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The Faculty of Education at UBC is advancing educational research and understanding in ways that celebrate diversity, equity, and innovation, and welcomes international collaboration in an increasingly borderless world.

UBC’s Faculty of Education, one of the world’s leading education faculties, has served the local, national, and international education community through leadership in research, teaching, service and advocacy for more than 60 years. As the largest Faculty of Education in British Columbia, it plays a critical and influential role in the advancement of education in the province, shaping and participating in education’s possibilities and potential as a social good. 

Today, the Faculty of Education creates conditions for transformative teaching, innovative learning, and leading-edge research guided by the highest standards of scholarship and the principles of collaboration, social justice, inclusion and equity. Offering undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional development opportunities, the Faculty of Education enrolls thousands of students each year on two campuses and ranks 10th in the world, according to QS World University Rankings (2021).

UBC’s Faculty of Education prepares more than 45% of the elementary and the majority of secondary educators in British Columbia, and a significant proportion of British Columbia’s school counsellors, administrators, special education professionals, and school psychologists. With more than 57,000 alum located in 100 countries, the UBC Faculty of Education truly is a global entity. 

The Faculty of Education is home to four departments (Curriculum and Pedagogy, Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education, Educational Studies, and Language and Literacy Education) and two schools (the School of Kinesiology and the Okanagan School of Education).

Mission
To advance education's role in the well-being of people and communities.
 

Research Facilities

We provide outstanding research facilities for faculty and graduate students that promote leading-edge research. Our Education Library is a specialized resource with access to all of UBC’s research and special collections, including the X̱wi7x̱wa Library with materials produced by Indigenous organizations, tribal councils, schools, researchers and publishers.

The Faculty’s Education Research and Learning Commons at Ponderosa Commons features technology-enhanced teaching and learning spaces and also informal learning spaces. A number of faculty manage their own research labs, situated throughout campus. 

Many of our PhD students have been selected as UBC Public Scholars and have received other honours.

Research Highlights

https://ivet.educ.ubc.ca/Notable strengths are in literacy education and multilingualism; struggling and marginalized youth; Indigenous education, decolonization, and research; transformational program and curriculum design and inclusive pedagogies for schools, community organizations and higher education; sexual orientation and gender-identity inclusive education; social-emotional learning and well-being; autism; exercise physiology, socio-cultural aspects of health; neuromechanical studies; and multidisciplinary research in diversity, health, early childhood education, and digital media. The School of Kinesiology ranks 1st in Canada and 4th in the world by QS World University Rankings (2021).

UBC’s Faculty of Education is the national leader in the number of education graduate student fellowships received from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Additionally, the Faculty of Education is home to six Canada Research Chairs, one CIHR chair and nine donor-funded research chairs and professorships. 

Graduate Degree Programs

Recent Publications

This is an incomplete sample of recent publications in chronological order by UBC faculty members with a primary appointment in the Faculty of Education.

 

Recent Thesis Submissions

Doctoral Citations

A doctoral citation summarizes the nature of the independent research, provides a high-level overview of the study, states the significance of the work and says who will benefit from the findings in clear, non-specialized language, so that members of a lay audience will understand it.
Year Citation Program
2015 Dr. Kim studied the academic socialization of international graduate students. She found their experiences and future trajectories dominated the way they socialized, as they negotiated their identities as valuable program members. This study reveals the challenges and variability in student socialization and the benefits of those interactions. Doctor of Philosophy in Language and Literacy Education (PhD)
2015 Dr. Trepanier completed her doctoral studies in the field of Curriculum Studies. She explored how museum visitors think and talk about learning in the context of an evaluation exercise. Her research will help improve self-report methods for the study of museum visit outcomes. Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum Studies (PhD)
2015 Dr. Swenson examined the evaluation process for disability management programs that assist people with impairments to overcome employment barriers. She found that evaluation was based on criteria such as successful job placement and client satisfaction, and drew on multiple perspectives, including the workplace, medical, psychological and social. Doctor of Philosophy in Measurement, Evaluation and Research Methodology (PhD)
2015 Dr. Elez explored the role that social relationships play in the settlement of survivors of political violence who now live in Canada. Her study suggests a definition of settlement as a continuous, interactive and social process rooted in its larger context. It also informs clinical and social practices that aid the settlement of migrant survivors. Doctor of Philosophy in Counselling Psychology (PhD)
2015 Dr. Bakan sang his way to a Ph.D. An accomplished musician and songwriter, his dissertation included original songs and stories about songwriting that broke new ground in music education research methodology. He dedicates his doctorate to his late parents, Drs. Mildred and David Bakan, and accepts congratulations from his sister, Dr. Abigail Bakan. Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum Studies (PhD)
2015 Dr. MacDowell studied the ways in which girls develop new skills and confidence in design, media and technology. She collaborated with a team of youth researchers to create the 101 Technology Fun design community. Her findings contribute to the Tween Empowerment & Advocacy Methodology, which empowers girls as leaders, innovators, and change makers. Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum Studies (PhD)
2015 Dr. Kojima studied the mobility of Asian migrants who are sexual minorities in Vancouver, including Gay and Bisexual. His ethnographic study critically documents how race, gender and sexuality shape the politics of belonging in transnational contexts. The study adds to the theorizing about sexual citizenship, multiculturalism and immigration in Canada. Doctor of Philosophy in Human Development, Learning, and Culture (PhD)
2015 Dr. Morrison studied helping relationships in the Portuguese-Canadian community. The resulting ethnographic description has provided a cultural tool for counselling psychologists and other mental health professionals who work with this population. Her work has also advanced methodology for conducting research with hard-to-reach populations. Doctor of Philosophy in Counselling Psychology (PhD)
2015 Dr. McGregor explored the recent history of change in the Nunavut school system. She focused on a non-Indigenous educational leader's career biography, the role of Elders, curriculum development and leadership training. She found life-long learning and continuous practices of sharing stories contribute to advancing decolonizing goals for schools. Doctor of Philosophy in Curriculum Studies (PhD)
2015 Dr. Graydon Kelsall used sequence analysis to explore the academic pathways of one Ontario college cohort. The study details diverse student transitions and suggests institutional and system barriers to student success. Her recommendations argue for individually-focused institutional support rather than approaches based on group characteristics. Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy (EdD)

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