ELIGIBILITY

The minimum requirement for admission to the M.Sc. or M.A.Sc. program is a B.Sc. in physics, astronomy or mathematics, or a B.A.Sc in engineering physics or electrical engineering (or an equivalent degree from an accredited university-level institution) with an average grade of at least 80% (3.5 GPA).

The minimum requirement for admission to the Ph.D. program is an M.Sc. or M.A.Sc. in physics, astronomy or mathematics with an average grade of at least 80%. In exceptional cases, students with a B.Sc. or B.A.Sc. may be admitted directly into the Ph.D. program. Students in our M.Sc. or M.A.Sc. program may transfer to the Ph.D. program after one year if their academic performance is sufficiently strong and they have identified a faculty member who is willing to supervise them for the Ph.D. degree. See Direct Transfer Form. 

In order to be admitted directly to the PhD program, a faculty member must commit to supervising the student. While the admissions committee will attempt facilitate the process of finding suitable supervisors for promising PhD applicants, the commitment typically requires direct contact between the prospective supervisor and the applicant. To this end, we encourage applicants to contact faculty members whose research is of interest to them about the possibility of supervision as soon as possible. The admissions process is competitive, thus the commitment of a supervisor does not guarantee admission to the program. Alternatively, students who already have a masters degree can be admitted into the M.Sc. program and transfer to the Ph.D. program in the first year, as described above. 

REQUIRED APPLICATION MATERIALS

1. A completed online application. (If you are unable to utilize the online application please contact our Graduate Program Coordinator.) An application fee is required for applicants from most countries.
2. Two official copies of transcripts from all university-level institutions that you have attended (except UBC). These must be received on a sealed envelope endorsed by the university.  If you are submitting transcripts from a non-English speaking country, pleasure ensure that the university sends certified translations with the official transcripts, together in one sealed envelope.  Photocopies of transcripts will NOT be accepted. Please see Required Documents for more information.
3. Three electronic references or confidential Report on Applicant for Admission to Graduate Studies forms sent to us by former professors or supervisors in a sealed envelope. We encourage the use of electronic references whenever possible. If your referees are submitting electronic references through the online application system, a paper version is not required. Electronic references will only be acceptable if the recommendation is submitted thru online application system. Paper letters of reference should be on referee's official letterhead and must be mailed in a sealed and endorsed envelope.
4. Official TOEFL examination results (for applicants from a university outside Canada for which English is not the primary language of instruction and from a non-English speaking country). The minimum grade is 550 for the paper-based exam, 213 for the computer-based exam and 80 for the internet-based exam. IELTS can be submitted in lieu of TOEFL. A minimum overall band score of 6.5 is required with a minimum score of 6.0 in each component of the academic (NOT general) IELTS test.

Send application materials to: Graduate Admissions, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of British Columbia, 6224 Agricultural Road, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1, Canada.

Completed applications and all documents (reference letters, standardized examination scores, and transcripts) must be received by our office by January 15 for full consideration. Our program starts on September 1.

Requests for other start dates (May 1 or January 1) may be granted under certain circumstances. Please contact the  Graduate Program Coordinator in advance if you wish to apply for these other start dates. If we decide to accept your application, the deadline for May 1 start is 1 September, and for 1 January start is 1 June.

Please refer to Overview of the Application Process for detailed information. If you have any questions, please contact the Graduate Program Coordinator.