MASc/PhD Application Instructions

Degree Programs

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

Research Areas

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

Faculty Members & Research

Canada/US Applicants

Masters

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

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

Doctoral

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

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

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

Applicants from other countries

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

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

Applicants from Other Countries

English Requirements

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

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

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

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

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

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

Faculty Members & Research

• BME-affiliated faculty members
• BME research

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

GPA Calculation (if required)

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

For Canadian/US institutions:

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

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

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

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

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

There are three possible formats for references:

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

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

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

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

Paper copies of reference should be mailed directly to:

Student Services Office
School of Biomedical Engineering
251 – 2222 Health Sciences Mall
Vancouver, BC Canada V6T 1Z3
Canada

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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