.

Recipients of external graduate awards, scholarships, and fellowships are additionally advised to review the policy guidelines on the appropriate award agency’s website. The  Tri-Agency (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC) Research Training Award Holder's Guide  is available online. Other major fellowships have different guidelines. Please refer to your offer letter and/or the agency's website for guidelines.

Awards holders are responsible for reviewing and adhering to the Senate Regulations Governing University Awards .

External Awards

In order to take up an external award, students are required to be unconditionally accepted to their UBC program. In cases when students are offered conditional acceptance to their program, those conditions must be met before the award can be activated and award payments be made.

UBC awards (like Four Year Fellowships) will be processed without confirming that the condition of admission was met. However, students are still responsible to meet the condition of their admission by the deadline specified in their offer letter (typically within 12 weeks of starting their program). If the condition of admission is not met, the UBC award will be cancelled, and student will be required to repay all funds received from the award.

Award payments will only be made to students who are registered as full-time UBC graduate students. Award holders are required to maintain registration for the duration of their award funding period.

In some cases, a student who holds an award or fellowship may not be eligible to hold additional fellowships, depending on the awards/fellowships involved.  Students considering applying for additional funding to be held concurrently with other funding should check the award’s policies to see if such an arrangement is permitted.  For example, some external scholarships will reduce the amount of the funding they give a student if the student wins other funding.

Awards are prorated to the end of the month in which students complete their degree program (typically submission of final copy of their thesis to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies). To avoid any overpayments, please advise Graduate Awards of your completion date as soon as possible. Please note that students who complete their program partway through a term may be required to repay a portion of funds paid to them at the beginning of the term (e.g., if a student receives a $7,000 award payment in September and completes his/her program in November, he or she may be required to repay $1,750 - the December portion of the award).

For Tri-Agency awards only, funding is pro-rated to the end date of the academic term in which the degree requirements are completed.

Awards are prorated to the effective date of withdrawal from a degree program. To avoid any overpayments, please advise Graduate Awards of your withdrawal date as soon as possible. Please note that students who withdraw from their program partway through a term may be required to repay a portion of funds paid to them at the beginning of the term (e.g., if a student receives a $7,000 award payment in September and completes his/her program in on 15 November, he or she may be required to repay $2,625 - the amount for the November 16 to December 31st period).

Award holders are not eligible to receive award payments while on approved academic leave from their program. Please advise Graduate Awards to arrange for the suspension of your award payments until your return from on-leave status.

Students who hold external fellowships that allow paid leaves of absence, should contact the funding agency and the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies to request a paid leave of absence well in advance of the leave start date. Conditions for paid leave of absence differ between funding agencies. Students should refer to the relevant funding agency's website for further information.

• Tri-Agency (CIHR, NSERC, SSHRC) Research Training Award Holder's Guide
• Other major fellowships have different guidelines. Please refer to your offer letter and/or the agency's website for guidelines.

Program transfers include transferring from a Master’s to a PhD, PhD to Master’s, or between Master’s or between PhD’s.

Students who hold an external scholarship must check their award’s policy documentation as typically any change to the degree program will require approval from the funding agency to continue to hold the award funding.  Additionally, some awards are restricted to a particular degree program or degree level or a particular graduate program.  

Students should contact Graduate Awards if they are unsure if their award will be affected by a potential program transfer.

It is required  that all doctoral students be admitted to candidacy within 36 months from the date of initial registration.  An award recipient whose candidacy is overdue will have their award funding put on hold until their advancement to candidacy paperwork is processed or an extension to time allowed for advancement to candidacy is submitted and processed.

University regulations establish a five-year time limit for the completion of a master’s program and a six-year time limit for the completion of a doctoral program. The time that the student is on approved leave does not count in the determination of the time limit. 

When an award recipient reaches the end of their program duration limit, they will be unable to register in future terms (and future award payments cannot be set up in the system) until a program extension is completed and processed.

Changes in citizenship status from international student to permanent resident of Canada may affect award funding.  Awards that are restricted to international students (such as the International Tuition Award) cannot be held by a permanent resident of Canada or Canadian citizen.  In cases where international student funding was paid to the student, and the student later updated their status to permanent resident retroactively, the student would be required to pay back the funding for the period that they are no longer eligible (the date they were granted permanent residency and onwards).

Students who are planning to change supervisors should consult their award’s policy documentation, as the policy may require that the funding agency be informed of the change in supervisor to continue to hold the funding.

Students who are considering changing their research project should consult their award’s policy documentation, as the policy may require that the funding agency be informed and approve the change in research to continue to hold the funding.

Graduate awards are paid through the Student Service Centre .

Award holders will be required to return any excess amounts issued to them. This includes overpayment for the time period after their effective completion or withdrawal date, Student Service Centre errors, etc. 

Effective March 2018, students who hold awards totalling $17,500 or more per year are no longer required to limit their number of hours of employment to an average of 12 hours per week. However, please note that award holders are expected to devote full-time hours to the research or studies for which they were funded, and are required to make satisfactory academic progress throughout their funding period.

However, in some cases a student may wish to interrupt (pause) their award to undertake work experience or an internship without taking a corresponding leave of absence from UBC.

• Tri-Agency Award Holder’s guide policy on unpaid interruptions
• Four Year Fellowship policy  (see the 4YF Guidelines posted under ‘Further Information’)
• For other scholarships, students should refer to the award’s policy documentation

Income tax is not withheld from SSC awards. Enrolment Services will provide a T4A form at the end of the calendar year for all award payments received during the calendar year. Students can download T4A from the Student Service Centre . Students are responsible for filing income tax returns on these awards.

The Canada Revenue Agency typically does not tax scholarships .  However, depending on you and/or your spouse’s (if applicable) country of citizenship, your scholarship may be taxed by your/your spouse’s country of citizenship.  Contact your country of citizenship’s taxation department for more information on tax implications on scholarships.

Students who hold an award more than 12 months in duration must submit to Graduate Awards an annual progress report . Failure to submit a progress report will result in award payments being suspended until a satisfactory progress report is received. Multi-year fellowships can include NSERC, SSHRC, CIHR, Killam Doctoral Fellowships, Four Year Fellowships, Aboriginal Fellowships, Rick Hansen Fellowships, and Affiliated Fellowships.

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Make the most of the financial resources available to you as a UBC student.

The Department of Linguistics has various funding opportunities for all graduate students including internal and external awards, scholarships, and research funding. New applicants to our MA and PhD programs will automatically be considered for any UBC-based funding, and don’t need to apply for this separately.

MA Program Funding

While there is no guarantee of MA funding, students in the Linguistics MA program typically receive a funding package of $25,500 for the first two years of their MA program. The funding package may consist of any combination of internal or external awards, teaching-related work, research assistantships, graduate academic assistantships, or other campus work.

MDS-CL Program Funding

Students in the Master of Data Science in Computational Linguistics will have access to a variety of funding options including bursaries and scholarships. For a comprehensive list of tuition and financial aid information, please visit the Master of Data Science website.

PhD Program Funding

All full-time PHD students will be provided with a minimum funding package of $25,500 for each of the first five years of their program. The funding package may consist of any combination of internal or external awards, teaching-related work, research assistantships, graduate academic assistantships, or other campus work. UBC Linguistics is committed to guaranteeing all current PhD students into this promised funding level.

Program Funding Requirements

Students in either the MA, MDS, or PHD programs must meet two major requirements to receive this level of financial support:

• Students must make satisfactory academic progress. Failure to maintain academic good standing will result in a loss of funding.
• Students must apply for Teaching Assistantships (TAs) and Research Assistantships when these job ads are posted. Additionally, you must demonstrate a concerted effort in your applications for internal and external awards. Failure to apply for these opportunities will result in a loss of funding.

*Please review each award carefully before applying, certain restrictions may apply.

There are various internal and external awards available to graduate students in the Department of Linguistics. Please note that international students can only apply for Affiliated Awards, whereas Canadian citizens and permanent residents are eligible for SSHRC and NSERC awards, in addition to certain Affiliated Awards.

Department Internal Awards

The department has a Graduate Student Job Interview Fund, which intends to support graduate (MA and PhD) students who are interviewing for academic or non-academic positions by providing funds associated with the purchase of professionally appropriate clothing or accessories for job-interview purposes.

• Students can apply to the fund once during their graduate program
• At the time of application, the student must already have a job interview scheduled (incl. interviews at major conferences, such as LSA, MLA)
• Interviews for academic as well as non-academic (e.g. industry, “alt-ac”) jobs, permanent or temporary, are eligible
• A maximum of $300 per student can be requested
• Support will be in the form of a grant; it does not need to be repaid
• However, recipients who are successful in obtaining a full-time position are encouraged to make a donation to the Edna Dharmaratne Award in Linguistics (an annual prize “to be awarded to a current graduate or undergraduate student in the department who demonstrates academic merit and financial need”)

Graduate Research Initiative Prize (GRIP)

As of February 2023, the Graduate Research Initiative Prize is being re-assessed. Updated details will be posted here once available. Please contact [email protected] in the interim if you have any concerns related to this award.

An award of $1,000 is offered annually by alumni, faculty, students, and staff of the UBC Department of Linguistics in honour of Edna Dharmaratne for students in the Department of Linguistics who have achieved good academic standing and demonstrated volunteerism. Financial need may also be considered.

External Awards

Affiliated awards, research proposals.

For certain awards, you will be requested to submit a research proposal with your application. Below, we’ve included a few samples of successful research proposals from UBC Linguistics students.

*This proposal did not adhere to the formatting and length requirements, and was therefore truncated by Graduate Studies before being passed on to the adjudication committee.

Here are some additional guidelines that we’ve created to help you write your research proposal:

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Make the most of the financial resources available to you as a UBC student.

Our Funding Commitment

Graduate students are entitled to a certain level of funding while pursuing their studies at UBC.

In all cases, financial support is contingent on maintaining high academic standing and progress toward their degree completion.

Master’s Students

MA students are generally offered two years of fellowship funding (~$12,000 per year) and a 1.0 (full time) teaching assistantship ( ~$12,700 per year ), approximating $24,700 annually.

PhD Students

A typical PhD student will have four years of fellowship funding (~$20,000 per year) and a 1.0 (full time) teaching assistantship ( ~$12,700 per year ). For the first four years of study a PhD student can expect approximately $32,700 per year.

Students in good standing will also receive a fifth year of funding of ~$23,000. This is based on a combination of teaching assistantships and a Graduate Instructorship, where students teach their own course.

Canadian students intending to apply for federal graduate funding (normally from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada – SSHRC) should note that the deadlines for these funding programs may be considerably earlier than department-administered deadlines. MA applicants should apply directly via the SSHRC Research Net portal .

In addition to the Department of Philosophy’s funding commitment, graduate students are also encouraged to apply for additional funding opportunities in research assistantships and awards.

Brian Laetz (January 18, 1977 – March 18, 2010) was a much beloved doctoral student in our graduate program. Brian specialized in aesthetics and was granted his PhD (posthumously) in November 2010 for his dissertation, Issues in the Appreciation of Art and Nature. This annual Graduate Essay Prize allows us to honour and remember Brian, who was a prolific and meticulous writer.

The Brian Laetz Graduate Essay Prize, valued at $200, is awarded annually to one graduate student based on the following criteria:

• Essays will be submitted to the Award Nominations Committee chair by students. Each student can submit at most one essay, with a maximum length of 7,500 words (the footnotes but not the bibliography should be included in the word count). An email reminder will be sent out annually on May 1; essays will be due by May 15.
• Each student may be awarded the Laetz prize at most once during his or her studies at UBC.
• The prize will be awarded on the basis of overall essay quality, and may be given to a student at any stage of the program.
• Essays should be prepared for blind reviewing and submitted to the Graduate Program Assistant.
• The prize will be adjudicated by the Award Nominations Committee, and the winner will be announced by May 31.

The Brian Laetz Essay Prize was made possible through the generous contributions of Cynthia Laetz, Susan Kay, Amanda Marshall, UBC Dean of Arts Office, UBC Faculty of Graduate Studies, faculty and students in the UBC Philosophy Department, and additional friends of Brian Laetz.

Winners of the Laetz essay prize:

2021 Albert Cotugno , "Mind Wandering as Exploratory Attention"

2020 Nathan Cockram , "The Case for Testimonial Pluralism"

2019 Graham Moore , “Propositions, Modality, and Representations"

2018 Jade Hadley , “Instrumentalism about Unstructured Propositions”

2017 Irwin Chan , “And you, Brutus?”

2016 Rebecca Livernois , “Regretful Decisions and Climate Change.”

2015 Stefan Lukits , “Augustin’s Concessions: A problem for Indeterminate Credal States.”

2014 Tyler DesRoches , “On Aristotle’s Natural Limit.” (tie) and Joseph Frigault, “In Search of the Principles of Morals: Does Hume Make a Linguistic Analogy?” (tie)

2013 Jamie Hellewell , “Autonomy and Liberty: A Critical Examination of Christman’s Ideal of Freedom.”

2012 Oisin Deery , “Is Agentive Experience Compatible with Determinism?”

Social Science & Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)

Canadian applicants are eligible for SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships and Master’s Scholarships. Students who are eligible for SSHRC funding are encouraged to apply prior to admission.

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies offers Affiliated Fellowships each year to both masters and doctoral students.

Canada-U.S. Fulbright Program

This program operates on the principle of reciprocal exchange and provides the opportunity for the exceptional Canadian and American students and scholars to lecture, research and pursue graduate study in the United States and Canada, respectively. Award recipients include prominent and promising scholars, experienced and junior professionals and exceptional students.

International Partial Tuition Scholarships

UBC offers partial tuition scholarships of $3,200 per year which are applied to tuition paid by non-Canadian students if they are registered full-time in a master’s or doctoral program that assesses tuition fees of $7,200 per year.

Graduate Student PD Fund

As part of the graduate training, the Department of Philosophy encourages graduate students to attend conferences, present work, and build professional networks. Graduate students have access to several funding sources dedicated to reduce the cost of delivering a talk or presenting a poster at an academic conference.

Students can request up to $1,500 from the department towards the cost of an academic conference or workshop that they are presenting at. Students can submit a funding request through PHIL AIR (CWL required) where further information and conditions are listed. All requests are subject to the availability of funds.

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies also offers travel grants, limited to $500 per degree.

Assistantships

Graduate students in the Department of Philosophy have access to teaching and research assistantship positions as an additional source of program funding.

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Make the most of the financial resources available to you as a UBC graduate student.

Support for graduate students in the Department of English Language and Literatures is provided through a combination of internal and government awards (eligibility for the latter varies), teaching assistantships, and research assistantships.

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (G+PS) considers all program applications for financial aid; you do not require a separate application.

G+PS provides financial aid through scholarships, tuition awards, and scholarship top-ups. Funding is awarded based on academic excellence and is open to all domestic and international graduate students.

Teaching and Academic Assistantships

Teaching assistants (TAs) work 12 hours per week for each 16-week term, running discussion groups once a week and marking assignments and exams.

Graduate students apply for teaching assistantships in each term and are entitled to reappointment according to the following schedule:

• PhD students have preference over new hires for 4 years after their first year of employment
• MA students have preference over new hires for 1 year after their first year of employment

All TA appointments and preference considerations are contingent upon departmental budgets.

Only incoming students accepted on a full-time basis and with full standing and continuing full-time students progressing at the accepted rate will be eligible for teaching assistantships. Candidacy PhD students may hold partial sessional lectureships.

Many faculty members hire part-time graduate academic assistants (GAAs) to do library and database research, proofreading, editing, web design, conference planning, obtaining permissions, etc. Students interested in assisting with faculty research should upload their credentials via the RA and research skills database and are encouraged to approach faculty members with overlapping interests about possible employment.

Funding Opportunities

You will be eligible for fellowships, scholarships, awards and prizes from the Department of English Language and Literatures when you submit your application to our graduate programs.

Students wishing to receive additional funding to support their studies are encouraged to review the following funding options.

Travel funding

Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Graduate Student Travel Fund

Provides travel support of a maximum of $500 once in the course of a graduate program to graduate students who present a paper or poster at an official conference or symposium (student workshops are excluded).

Department of English Graduate Students' Travel Fund

Provides travel support up to $500 once in the course of a graduate program to support a student presenting a paper at a conference or travelling for research purposes (for example, to a library or other archive). Students should have already applied for the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies' travel funding to be eligible. The English department travel funding form is available from the graduate office.

Shakespeare Research Travel Fund

The travel fund supports students doing advanced research at libraries and other research institutions around the world. The fund is made possible by a generous donation to the UBC English department. Only PhD students in English are eligible. Students can claim flight, accommodation, per diem, and other travel expenses.

Killam Postdoctoral Fellowship Applications

Application deadline, quick links.

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Make the most of the financial resources available to you as a UBC student.

The Department of Geography has various funding opportunities for all graduate students including internal and external awards, scholarships, and research funding.

We work with every student to try to provide a consistent, basic level of funding of a minimum $26,000 in income per year to all graduate students. Most of our full-time MA/MSc and PhD students receive income in the form of scholarships/fellowships and/or teaching/research assistantships.

Graduate Support Initiative (GSI)

The Graduate Support Initiative (GSI) is a system for funding graduate students through entrance scholarships, multi-year funding packages, tuition awards, and scholarship top-ups. Within Geography, all incoming graduate students (except those with appropriate funding in hand), are considered for GSI funding upon their application to the program.

Within Geography, all incoming graduate students (except those with appropriate funding in hand), are considered for GSI funding upon their application to the program.

Graduate COVID Program Delay Tuition Award

Graduate Covid Program Delay Tuition Awards are provided to support graduate students whose academic and/or research progress was delayed by disruptions due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Students who were registered in an eligible graduate program during the Summer 2020 term will receive an award equivalent to their tuition assessment, less any other tuition awards received for the same term, if they remain registered beyond the median duration of their degree program (in most cases, upon registration in the 8th term of a Master’s program or the 17th term of a doctoral program).

The program has been designed so that an application is not required : awards will be automatically   assigned   to eligible students when they reach their   eligibility milestone.

Awards, Scholarships, & Fellowships

Many of our graduate students are supported by the following:

A $4,000 award has been made available through a gift from Sandra "Sandy" Lapsky (B.A. 1980) for international graduate students in good academic standing in the Department of Geography.

Sandy has been an Administrator in the Department of Geography at UBC since 1989. This award was established in recognition of Sandy's deep affinity to the department.

The awards are made on the recommendation of the Department of Geography, in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

All eligible, admitted students will be automatically considered for the award and no additional application is required.

The Larry Bell LDC Graduate Award in Urban Studies

The Larry Bell LDC Graduate Award in Urban Studies was developed to encourage Master-level program enrollment of students from those countries classified by the UN as the poorest and most vulnerable countries in our international community.

The award is available to incoming master-level students, specializing in Urban Studies in the UBC Department of Geography, who are citizens and primary residents of one of the 47 countries on the United Nations’ Least Developed Countries list (LDC) for the course of a two year program. In addition, all applicants to our program LDC’s will have their UBC application fee waived.

Award Details Applications are reviewed based on academic merit and research strengths in Urban Studies (Geography). This award is only available to incoming Master-level students in the UBC Department of Geography.

The award covers the following: Year 1 Tuition Full coverage – approx. $8,605 Living stipend $18,200 Moving costs $3,500

Year 2* Tuition Full coverage – approx. $8,605 Living stipend $18,200

Total value over 2 years $39,900 + tuition *Master degree funding is only for two years. Student fees not covered.

All eligible, admitted students will be automatically considered for the award and no additional application is required. Recipients must maintain good academic standing in their program.

$500 is made available to a current full-time 4+ year undergraduate, master or doctoral student, who is studying/using cartography or geographic information systems (GIS) in their academic work.

Students are encouraged to speak with their supervisor or a faculty member in the Department of Geography in January to be nominated for the Emily S. Acheson Student Support Fund.

Adjudication will take place at the end of February each year.

Award Details

The award is granted to one recipient per year.

Students must be:

• Enrolled full time in their 4th year (or higher) of undergraduate degree or pursue full time graduate studies in the Department of Geography
• Studying/using cartography or geographic information systems (GIS) in their academic work (demonstrated in their thesis project, class projects, or relevant coursework)
• In good standing
• Domestic and international students are eligible
• Preference is given to graduate students
• Recipients of large grants or scholarships should not be considered for this fund
• A student can only receive this funding once during their studies at UBC
• Students from other faculties (e.g. Forestry) or departments are not eligible to apply

Donor commitment to support this fund is in place for 5 years, starting in 2020. After 5 years, the fund description and criteria may be adjusted in consultation with the Department of Geography and the donor.

Public Scholars Initiative

Up to $10,000 twice, for a total of $20,000 per student is available to support innovative/collaborative scholarship which the student would otherwise be unable to pursue. Funding can be used for:

• A research allowance (including allowance for professional development or travel relevant to the scholarly work)
• Student stipend, if the student’s current funding source would not allow the alternative project(s)

Recent recipients from UBC Geography:

Max Cohen Kyle Loewen Kirsten McIlveen Erik Post

Canada Graduate Scholarships - Masters'

The CGS M Program provides financial support to high-calibre scholars who are engaged in eligible master's or, in some cases, doctoral programs in Canada.

The CGS M program supports up to 3,000 students annually in all disciplines and is administered jointly by Canada’s three granting agencies: the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).

Darian Ng (NSERC) Carla Urquhart (NSERC) Daniel Young (SSHRC)

Canada Graduate Scholarships - Doctoral

The objective of the Canada Graduate Scholarships-Doctoral (CGS D) Program is to promote continued excellence in Canadian research by rewarding and retaining high-calibre doctoral students at Canadian institutions.

By providing support for a high-quality research training experience to awardees, the CGS D program strives to foster impacts within and beyond the research environment.

Salome Buglass (NSERC) Brandon Hillier (SSHRC) Peter De Montmollin (SSHRC) Carla Urquhart (NSERC)

Four Year Doctoral Fellowship (4YF)

The Four Year Doctoral Fellowship (4YF) program will ensure UBC's best PhD, DMA, and MDPhD students are provided with financial support of at least $18,200 per year plus tuition for up to four years of their doctoral studies.

Max Cohen Brandon Hillier Kyle Loewen Erik Post

SSHRC Doctoral Fellowships

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Doctoral Fellowships support high-calibre students engaged in doctoral programs in the social sciences and humanities.

This support allows scholars to fully focus on their doctoral studies, to seek out the best research mentors in their chosen fields and to contribute to the Canadian research ecosystem during and beyond the tenure of their awards.

SSHRC welcomes applications involving Indigenous research, as well as those involving research-creation.

Rebekah Kartal Kirsten McIlveen

NSERC Doctoral Fellowships

The NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships – Doctoral (PGS-D) program provides financial support to high-calibre scholars who are engaged in an eligible doctoral program in the natural sciences or engineering.

This support allows these scholars to fully concentrate on their studies and seek out the best research mentors in their chosen fields.

Killam Doctoral Scholarships

Killam Doctoral Scholarships are the most prestigious awards available to graduate students at UBC. Approximately 25 awards are offered each year to the top doctoral candidates in the Affiliated Fellowships competition .

At present, the Killam Doctoral Scholarship provides an annual stipend valued at $30,000 for two years plus a $2,000 allowance for research-related travel during the 24 months of the scholarship*.

*Killam Doctoral Scholarships awardees on the UBC-Vancouver campus also become Four Year Fellowship holders and receive additional tuition funding from the 4YF program if they are eligible.

Michael Fabris

Trudeau Scholarship

The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholarship Program  offers a three-year leadership program designed to train Engaged Leaders, equipping doctoral candidates with the skills to translate their ideas into action, for the betterment of their communities, Canada, and the world.

Vanier Scholarship

The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS) program is designed to attract and retain world-class doctoral students by supporting students who demonstrate both leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement in graduate studies in the social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and engineering, and health-related fields.

The Vanier CGS is valued at $50,000 per year for up to three years.

Rachel Brydolf-Horwitz Albina Gibadullina Mollie Holmberg

Spring Graduate Awards

A number of University awards for the upcoming academic year are available to current and incoming graduate students.

The maximum value of funding that can be offered to a student is $16,000.

Corin Parsons (Rick Hansen Man in Motion Fellowship) Tianqi Xing (James Robert Thompson Fellowship)

Affiliated Fellowships - Masters (MA)

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies offers approximately 50 Affiliated Fellowships each year to meritorious students for full-time study and/or research leading to a graduate degree.

Awards are made on the basis of academic excellence, with applications open to current and prospective full-time UBC graduate students. Fellowship values range from $175 to $16,000.

Rebekah Kartal Rachel Stern (Cordula and Gunter Paetzold Fellowship)

Affiliated Fellowships - Doctoral (PhD)

Awards are made on the basis of academic excellence, with applications open to current and prospective full-time UBC graduate students regardless of citizenship or visa status.

Fellowship values range from $175 to $30,000, but most are in the range of $16,000.

Albina Gibadullina (Li Tze Fong Memorial Fellowship)

Teaching & Research Assistantships

Teaching and Research Assistantships are intended to help properly qualified graduate students meet the cost of their studies at the University. Student appointments may involve part-time duties in teaching, research, or other academic activities. Appointments offered to students prior to their admission to the faculty are contingent upon admission.

The purpose of teaching assistantships (TAs) is to support the undergraduate teaching program and to provide teaching opportunities for graduate students. The appointments of TAs are based on CUPE 2278 union requirements, the skill set required to TA the course, and the financial commitments made to the student in their offer letters. TA openings are posted on our recruitment page in April. It is very competitive and there are few openings in human geography.

Many professors are able to provide Research Assistantships from their research grants to support full-time graduate students studying under their direction. The stipend amounts vary widely, and are dependent on the field of study and the type of research grant from which the assistantship is being funded. The department is also part of a Collaborative Research and Training Experience on Atmospheric Aerosols (NSERC-CREATE–AAP). This is a unified training and fellowship-funding program designed to develop interdisciplinary skills for atmospheric aerosol researchers ranging from undergraduate students to post-doctoral fellows.

Travel & Research Funding

The Department of Geography Graduate Student Travel Fund (GSTF) provides support for conference and fieldwork/research travel expenses to an in-program total of $400 for MA/MSc students and $700 for PhD students.

All claims against this fund must be backed with appropriate receipts (to conform to UBC Financial Services regulations) and must be accompanied by a properly completed Graduate Student Travel Fund Form.

Eligible expenses include:

• Travel (economy airfare or other public transport, vehicle rental, or mileage at approved rates)
• Accommodation
• Registration (if attending a conference)

In all cases, it is the claimant’s responsibility to keep track of expenses, to produce receipts, and to submit properly documented claims. Failure to do so will result in rejection of the claim. It is not necessary for a student to present a conference paper in order to claim against the GSTF. No claims for amounts of less than $75.00 will be processed. If you have smaller expenditures, save the receipts and details for a later consolidated claim. Claims on the GSTF can be made to supplement awards from the G+PS Graduate Student Travel Fund, provided that both claims are properly documented. Completed GSTF claims should be submitted to Sandy Lapsky, the Department Administrator, for processing within 12 months of incurring the expenses. It normally takes three to four weeks to process complete applications. Cheques will be sent to the Department or deposited to your bank account if you are on payroll. All claims must be submitted within two years of initial registration for MA/MSc students and within four years of initial program registration for PhD students. No claims will be accepted from students no longer registered in a program or on leave of absence.

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Our department aims to provide adequate funding for all of our students within the limit of our abilities. We also do our best to support our students in the pursuit of external financial awards.

MA Funding Packages

We offer full TA funding to incoming MA students. We also offer some additional fellowship funding to our top candidates, including tuition coverage and Research Assistantships, if and when available.

PhD Funding Packages

We offer a full five-year funding package for our PhD students, which generally consists of a combination of UBC Four-Year Fellowships (4YFs) , Department Funding, Teaching Assistantship, and Research Assistantship.

Research Assistantships (RA positions)

In some cases, we are able to offer additional funding in the form of RA positions, but these are contingent on several factors, including faculty members having available research funds for RAs.

Teaching Assistantships (TA positions)

The Department of Political Science will offer TA opportunities to PhDs when available. We consider it an important aspect of the professional development of our PhDs to work as Teaching Assistants, at some point in their PhD program, to develop their teaching skills under the guidance of faculty members. For the 2020-21 academic year, a full Teaching Assistantship for PhD students amounts to $6,611.96 per semester.

External Awards

We support our students in the pursuit of external awards. Our students have been exceptionally successful in SSHRC competitions, and a number of our PhDs have secured prestigious awards such as the Vanier Scholarship and Trudeau Scholarship.

Graduate students at UBC are obliged to apply for Tri-Agency (SSHRC, NSERC, CIHR) funding if they are eligible. Students who receive a Tri-Agency award must accept it in place of their UBC fellowship. Recipients must notify the Department if they receive a Tri-Agency award or any other external funding.

Tri-Agency award recipients may receive an annual 4YF tuition award in addition to their external award funding, but only if the total of the student’s external scholarship funding and 4YF tuition award does not exceed $35,000. If the total of a student’s external scholarship funding and 4YF tuition award exceeds $35,000, the 4YF tuition award will be reduced accordingly.

PhD Student Supplemental Funding

Conference travel, methods schools, and research expenses.

Within the limits of available resources, the Department does its best to support PhD students who need financial assistance to attend scholarly conferences, get supplemental methods training outside UBC, or carry out costly components of their dissertation research.

All grants will be subject to availability of funds within the Departmental budget. Because university budgeting rules do not allow the Department to carry over significant funds from one year to the next, we are unable to commit to a given level of funding in advance.

PhD student supplemental funding will thus vary from year to year as the Department’s annual budgetary situation changes. Moreover, allocations across conference, methods-training, and research funding may vary with the number and quality of applications received each year.

Applications for grants to support conference travel, methods schools, or dissertation research will typically be considered in two rounds, with deadlines of in Fall and Spring.

Conference Travel

• Information for conference application

External Methods Schools

• External methods schools information
• Apply for scholarship directly from Syracuse Institute for Qualitative and Multi-Methods Research (November deadline)
• Apply for scholarship directly from ICPSR (quantitative) summer institute (March deadline)

Dissertation Research Funding 

• Dissertation research funding information
• Apply for a Faculty of Arts Research Grant

Book Stipend

• Book Stipend Information

To apply for any of the above funding, please complete this form by the designated deadline: Supplemental Funding Form

Other Supplemental Funding

The UBC Sustainability Initiative (USI) is excited to offer the Student Sustainability Network (SSN) members the opportunity to apply for funding to attend a sustainability-related conference.

To apply, you must identify your chosen conference and complete an application form, indicating expected expenses and your interest in attending the conference. Funding up to $500 will primarily support the conference fee, but you may also request other conference-related expenses.

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Make the most of the financial resources available to you as a UBC student.

Many of our awards are entrance awards which are offered during the admission adjudication process. There are two main award types: Faculty/Departmental awards and Major External awards. Students holding a UBC Faculty/Department award may have their tuition fees deducted from the scholarship payments.

Faculty/Departmental Awards

A $2,700 scholarship has been endowed by former Vancouver Sun reporter, David Baines, for a student in the Master of Journalism program specializing in business journalism. The award is made on the recommendation of the School of Journalism in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

A fellowship has been endowed through the estate of Geraldine Phyllis Cromie. The award is offered to a student in Journalism and is made on the recommendation of the UBC Graduate School of Journalism in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate Studies. This award is made on the recommendation of the Journalism School faculty.

This graduation scholarship will be awarded to a second year Journalism student who demonstrates exceptional ability in investigative research and reporting; and who also displays an interest in pursuing a career in daily journalism.

A scholarship has been endowed by the Fairchild Group to alternate each year between the UBC Graduate School of Journalism and the UBC Film Production Program. Thomas Fung, owner and founder, presented the award. The award is bestowed on the recommendation of the Department of Theatre and Film in even-numbered years and on the recommendation of the School of Journalism in odd-numbered years. Preference is given to Canadian and international students with good academic standing who are focusing on cultural diversity and entrepreneurial leadership.

A number of entrance awards, available to some incoming students demonstrating academic excellence and a commitment to journalism as a career, are administered by the UBC Graduate School of Journalism’s Awards Committee. The funds for these awards are made available from the Faculty of Arts and/or Faculty of Graduate Studies. Awards are determined on the basis of merit and diversity and are open to any graduate student regardless of citizenship or visa status. The number of awards, and the value of each award, is revised annually.

Bursaries have been endowed through a bequest from Gwyneth M. Gunn for students in the School of Journalism, with preference for women students in need of financial assistance. Only students who have applied for Canadian student loans are eligible. Students do not need to apply directly to UBC Financial Aid. UBC Financial Aid determines bursary amounts from data derived from student loan applications.

A gold medal and prize have been endowed by Beverley J. Straight and Robert H. Straight in honour of their father, Hal Straight, who was an editor, managing editor, and publisher for over 50 years. The award is offered to the most outstanding graduate student in Journalism and is made on the recommendation of the School.

A bequest from Ida Helen Badenoch provides graduation scholarships to students who are most proficient in the community health nursing practice and who are proceeding to further work in this field of study; and, to two students who are most proficient in a field of journalism, or in a field related to journalism.

This award recognizes Jack Webster and his legacy of insightful, accurate and uncompromising reporting from his more than 40 years of print, radio and television journalism. Five $2,000 awards are available and will be paid towards tuition at the recipient’s school. In addition, the recipients will be invited to the Jack Webster Awards Dinner. The application is open for students who are permanent residents of British Columbia (at least three years) and are pursuing full time journalism studies in a B.C. post-secondary journalism program, and who show a demonstrated interest in journalism.

An entrance scholarship has been endowed by the family of James L. and Donald A. Duncan to honour them and recognize their high regard for excellence and integrity in journalism. Preference is given to graduate students with excellent writing abilities who are well-read and have a demonstrated interest in a broad range of journalistic topics. The award is made on the recommendation of the UBC Graduate School of Journalism.

A prize has been endowed by The Jim Pattison Broadcast Group in honour of Rafe Mair. It is awarded to a student in the graduating class in Journalism. The prize is awarded to the graduating student who has produced the best published work of public service journalism during the degree program.

One or more scholarships have been endowed by Roy Barnett in honour of his sister, Susan M. Boyce, for graduate students in the Master of Journalism Program in the School of Journalism. Susan is a longtime Vancouver-based journalist and a firm believer in the need to support and mentor aspiring writers in this exciting career. It is her hope this scholarship will contribute to making the aspiration a reality for many who are dedicated to preserving the value and integrity of the written word.

A $1,000 award is offered by family and friends in memory of Brian Truscott (BFA ’88) to a student enrolled in the Graduate School of Journalim with an interest in business journalism. Brian began his career at the Vancouver Courier, where he worked as a reporter from 1988 to 1994. A move to Hong Kong saw him reporting for the Eastern Express newspaper, and then Finance Asia magazine. From 1998 to 2010, he was variously a columnist, reporter and editor with the Dow Jones Newswires financial news service, in Singapore, London and Vancouver. Brian’s friends and relatives remember him as an inquistive man with a wry sense of humour and an abiding passion for his profession. The award is made by the School of Journalism, in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

Major External Awards

Every year students win a number of Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and Affiliated University Graduate Fellowships. Affiliated Graduate awards range in amount from $200 – $20,000. SSHRC awards are $17,500. Note that International students are ineligible for SSHRCs; however, they may apply for the graduate Affiliate Award for their second year of funding.

First Year Funding: prospective domestic journalism students with first-class standings are strongly encouraged to apply for SSHRCs directly through SSHRC (not through UBC) and the institution in which they achieved their bachelor’s degree. This funding is for the first year of study (see below for second year SSHRC/Graduate Affiliate funding). The deadline is December 1 of the year prior to our September intake . Your undergraduate university may have an internal deadline that is earlier, so make sure that you check with the faculty or department as soon as you can. More information can be found on the SSHRC website.

Second Year Funding: once classes start in September, students may apply for second year funding from SSHRC if they plan to continue their journalism studies beyond five terms (domestic students only) and/or from the Graduate Affiliated Criteria-Based Awards (for those who are applying for or have SSHRC funding already, and/or for international students). Students are encouraged to have all of their application materials ready before they begin the Master of Journalism program.

The Master of Journalism program fee is assessed as a full-time program fee, divided into five installments of payment at the beginning of each academic term. The fee is the same regardless of how many course credits the student registers in. Please note that students are also expected to pay full summer tuition fees.

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Make the most of the financial resources available to you as a UBC graduate student.

We recognize the importance of financial support to academic success and are committed to funding all of our graduate students. We typically offer MA students 20 months of funding and a minimum of five years of funding to PhD students. UBC automatically considers domestic and international applicants for funding as part of the application process.

Funding packages consist of scholarships and employment, usually in the form of teaching assistantships and, when available, research assistantships.

Scholarships

Approximately one-half to two-thirds of a funding package offered on admission will consist of scholarships. Scholarship funding comes either from the department’s internal funding or external awards won by application or departmental nomination.

All eligible international students receive an international tuition award for the duration of their program that reduces the amount of their tuition to approximately the domestic rate.

Beyond the first year of their programs, our students have successfully obtained major financial awards. In addition, students are eligible for funding from the graduate travel fund, and the department is typically able to fund at least one research trip per graduate career.

Student employment

Approximately one-third to one-quarter of a funding package offered on admission will consist of income as a teaching assistant for one or more of the department's undergraduate courses. Teaching assistantships are an integral part of the graduate student experience. Students have the opportunity to hone their expertise in an area or learn about new topics and develop strong organizational, communication, and instructional skills.

We regularly run a TA training program, through which students gain valuable skills that apply to teaching, academic success, and professional development within and beyond the academy. We have also offered free registration in UBC's Instructional Skills Workshop to two or three students each year.

At UBC, we pay teaching assistants according to the rates set by CUPE 2278, the labour union representing TAs at UBC. Visit their website for salary information.

Graduate research assistantships and other employment

Many of our faculty hold grants which allow them to hire qualified graduate students as research assistants.

We hire graduate students to provide administrative assistance in some years, such as in the TA Training Program and the Graduate Reading Room.

We understand the importance of teaching experience for our doctoral students. In addition to gaining experience as a TA, we encourage you to take advantage of the many instructional development opportunities offered through the Centre for Teaching and Learning Technology.

Total funding is always taken into consideration when hiring graduate students. PhD students in their fifth year who are making good progress on their dissertations are often the first to be considered for employment.

Funding opportunities

Graduate fellowships.

Amounts vary

Open to domestic and international students. No separate application is required; all students are automatically considered.

Four-year doctoral fellowships

$18,200 per year for up to 4 years plus a tuition waiver

Open to domestic and international students. The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies automatically considers all PhD applicants for the four-year fellowship. No separate application is required.

UBC affiliated fellowships

Up to $30,000 a year

Open to domestic and international doctoral and master's students. Domestic students who apply for Tri-Council funding are automatically considered. International students must apply directly to the department by mid-September (doctoral) or December 1 (master's).

Killam doctoral fellowships

$30,000 a year for up to 2 years plus tuition waiver

Open to domestic and international students. Students who apply for a Tri-Council doctoral scholarships (SSHRC Doctoral and SSHRC CGS) or UBC affiliated fellowships are automatically considered for the Killam. At AMNE, we currently have two Killam award holders.

David and Blanche Gwynne-Vaughan memorial scholarship

Open to domestic and international students. For students studying topics in religion. The department administers the scholarship. No separate application is required.

Diversity fund

At AMNE, we have committed funding to support MA and PhD students from underrepresented backgrounds in our fields. Prospective graduate students who identify as Indigenous, Black, or a person of colour may apply for this fund as part of their admissions application. Depending on available funding, admitted students may receive up to $5,000 per year as a top-up to their funding packages.

Malcolm F. McGregor memorial scholarship

For students studying Classics or Classical Archaeology. No application is required. The department administers the scholarship.

External awards

Vanier scholarship

$50,000 a year for up to 3 years

Open to domestic and international doctoral students. Applications are due to the department in early September.

Canada graduate scholarships: master's

$17,500 for one year

Open to Canadian citizens and permanent residents. Applications are due December 1 for the following academic year. Applications are made directly through the Tri-Council Research Portal. The department nominates the best applications for consideration in the next round of adjudication .

SSHRC graduate scholarships: doctoral

$20,000 per year for up to 4 years plus tuition waiver or $35,000 per year for up to 3 years

Open to Canadian citizens and permanent residents. A single application for both the Doctoral Fellowship and the Canada Graduate Scholarship awards is due directly to the department in mid-September for the following academic year. The department nominates the best applications for consideration in the next round of adjudication.

Mackenzie King memorial scholarships

$8,500 to $10,500

Open to graduates of Canadian universities. Applications are due in early February for the following academic year.

Research and conference travel awards

The Department of Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies is committed to funding graduate student travel to conduct research, fieldwork, and/or attend conferences. Typically, we can fund at least one research trip or conference per graduate career.

• Dennis Molnar Graduate Student Travel Scholarship: By application to the department in February.
• Homer Armstrong Thompson Travel Scholarship: By application to the department in February.
• Departmental Travel Fund: By application to the department in February. We will reimburse the funds after you have completed your travels.
• Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Graduate Student Travel Fund: By application to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

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Make the most of the financial resources available to you as a UBC graduate student.

Graduate students are awarded financial aid on a competitive basis. The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (G+PS) considers all program applications for financial aid; you do not require a separate application.

G+PS provides financial aid through scholarships, tuition awards, and scholarship top-ups. Funding is awarded based on academic excellence and is open to all domestic and international graduate students.

Teaching Assistantships

You can fund your graduate studies by becoming a teaching assistant (TA). In the Department of Art History, Visual Art and Theory, we offer TA positions to students entering the second year of their graduate programs. The department posts notices of teaching assistantships on March 31st. Duties include leading discussion sections and marking exams and papers for undergraduate courses for a maximum of 12 hours per week.

Funding Opportunities

Art history travel research scholarship.

Scholarships totalling $6,500 have been endowed for graduate students in Art History to assist them in studying works of art in galleries and museums around the world. The awards are made on the recommendation of the Department of Art History, Visual Art and Theory in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

Audain Foundation Graduate Fellowship

It is awarded based on academic excellence to graduate students in the critical and curatorial studies (CCST) program. The fellowship is a gift from philanthropist Michael Audain. The gift creates endowments that will augment the CCST program and provide financial support to students through three annual fellowships.

BC Binning Memorial Fellowship

A fellowship of $18,000 has been endowed in memory of Professor Emeritus BC. Binning, painter and founder of the Department of Fine Arts at UBC. The award is made on the department's recommendation to a student entering the second year in the MFA program in the Department of Art History, Visual Art and Theory and showing exceptional drawing promise. Preference is given to a candidate who is a Canadian citizen or a landed immigrant.

Graduate Support Initiative

Awards are offered to the best and brightest incoming master's and doctoral students for full-time graduate study. All applicants to the program are automatically considered for this award. If a student receives another funding offer above the graduate support initiative allocation, the department reserves the right to withdraw the offer so that another student can receive funding.

Graduate Teaching Assistant Teaching Awards

The Faculty of Arts normally awards up to three Graduate Teaching Assistant Teaching Awards per year. The Dean's Office administers the awards based on departmental nominations. The award is open to any graduate teaching assistant who acts or has acted in this position during the current and/or preceding academic year.

Hugo E. Meilicke Memorial Fellowship

Established by the late Hugo E. Meilicke, who gave distinguished service to the community through his business associations and active participation in organizations such as the Kiwanis Club, the Salvation Army, the Vancouver Foundation, the Crippled Children's Hospital, the Vancouver Art Gallery, and the Vancouver Symphony Society. The annual income of $39,000 provides awards in various fields such as agriculture, political science, commerce, fine arts, and music. The awards are made on the recommendation of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

IODE Fine Arts Foundation Scholarship

Four awards have been endowed by the University Chapter of the Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire. They are made on the joint recommendation of the Departments of Creative Writing, Art History, Visual Art and Theory, Theatre and the School of Music for excellence in these fields.

Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Travel Fund

Graduate students are eligible for reimbursement from the Graduate Student Travel Fund once per degree program. The travel fund provides travel support to a maximum of $500 per graduate student who presents a paper or poster at an official conference or symposium (student workshops are ineligible) or participates in a music competition. The conference or competition must take place while the student is enrolled full-time in a graduate degree program.

UBC-CCA Collection Research Grant

PhD candidates in the Department of Art History Visual Art and Theory can apply to participate in a joint fellowship offered by The Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) to research CCA's collection and library.

Helen Belkin Memorial Scholarship in Fine Arts

The President's Fund has endowed a scholarship to honour the memory of Helen Mary Emily Belkin. The scholarship is offered to a fine arts student on the recommendation of the department. Undergraduate and Graduate students are eligible.

Helen Pitt Bursary in Fine Arts

Awarded to students in the Department of Art History, Visual Art and Theory by the awards office, based on financial need.

Roloff Beny Foundation Scholarship

The Roloff Beny Foundation has endowed a scholarship for graduate students in the Department of Art History, Visual Art and Theory whose work focuses on photo-based practices. Roloff Beny, a famous Canadian photographer, painter and designer, died in March 1984. For the outstanding photography and design of his beautiful books, he won numerous awards, including the Gold Medal of the Leipzig International Book Fair, the Charles Blanc Medallion of the French Academy, and the Order of Canada. The award is made on the department's recommendation in consultation with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

Thea Koerner Memorial Scholarship

A scholarship endowed by her friends in memory of Thea Koerner and recognition of her most generous encouragement of the arts at the university and in British Columbia, is awarded upon the recommendation by the Theatre Program, the Creative Writing Program, the Departments of Art History, Visual Art and Theory, and the School of Music, to a full-time student, regularly enrolled in one of these areas and proceeding to a degree, whose past performance and future promise qualify them as the most suitable recipient of the award.

External fellowships, scholarships and prizes

Governor General's Gold Medal

A gold medal is awarded to the graduate student who has achieved the most outstanding academic record in the doctoral degree's graduating class. A second gold medal is awarded to the graduate student who has achieved the most outstanding academic record in the graduating class for the master's degree with thesis. This is an opportunity to honour the best in the graduating class within the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. There is only one award for approximately 1,000 master's graduates and one award for more than 300 doctoral graduates. Medals are presented on behalf of the Governor-General of Canada by participating educational institutions and a personalized certificate signed by the Governor-General. There is no monetary award associated with the medals.

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Master's and Doctoral Scholarships and Fellowships

Awards based on academic excellence. Students who are either Canadian citizens or Landed Immigrants with first-class averages in their last two years of full-time study may be eligible to submit applications for these prestigious national awards. Applications are submitted to the department in the fall.

Vanier Scholarship

The Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships (Vanier CGS) program is designed to attract and retain world-class doctoral students by offering them a significant financial award to assist them during their studies at Canadian universities. Vanier Scholars demonstrate leadership skills and a high standard of scholarly achievement in the social sciences and humanities, natural sciences and engineering, and health-related fields. Canadian and international students are eligible to be nominated for a Vanier Scholarship, which is valued at $50,000 per year for up to three years.

Indigenous Graduate Fellowships

The University of British Columbia offers multi-year fellowships to master's and doctoral Indigenous students . Award winners are selected on the basis of academic merit through an annual competition administered by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

Each fellowship provides a stipend of $18,200 per year for doctoral students or a stipend of $16,175 per year for master’s students. Additionally, IGF recipients are eligible to receive tuition funding. Tuition funding will not exceed the current value of standard doctoral or master's degree tuition fees. Applicants for Master's funding will receive fellowship funding until the end of their second year of master’s studies; applicants for doctoral funding will receive fellowship funding for four years or until the end of their fifth year of doctoral studies, whichever comes first.  In all cases, continued fellowship support is conditional on satisfactory academic progress. Recipients of master’s fellowship funding must re-apply to be considered for doctoral funding.

NEW! Effective the 2023-2024 academic year, the IGF is also offering opportunities for (i) Indigenous PhD students in their fourth year to apply for a fifth year of funding and (ii) research master’s and PhD students to apply for research funding .

Applicants must check with their graduate program regarding their program’s internal application deadline. Internal application deadlines are normally several weeks before the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies department nomination deadline. It is generally advised that applicants applying to one of AHVA's graduate programs submit their IGF applicant concurrently with their admissions application.

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Graduate students who have questions about need-based funding should contact Enrolment Services .

Research Assistantships (GRAs)

For students without scholarships or external funding, minimum stipends for nominal periods are provided to graduate students by their supervisors. Funding is subject to satisfactory annual performance and progress and availability of research funds. Beyond the nominal timeframe, student stipends are determined by the supervisor(s).

Entrance scholarships

The Chemical and Biological Engineering Department awards exemplary students with the Four Year Doctoral Fellowship (4YF) and Graduate Student Initiative awards. Incoming students are automatically considered for these awards.

Department scholarships

CHBE donors and alumni generously provide funding for scholarships supporting CHBE students. Graduate students are encouraged to apply for these awards.

NSERC and Vanier Scholarships

Annual scholarship plus supplementary funding from supervisor(s) amount exceeds GRA stipends.

UBC affiliated scholarships

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies posts awards opportunities and students are encouraged to apply.

Teaching Assistantships (GTAs)

Research graduate students may apply for Teaching Assistantships with the agreement of their supervisors. Remuneration typically ranges from $1,000 to ­$3,600 per year.

Additional Payments (GAAs)

Supervisors may have additional work and learning opportunities outside the individual graduate student’s research project. Supervisors will provide a Graduate Academic Assistantship to remunerate students for this additional work which is not related to their individual graduate study project.

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Make the most of the financial resources available to you as a UBC student.

The Department of Central, Eastern, and Northern European Studies has various funding opportunities for all graduate students including internal and external awards, scholarships, and research funding.

MA Program Funding

MA students receive base funding of at least $17,000 for a maximum of two years, although funding in the Germanic Studies program is usually well above that level. The funding package may consist of a combination of internal or external awards, teaching-related work, research assistantships, and graduate academic assistantships.

International students qualify for $3,200 annually in tuition support in the form of the International Tuition Award.

In addition, all students are expected to apply for teaching assistantships, SSHRC scholarships, and Affiliated Awards as long as they are eligible.

Sample funding breakdowns can be obtained from the Graduate Director upon request.

PhD Program Funding

All full-time students who begin a PhD program will be provided with a funding package of at least $22,000 for each of the first four years of their PhD, although funding in the Germanic Studies program is usually well above that level. The funding package may consist of any combination of internal or external awards, teaching-related work, research assistantships, and graduate academic assistantships.

International students qualify for $3,200 annually in tuition support via the International Tuition Award.

UBC also offers Four-Year Doctoral Fellowships (4YF) for qualified PhD students. The number of Four-Year Fellowships available varies from year to year. The fellowships are awarded on the recommendation of the Graduate Director.

In addition, as long as they are eligible, all students are required to apply for teaching assistantships, SSHRC scholarships, and Affiliated Awards, which includes the Killam Doctoral Fellowship that amounts to a total of $30,000 per year for two years, including tuition coverage and a research travel allowance.

Funding for the fifth year and beyond of PhD study is subject to budgetary considerations, as well as competitive qualifications such as satisfactory progress.

UBC offers the International Tuition Award for international students who hold a valid Student Authorization (Study Permit). Students who receive external funding for their tuition which is equal to or higher than the value of the International Tuition Award are not eligible.

Graduate Support Initiative Awards (GSI)

Funded by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, “the Graduate Support Initiative is a program for funding graduate students through entrance scholarships, multi-year funding packages, tuition awards and scholarship top-up.” These are typically assigned by the department at the beginning of each academic year.

SSHRC Scholarships

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) offers several graduate scholarships to students who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents, and meet the eligibility criteria. SSHRC Scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic excellence (first-class standing) and research potential.

SSHRC-CGS Master’s Competition

The stipend for the Canada Graduate Scholarship Master’s (CGS M) Program is up to $17,500 for one year. Eligible MA students who intend to study at UBC (or eligible students who are currently enrolled in the MA program) can apply to the annual SSHRC CGS-Master’s competition. In their online application, prospective students must indicate UBC as one of five universities they may wish to attend. Applicants to the CGS competition must immediately notify the Graduate Program Assistant of their intention to apply for admission to the Master’s program and submit their application for admission before the deadline.

SSHRC Doctoral Competition

Students in the Doctoral program can apply for the SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship-Doctoral (CGS D) program, which provides fellowships in the range of $35,000 annually for up to three years.

Affiliated Awards

Affiliated Fellowships are open to Master’s and PhD students regardless of citizenship or visa status. The awards are for full-time study and/or research leading to a graduate degree and are open to current and prospective full-time students. Awards are made on the basis of academic excellence, and fellowship values range from $175 to $16,000 at the Master's level and $175 to $30,000 at the Doctoral level.

CENES Graduate Travel Fund

All graduate students are eligible to apply for travel assistance from the CENES Graduate Travel Fund. Students must submit the application form and supporting documents (e.g., abstract, confirmation of acceptance, travel estimate) to the Graduate Advisor. Priority will be given to students who have not yet received a CENES Graduate Student Travel Grant. Applications are due on April 1 for travel plans that will take place up to October 31 of the same year. If funding permits, a second due date will be November 1, for travel plans up to March 31 in the following year.

The CENES Graduate Student Travel Award may be combined with the graduate student travel award ($500) from the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Students must apply for and use up the Graduate School's travel funds and any other UBC travel awards for fellowship holders first.

All CENES graduate students are eligible to apply on a rolling basis. The annual maximum for which a student may apply is $500. Examples of expenses include books or periodicals, organizational memberships, archival scans or copies, software/methods training, research equipment and supplies, and research dissemination costs. A detailed explanation and justification for your expenses must accompany your application. The application must show how these expenses relate directly to your overall research program. Any items purchased with the funds become the property of UBC.

Questions can be directed to the CENES Administrator.

Featured Awards News

Ajibola fabusuyi is a 2023 recipient of diversity and inclusion grant of waterloo centre for german studies, teaching & research assistantships.

Students applying to the graduate program in Germanic Studies will be considered for teaching assistantships at the time of their application and in subsequent years. Students who are offered admission will be invited to submit an updated CV and cover letter during the formal application period for teaching assistantships.

Teaching assistants at UBC belong to the CUPE 2278 union and are covered by the Collective Agreement.

Teaching assistants’ hours are limited to an average of no more than 12 hours a week, to a maximum of 192 hours per term. Pay rates and classification can be found on the CUPE 2278 website.

Research Assistantships

Graduate faculty members typically have multiple research assistantships (RA) available each year. All graduate students in the Germanic Studies program are eligible to apply for RA positions in our department as well as in any other UBC program. Specific details are to be outlined on RA job postings, and students are selected based on qualifications and department hiring guidelines.

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UBC expands life sciences and technology programs thanks to provincial investment including 58 new graduate seats in SBME

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UBC Scholarly Publication Fund

Program Link:  https://scholcomm.ubc.ca/ubc-scholarly-publication-subvention-fund/

Sponsor: UBC Library with funding support from the Vice-President, Research & Innovation and the Provost and Vice-President Academic, UBC Vancouver through the Academic Excellence Funds.

Value: Up to $5,000 for direct subvention support. Up to $2,000 for other publication charges. Individuals and co-authors are limited to $7,000 in funding within a two-year period

Description: The UBC Scholarly Publication Fund is established under the auspices of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation in order to assist UBC Vancouver and UBC Okanagan faculty members with the costs of scholarly publication.

Subventions are partial subsidies toward the cost of publishing scholarly works, and are commonly requested by publishers and academic presses to support the costs associated with monograph publishing. Support for other publication costs can enhance the work through use of images, copyrighted materials, or special production elements. Researchers often report difficulty securing appropriate funding sources for such costs, particularly early career faculty in the humanities and social sciences.

This new fund is intended to address such needs and support publications directly aligned with SSHRC’s  General Guidelines for Eligibility of Subject Matter for SSHRC and Eligibility of Applications Related to Health .

Important deadlines

Applications are adjudicated three times yearly.  Application deadlines are 4:00pm (Pacific Time) on

October 15, February 15, and June 15.

Late applications will not be considered, but will enter the pool for the next round unless the applicant requests withdrawal of the application.  Normally applicants will receive responses within 4-5 weeks following these deadlines.

Types of funding available

Eligibility requirements

• Peer-reviewed publications (books, book chapters, edited volumes, and articles) directly aligned with the above SSHRC subject guidelines are eligible for funding. When requesting funding for a subvention, monographs will be prioritized over other scholarly works.
• The author or at least one co-author must be tenured/tenure-track faculty members in the  Research Stream  or  Educational Leadership Stream  or librarians and archivists with confirmed/confirmation-track appointments.
• Early career and pre-tenure faculty members have priority.
• Funds will be awarded only when no other funding is available to the author for this purpose.
• Subventions will not normally be awarded to a book which has received, or for which the publisher intends to apply for an  Awards to Scholarly Publication Program grant.
• Individuals and co-authors are limited to $7,000 in funding within a two-year period.

Exclusions. This fund is intended to support direct costs of publishing scholarly works.  It does not support:

• travel, marketing or advertising, equipment, supplies, purchase of copies
• commercially-oriented works, textbooks, or trade publications
• faculty members’ or assistants’ time writing or conducting research
• article processing charges (APCs) or cost of publishing in open access books and journals.

Groups not eligible to apply include term, visiting, honorary and emeritus faculty; post-doctoral fellows, research associates and lecturers; staff members; and students.

In the case of UBC co-authorship, normally the primary author should seek funds for publication.  However, should there be reasons for a co-author to apply, the adjudication committee will consider an application, with a rationale given in the section of the application describing the importance of the work to research and career development.

Additional conditions

The following conditions accompany the award and must be accepted by the recipient:

• Support for Subventions and Other Publication Costs will be paid to a grant account in the faculty member’s name.  The faculty member will make payments to the publisher or others (copyright holder, indexer, etc.) for subvention or other costs.  Costs incurred one year prior to or one year following the award date are eligible for payment from the fund.
• The faculty member agrees that the funds will be returned to the University if the work is not published for any reason, within 60 days of receiving such notification.
• The faculty member agrees to acknowledge support from this fund within the publication, such as on the CIP page or in the acknowledgements.

Support will depend upon funding availability and is not guaranteed.

Complete this online  APPLICATION  FORM  with the following required documents attached:

• Copy of the signed publisher contract or notice of acceptance for the work (please ensure you erase confidential personal information such as your SIN);
• Budget summary. For a book subvention, a budget from the publisher showing subvention amount; for other publishing costs, an invoice or quote prepared by the publisher or service provider;
• Research Project Information Form  signed by the applicant, the department/unit Head, and the Dean.  The Funding Source is the “VPRI” and Funding Program “UBC Scholarly Publication Fund.” More information about completing the RPIF is available  here .

PDF format preferred. Mailed applications will not be considered.

Deadlines to apply online through VPRI’s Apply system

Applications are adjudicated three times yearly. Application deadlines are 4:00pm (Pacific Time) on October 15, February 15, and June 15.

Contact: If you have any questions, contact The Fund Coordinator at [email protected]

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UBC adding 778 tech and life sciences spaces thanks to $14.8M provincial investment

Expanded enrolment will increase opportunities for students and help drive B.C.’s innovation economy.

By Thandi Fletcher and Lui Xia Lee, MA'21 | 3 MIN | April 12, 2024

Photo by Paul H. Joseph / UBC Brand & Marketing

The University of British Columbia is adding 778 new spaces over six years in technology-related programs on its campuses thanks to additional funding from the BC government.  

BC’s Minister of Jobs, Economic Development, and Innovation, the Honourable Brenda Bailey, was on site at UBC’s Vancouver campus on Friday to celebrate the expansion of technology-related learning spaces as part of the provincial government’s long-term plan to meet growing demand for talent in BC’s tech sector. 

“The students who will be filling these hundreds of seats at UBC will help increase the supply of talent into the province’s rapidly expanding tech sector,” Bailey says. “These graduates will be rewarded with well-paying careers while helping to advance health care and research to improve life for British Columbians, and build our clean, innovative economy of the future.” 

The funding will add new student spaces to existing programs in the faculties of Applied Science, Medicine, Pharmaceutical Sciences, and Science on both the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses. These spaces will be added over six years, including an investment of $5.4 million in capital funding to equip and renovate labs and classrooms, and a total of $17.7 million in start-up and on-going operating funding over the first three years of the planned expansion. 

“We are grateful to the BC government for this generous investment, which will further enhance UBC’s position as a global leader in technology learning and innovation,” says UBC President and Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Benoit-Antoine Bacon. “This investment not only provides our students with exciting new education and career opportunities, but it also helps meet the demand for talent in BC’s rapidly growing tech and life sciences industry. With these new spaces, UBC is preparing even more students to become the engineers, scientists, product developers, and technology leaders that will help propel our society and economy forward.”

The investment will also be used to establish two new programs: a Bachelor of Data Science on the Vancouver campus, and a Master of Science in Biotechnology on the Okanagan campus.  

“There’s growing demand for talent as workplaces and the economy are transforming and we have more job openings in growing and in-demand fields than we have the skilled workers ready to fill them," says BC’s Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, Lisa Beare. “People with technological skills and knowledge are in high demand and that’s why we are excited to add tech-relevant spaces for people to learn, grow and thrive in these in-demand careers.”

“At UBC Okanagan, we are especially thrilled to be launching a Master of Science in Biotechnology program,” says Dr. Lesley Cormack, principal and deputy vice-chancellor of UBC Okanagan. “With biotechnology’s potential to address local and global challenges in agriculture, health, biomedicine and the environment, this program will empower students to harness cutting-edge technologies for a brighter future for BC and the communities we serve.” 

UBC Vancouver will see 578 additional spaces added, including 120 spaces in the undergraduate data science program, 160 spaces in the undergraduate microbiology and immunology program, 60 spaces in undergraduate pharmaceutical sciences, 180 spaces in undergraduate chemical, computer and integrated engineering program streams, and 58 spaces in biomedical engineering graduate programs.  

Meanwhile, UBC Okanagan will add 200 additional spaces, including 60 in the undergraduate data science program, and 100 in the undergraduate engineering program. The new Master of Biotechnology program will have 40 spaces. 

Selected Stories

UBC adding 778 student spaces across technology and life sciences programs thanks to provincial investment

B.C.’s Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation, the Honourable Brenda Bailey, was on site at UBC’s Vancouver campus Friday to celebrate the expansion of technology-related learning spaces as part of the provincial government’s long-term plan to meet growing demand for talent in B.C.’s tech sector. 

The expansion involves creating 578 additional spaces at UBC Vancouver—including 120 in a new undergraduate data science program, and 160 spaces in the undergraduate microbiology and immunology program.

“The students who will be filling these hundreds of seats at UBC will help increase the supply of talent into the province’s rapidly expanding tech sector,” says Bailey.  “These graduates will be rewarded with well-paying careers while helping to advance health care and research to improve life for British Columbians, and build our clean, innovative economy of the future.” 

The funding will add new student spaces to existing programs in the faculties of applied science, medicine, pharmaceutical sciences, and science on both the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses. These spaces will be added over six years, including an investment of $5.4 million in capital funding to equip and renovate labs and classrooms, and a total of $17.7 million in start-up and on-going operating funding over the first three years of the planned expansion. 

“We are grateful to the B.C. government for this generous investment, which will further enhance UBC’s position as a global leader in technology learning and innovation,” says UBC President and Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Benoit-Antoine Bacon. 

“This investment not only provides our students with exciting new education and career opportunities, but it also helps meet the demand for talent in B.C.’s rapidly growing tech and life sciences industry. With these new spaces, UBC is preparing even more students to become the engineers, scientists, product developers, and technology leaders that will help propel our society and economy forward.”

“There’s growing demand for talent as workplaces and the economy are transforming and we have more job openings in growing and in-demand fields than we have the skilled workers ready to fill them,” says B.C.’s Minister of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, Lisa Beare. “People with technological skills and knowledge are in high demand and that’s why we are excited to add tech-relevant spaces for people to learn, grow and thrive in these in-demand careers.”

The expansion also incudes 60 spaces in undergraduate pharmaceutical sciences, 180 spaces in undergraduate chemical, computer and integrated engineering program streams, and 58 spaces in biomedical engineering graduate programs.  

Media Contact

Lui Xia Lee UBC Media Relations Tel: 604-827-5781 Email:  [email protected]