Canadian Immigration Updates
Review details about the recently announced changes to study and work permits that apply to master’s and doctoral degree students. Read more
The role of the Faculty is to support graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and the entire UBC graduate community in pursuit of a personal, professional and academic experience second to none. Among other responsibilities, G+PS seeks to ensure a transparent, consistent and equitable administration of graduate programs and awards, evaluation and quality assurance of graduate programs, advocacy for graduate and postdoctoral needs within the larger academic community, assistance with individual student and postdoctoral problems, and the provision of outstanding opportunities for professional development of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty in their role as supervisors.
At G+PS, we have been defining graduate education as 'the formation of scholars* who make a difference for good in the world'. Here, 'formation' entails learning, but also cultivating habits of heart and mind, and developing a professional identity and sense of purpose. The scholarship pursued refers to the broad activities that bring knowledge, rigour, and creativity to the extension and transformation of knowledge, whether that is inside the academy, outside its walls, or crossing between.
At the Vancouver campus, there are close to 3600 doctoral students and 6200 master's students, the fourth largest graduate student population among Canadian universities. About 30% of master’s students, and 44% of doctoral students at UBC are international.
G+PS plays a central role in the strategic direction of graduate education at UBC. It facilitates discussion on campus about the future of graduate education, provides an information hub for all topics related to graduate education, celebrates the achievement of graduate students and alumni, and provides advocacy for graduate students & Postdoctoral Fellow needs.
In its administrative capacity it provides services to units and graduate students across all academic faculties on the Vancouver campus – from recruitment of new students along the entire lifecycle to graduation and beyond. Services include: orientation, health and well-being, professional development, program administration, and thesis/dissertation support among other things.
G+PS is the home of the Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Program (ISGP), a unique graduate program that allows scholars to design their own curriculum under supervision of supervisors from any unit.
The university also hosts 850 postdoctoral fellows. UBC-appointed postdoctoral fellows can be found in over 90 departments and at affiliated sites including BC Cancer Agency, BC Centre for Disease Control, BC Children’s and Women’s Hospital, the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, St. Paul’s Hospital, and Vancouver General Hospital.
* term taken from Walker et al (2008), The Formation of Scholars. The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
Research Highlights
UBC offers over 300 Graduate Degree Programs in nearly every academic field imaginable, and opportunities to pursue cutting-edge transdisciplinary study that crosses traditional boundaries. There is sure to be a program offered that aligns with your interests.
UBC attracts $580 million per year in research funding from government, non-profit organizations and industry through 8,800 projects and UBC researchers file over 230 patents a year. Many programs have state-of-art new buildings and facilities. At UBC you will work side by side with passionate scholars as you delve into the most meaningful questions of our world.
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 Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Recent Thesis Submissions
Doctoral Citations
| Year | Citation | Program |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Dr. Marjan Ebneshahidi examined how immigrant women experience residential neighbourhoods and what makes a neighbourhood more livable for them in multicultural cities. This research highlights the important role that the social and physical features of a neighbourhood play in shaping immigrant women's perceptions and experiences of neighbourhood livability. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Schinnerl examined the nexus between education and immigration and the role of higher education institutions as both migration gatekeepers and community migration hubs. Her work deals with the influence of universities and colleges on immigration policy in Canada and what this means for future international student recruitment. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Lefkowich designed and piloted methods for community-based digital storytelling. Using personal reflections, she illustrated how filmmakers and academics normalize, conceal, and defend racism and colonialism as best practices. To disrupt this pattern, she offered story strategies that encourage greater accountability, creativity, and bravery. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Moon used comics as a theoretical and formal intervention to explore perspectival shifts between science and literature in early 20th-century Britain. Her format-bending research revealed how works by Arthur Eddington, James Jeans, Olaf Stapledon, and Virginia Woolf moved beyond singular, Earth-centered, and human-centered perspectives. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Cole explored the transformative potential of public sector innovation labs in catalyzing change on complex social and environmental challenges. She worked with co-researchers from Canada and Europe, and developed theory and frameworks to strengthen the research and practices of public sector and social innovation labs. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2021 | Utilizing an Indigenous Determinants of Health framework, Dr. Lebrun collaborated with Kanaka Maoli women leaders on Kaua'i on issues of food sovereignty, land tenure, and health. This research is being used to garner grants to establish a Food Sovereignty project on Hawaiian Homelands. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2021 | Dr. Janet Currie examined the patient, clinician, socio-cultural and policy factors that have contributed to an increase in the off-label prescribing of domperidone to treat low breastmilk supply in BC. The research identifies approaches that can be used to improve the overall safety, effectiveness and transparency of off-label prescribing. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Singh examined how modern European technology played a central role in colonizing Punjab. He showed that technology played such a central role that coloniality should be understood as techno-coloniality. He demonstrated that non-Western traditions, such as the Sikh spiritual tradition, can play a crucial role in building a decolonial future. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Jafer explored politics of victimhood and agency in the everyday lives of a religious minority community in BC. She demonstrated that subtle acts of resistance, when motivated by religious convictions, create religio-political identities that insist on active citizenship and equal recognition, providing a new interpretation of victimhood. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |
| 2020 | Dr. Byers explored how rat movement in cities influences rat-associated disease risks and how interactions with rats impact the mental health of residents. Her work reveals that rats have negative impacts on physical and psychological health, and that mitigation of these risks requires holistic One Health solutions. | Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD) |