Join UBC's Course-Based Programs Application Week, October 19-23, 2026. Explore our wide range of more than 90 course-based and professional graduate programs, live online. Meet program teams, ask your questions, and find the program that's right for you.

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Why UBC

Our course-based programs span across our faculties, from health and business to engineering, education, and the arts. Backed by UBC's research strength and connections across industry and government, you'll graduate with much more than a credential. You’ll gain a network, real-world experience, and graduate from a program built to take you to the next stage of your life and career.

UBC's Institutional Rankings

#41
THE Ranking (2025)
#53
ARWU Ranking (2025)
#5
QS Sustainability Rankings (2025)

The most established and influential global rankings all consistently place UBC in the top three per cent of universities in the world.

 

Career outcomes and industry connections

A UBC course-based master's degree pays off. Based on survey responses collected in August 2025 from graduates of our course-based master's programs between 2014 and 2023, we found:

  • 93% of alumni are employed or self-employed.
  • 89% of employed/self-employed alumni are working within Canada.
  • Careers span every sector: 32% for-profit, 34% education, 27% government/public service, 6% non-profit/NGO/international — showing just how many directions a course-based degree can take you.

Our course-based programs are built with industry input and include career-focused coursework, projects, and practicums — connecting students directly to employers through recruitment events, alumni networks, and capstone projects.

For example, our Master of Architecture and Master of Landscape Architecture students complete an eight-month co-op placement inside a professional firm as part of their degree. In our Master of Physical Therapy students complete five clinical placements across BC's health authorities before they graduate. Our Master of Data Science students complete a capstone project with an industry partner. In the past, teams have worked with organizations like the Insurance Corporation of BC, Boeing Digital Solutions and Vancouver Whitecaps FC. In our Master of Food and Resource Economics students spend their final four months working directly with an industry partner on a real business problem.  

These experiences show up in our graduate outcomes. For example, within a year of graduating, 95%+ of Master of Community and Regional Planning students are working in planning-related roles.  Many of our Master of Food and Resource Economics students go on to roles within the organizations they worked with in the program such as Farm Credit Canada, AlphaSense, and the Government of Canada. Our Master of Science in Occupational and Environmental Hygiene graduates report full employment within six months, while our Master of Health Administration alumni now number more than 400 leaders working in healthcare around the world. In our Master of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering, graduates have gone on to organizations like Vancouver Coastal Health and Neovasc, with some launching their own medtech companies. 

These are just a handful of examples. Read more about our programs and attend upcoming info sessions to hear more. 

What's the difference? Course-based vs. research-based programs

Not sure whether a course-based or research-based program is the right fit? Watch this short video to learn the difference and figure out which path matches your goals.

Facilities

Facilities

Outside view of the CIRS building

Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability

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View of the Beaty expansion project

Beaty Biodiversity Research Centre

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Outside view of the QMI building

Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute

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Outside view of the Gordon B. Shrum Building

School of Biomedical Engineering

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Rendered view of the Gateway Building

Gateway Building

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Street view of the C.K. Choi building

C.K. Choi Building

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Fields on the UBC Farm

UBC Farm

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Inside view of auditorium in the Chan

Chan Centre

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Outside view of the MSL building

Michael Smith Laboratories

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View of great hall in the MoA

Museum of Anthropology

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Front facing view of the Pharamceutical Sciences building

Pharmaceutical Sciences

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EAB building

Earth Science Building

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Student and Alumni Quotes

Picture of Post, Ernette

Ernette Post

Master of Community and Regional Planning (MCRP)

"UBC is close to home, and the School of Community and Regional Planning at UBC has a great reputation. It is a good-sized school that has a well-rounded faculty that bring a wealth of knowledge and critical thinking to their work and to UBC."

Picture of Akwiri, Dorine

Dorine Akwiri

Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs (MPPGA)

"UBC is one of the top-ranked universities in Canada and across the world. I chose UBC as it promised excellent resources for intellectual stimulation, diversity and professional advancement. The fact that UBC sits in Vancouver, which is considered warmer than most…"

Picture of Sekora, Ally Aboubakar

Ally Aboubakar Sekora

Master of Food and Resource Economics (MFRE)

"The one-year MFRE program is unique in the sense that it combines agribusiness management, policy analysis, and applied economics. This attracted me because I wanted to sharpen my skill sets with more advanced economics and real world applications. I’m taking this…"

Picture of Wang, Huanwen

Huanwen Wang

Master of Education in Adult Learning and Education (MEd)

"I chose UBC because of its high quality educational resources and its world-renowned academic reputation. Our department of education is also ranked highly all over the world. Another big factor was that one of my friends had earned her master's degree here,…"

Robbie Knott, UBC graduate student

Robbie Knott

Master of Community and Regional Planning (MCRP)

"The choice to study at UBC was made easy, as I know of no other schools that offer an Indigenous Community Planning degree. I was just fortunate that the program happened to be at the beautiful UBC campus, situated upon the unceded traditional ancestral territory…"

Picture of Okyere, Abigail Amoakoa

Abigail Amoakoa Okyere

Master of Business Administration (MBA)

"The MBA program is CFA-partnered, teaches ethics and professionalism; which are top-priority for my career. I thought there will be no better way to combine all the qualities of a great leadership program with social impact and a great global experience other than…"

Picture of Oguntuyaki, Timilehin

Timilehin Oguntuyaki

Master of Land and Water Systems (MLWS)

"UBC has produced prominent alumni which include Prime Ministers, great scholars and Nobel Prize winners. This speaks to the fact that UBC breeds world leaders and I want to follow in their footsteps."

Picture of Ho, Candace

Candace Ho

Master of Occupational Therapy (MOT)

"The UBC MOT program offers a total of 5 different full-time placements (30 weeks total) which means there are a plethora of opportunities to apply knowledge and skills into the practice setting. They also have many more connections for fieldwork around the world (…"

Picture of Hayes, Jessica

Jessica Hayes

Master of Community and Regional Planning (MCRP)

"I first came to UBC as an undergraduate student and have yet to leave. Growing up in the mountains of Jasper, AB, the Lower Mainland has offered me much of the familiarity of home, with the added bonus of an ocean playground. In terms of my graduate studies, UBC…"

person in a brown coat standing outside

Quinlan Bundschuh

Master of Architecture and Master of Landscape Architecture (MARCLA)

"I was attracted to SALA (School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture) because of its dual-accredited architecture and landscape architecture (MARCLA) program...I believe the multidisciplinary nature of my program will help me navigate and address complex…"