We offer M.A., M.Sc., and Ph.D. degrees in human and physical geography, and opportunities for interdisciplinary learning and research within and beyond UBC.

M.A. and M.Sc. in Geography

Our program introduces students to independent research while broadening and deepening their contact with a selected aspect of Geography.

Our program is flexible -Students can complete our M.A./ M.Sc. program on a full-time or part-time basis; and, can either complete a thesis or a series of comprehensive examinations.

Our program gets you started on track - Graduates of our M.A./ M.Sc. program have been hired as professionals in government, consulting agencies, non-governmental organizations, business and as instructors at colleges and universities. Many have gone on to continue their doctoral study.

More information on our M.A./ M.Sc. program >>

Ph.D. in Geography

Our Ph.D. is a research degree. Our program emphasizes the development of a self-motivated and disciplined approach to learning.

More information on our Ph.D. program >>

How To Apply

Applications for the September 2013 cohort are accepted by the department from the beginning of November, 2012.  The deadline for applications into the September 2013, Master of Arts or Master of Science programs is January 11, 2013, and January 18, 2013 for the doctoral program.  Qualified doctoral candidates will be considered year-round, please contact gradprogram@geog.ubc.ca for details.

If you are interested in applying, please complete the online application and submit all supporting documents. Candidates are encouraged to complete their applications as early as possible.

Prospective Supervisors & Research Strengths

You will be mentored by outstanding scholars in geography. Our research is inherently interdisciplinary and we seek to integrate the natural sciences, the humanities, and the social sciences.

Tuition & Funding

You can anticipate a stable and consistent funding for the first four years of the doctoral program and the first two years in the master’s program. Nearly all of our full-time students in thesis programs have guaranteed funding packages of a minimum $20,000 in annual income, which are often in the form of teaching or research assistant positions and departmental scholarships.

International Ph.D., M.A., and MSc. students may be eligible to receive the International Partial Tuition Scholarship; i.e. they will pay the same tuition as domestic students.

Details on financial support for students starting in September 2010 will be available at a later date.

Our graduate programs are part of two NSERC CREATE networks, which also provide scholarship possibilities for graduate students working on climate change / terrestrial ecosystem science (CREATE TerreWeb) and on aerosols and atmospheric transport (CREATE–AAP).

Graduate Courses

We offer graduate courses in a diverse range of geographical specializations which extend from postcolonial perspectives to process-oriented scientific inquiry.

In our community you can:

Get plugged into our global networks. Unlearn your intellectual boundaries in a discipline that is inherently interdisciplinary. Enter a culture of student success and achievement:

• we cultivate a culture of scholarship success,
• our grads are quickly integrated into a professional culture of publication, conference attendance and presentation,
• our grads are award winners and get excellent jobs.

Study in one of the most multi-cultural, livable and beautiful cities in the world.

Contact Information

For more information about graduate programs in the Department of Geography, you can email graduate program staff at <gradprog@geog.ubc.ca>.

Please visit the UBC Faculty of Graduate Studies website as well.