Master of Education in Society, Culture and Politics in Education (MEd)

Overview

The MEd degree in Society, Culture and Politics in Education (SCPE) is for students who wish to develop their understanding of education by studying it from disciplinary and inter-/multidisciplinary perspectives in cultural studies, history of education, philosophy of education, sociology of education, politics of education, Indigenous knowledge systems and policy studies.

SCPE faculty and students define education broadly to include formal schooling, as well as non-formal education and informal learning at all levels and life stages, in Canada and across the world.

SCPE students and faculty share interests in the part played by education in developing socially, ecologically, politically and culturally just societies.

The SCPE MEd is a 30-credit program that is primarily course based. To complete the program, students may opt to do a faculty-supervised graduating paper (EDST 590) for 3 credits, or may opt for an additional 3-credit elective instead. (The Department of Educational Studies also offers an MA in Educational Studies with a concentration in Society, Culture and Politics in Education, for students who wish to complete a 6-credit master’s thesis instead of a graduating paper or course.)

Note for British Columbia K-12 teachers: the MEd in SCPE (and MA in Educational Studies, SCPE concentration) both consist of 30 credits of course work or projects relevant to teaching in BC schools. Both degrees meet TQS graduate program requirements for a Category 6 upgrade.

For specific program requirements, please refer to the departmental program website.

For specific program requirements, please refer to the departmental program website

What makes the program unique?

The MEd degree in Society, Culture and Politics in Education (SCPE) does something quite unique: it focuses on education as a political, social, and cultural phenomenon. We have a strong and diverse group of scholars from many disciplines who work together, and work with graduate students, to better understand education in many different contexts.

Quick Facts

Faculty Faculty of Education

Academic Unit Department of Educational Studies

Specialization Society, Culture and Politics in Education

Mode of delivery In person at UBC Vancouver

Program Components Coursework + Options

Tuition (First Year) Domestic: 8,204.13 | International: 17,715.72

Tuition & Financial Support

Tuition

Fees	Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat	International
Application Fee	$118.50	$168.25
Tuition *
Installments per year	3	3
Tuition per installment	$2,734.71	$5,905.24
Tuition per year (plus annual increase, usually 2%-5%)	$8,204.13	$17,715.72
Int. Tuition Award (ITA) per year (for eligible individuals)		$1,500.00 (-)
Other Fees and Costs
Student Fees (yearly)	$1,203.20 (approx.)
Costs of living	Estimate your costs of living with our interactive tool in order to start developing a financial plan for your graduate studies.

* Regular, full-time tuition. For on-leave, extension, continuing or part time (if applicable) fees see UBC Calendar.
All fees for the year are subject to adjustment and UBC reserves the right to change any fees without notice at any time, including tuition and student fees. Tuition fees are reviewed annually by the UBC Board of Governors. In recent years, tuition increases have been 2% for continuing domestic students and between 2% and 5% for continuing international students. New students may see higher increases in tuition. Admitted students who defer their admission are subject to the potentially higher tuition fees for incoming students effective at the later program start date. In case of a discrepancy between this webpage and the UBC Calendar, the UBC Calendar entry will be held to be correct.

Financial Support

Applicants to UBC have access to a variety of funding options.

Program Funding Packages

We do not offer any scholarships within the department for our MEd programs, however you can check out the information on the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Graduate Awards website about possible funding opportunities.

Employer support

Organizations may provide their employees with tuition benefits as part of an employment package to support lifelong learning of their workforce.

Scholarships & awards (merit-based funding)

Professional / course-based programs usually do not provide merit-based funding. Some programs may offer bursaries.

Financial aid (need-based funding)

Canadian and US applicants may qualify for governmental loans to finance their studies. Please review eligibility and types of loans.

All students may be able to access private sector or bank loans.

UBC has a working agreement with Windmill Microlending - an organization providing loans to skilled immigrants.

Foreign government scholarships

Many foreign governments provide support to their citizens in pursuing education abroad. International applicants should check the various governmental resources in their home country, such as the Department of Education, for available scholarships.

Working while studying

The possibility to pursue work to supplement income may depend on the demands the program has on students. It should be carefully weighed if work leads to prolonged program durations or whether work placements can be meaningfully embedded into a program.

International students enrolled as full-time students with a valid study permit can work on campus for unlimited hours and work off-campus for no more than 24 hours a week during academic sessions.

A good starting point to explore student jobs is the UBC Work Learn program or a Co-Op placement.

Tax credits and RRSP withdrawals

Students with taxable income in Canada may be able to claim federal or provincial tax credits.

Canadian residents with RRSP accounts may be able to use the Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) which allows students to withdraw amounts from their registered retirement savings plan (RRSPs) to finance full-time training or education for themselves or their partner.

Please review Filing taxes in Canada on the student services website for more information.

Cost Estimator

Applicants have access to the cost estimator to develop a financial plan that takes into account various income sources and expenses.

Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats

These statistics show data for the Master of Education in Society, Culture and Politics in Education (MEd). Data are separated for each degree program combination. You may view data for other degree options in the respective program profile.

ENROLMENT DATA

	2025	2024	2023	2022	2021
Applications	108	142	160	144	194
Offers	38	56	54	40	48
New Registrations	24	30	22	30	28
Total Enrolment	60	54	52	58	44

Completion Rates and Times

This program has a graduation rate of 92.1% based on 46 students admitted between 2016 - 2019. Based on 38 graduations between 2021 - 2024 the minimum time to completion is 0.7 years and the maximum time is 4.3 years with an average of 1.7 years of study. All calculations exclude leave times.

Disclaimer

Admissions data refer to all UBC Vancouver applications, offers, new registrants for each registration year, May to April, e.g. data for 2022 refers to programs starting in 2022 Summer and 2022 Winter session, i.e. May 1, 2022 to April 30, 2023. Data on total enrolment reflects enrolment in Winter Session Term 1 and are based on snapshots taken on November 1 of each registration year. Program completion data are only provided for datasets comprised of more than 4 individuals. Graduation rates exclude students who transfer out of their programs. Rates and times of completion depend on a number of variables (e.g. curriculum requirements, student funding), some of which may have changed in recent years for some programs.

Program Website

September 2027 Intake

Application Open Date1 August 2026

Canadian Applicant Deadline1 February 2027

International Applicant Deadline1 February 2027

Program Enquiries

If you have reviewed the information on this program page and understand the requirements for this program, you may send an enquiry

Departments/Programs may update graduate degree program details through the Faculty & Staff portal. To update contact details for application inquiries, please use this form.

Overview

What makes the program unique?

Quick Facts

Admission Information & Requirements

Program Instructions

1) Check Eligibility

Minimum Academic Requirements

English Language Test

TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language - internet-based

IELTS: International English Language Testing System

Other Test Scores

Prior degree, course and other requirements

2) Meet Deadlines

September 2027 Intake

Canadian Applicants

International Applicants

Deadline Explanations

3) Prepare Application

Transcripts

Letters of reference

Statement of Interest

Supervision

Citizenship Verification

4) Apply Online

Tuition & Financial Support

Tuition

Financial Support

Program Funding Packages

Employer support

Scholarships & awards (merit-based funding)

Financial aid (need-based funding)

Foreign government scholarships

Working while studying

Tax credits and RRSP withdrawals

Cost Estimator

Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats

ENROLMENT DATA

Completion Rates and Times

Disclaimer

Related Programs

Same Academic Unit

At the UBC Okanagan Campus

Further Information

Specialization

UBC Calendar

Program Website

Faculty

Academic Unit

Program Identifier

Classification

September 2027 Intake

Program Enquiries

Social Media Channels

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