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Overview

The Master of Applied Science (MASc) in Electrical and Computer Engineering Program is for students interested in pursuing advanced studies and research in Biomedical Technologies, Communications Systems, Computer and Software Systems, Energy Systems, or Micro and Nano Technologies. Electrical and Computer Engineers develop computing systems, from chip architecture to mobile applications, to communications protocols as well as the energy systems to allow these devices and all other electrical systems to function. The discipline has a huge impact on society because it helps to design the systems we use in everything from health to finance to safety.

In this program students can choose to contribute to research on technologies very close to or already in the market, or technologies that are in the early stages of research such as quantum computing or carbon nanotubes.

What makes the program unique?

Electrical and Computer Engineering is one of the largest graduate programs at The University of British Columbia with over 75 faculty members and 400 students. All of our faculty members lead distinguished research programs. Our faculty members also collaborate with colleagues in the Faculty of Medicine and Faculty of Science as well as with industry leaders. These collaborations allow our students to work beside world-leaders in their area of interest. Our students use cutting-edge technologies at The University of British Columbia’s many research facilities and centres of excellence as well as in the field. 

Every year, our department admits students to the MASc program from around the globe.  We currently have students enrolled from:

  • Azerbaijan
  • Bangladesh
  • Canada
  • China
  • Ethiopia
  • Germany
  • Ghana
  • India
  • Iran
  • Sri Lanka
  • Syria
  • Ukraine
  • United Kingdom
  • United States of America
 

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Program Enquiries

Still have questions after reviewing this page thoroughly?
Contact the program

Admission Information & Requirements

Program Instructions

At least one of the three required reference letters submitted to an application must be an academic reference.  If all three reference letters are professional, it will be noted on your application that you do not meet this department requirement

Applicants are required to upload PDF versions of their Official Transcripts from every post-secondary institution (college, university, etc.) that they have attended, showing both sides of the transcript document to include the university grading scale.  All transcripts must be official and signed/endorsed by the university in order to be accepted. Uploading Secondary/High School transcripts is not necessary.

1) Check Eligibility

Minimum Academic Requirements

The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies establishes the minimum admission requirements common to all applicants, usually a minimum overall average in the B+ range (76% at UBC). The graduate program that you are applying to may have additional requirements. Please review the specific requirements for applicants with credentials from institutions in:

Each program may set higher academic minimum requirements. Please review the program website carefully to understand the program requirements. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission as it is a competitive process.

English Language Test

Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application.

Minimum requirements for the two most common English language proficiency tests to apply to this program are listed below:

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

Overall score requirement: 100

Reading

22

Writing

21

Speaking

21

Listening

22

IELTS: International English Language Testing System

Overall score requirement: 7.0

Reading

6.0

Writing

6.0

Speaking

6.0

Listening

6.0

Other Test Scores

Some programs require additional test scores such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Test (GMAT). The requirements for this program are:

The GRE is not required.

Prior degree, course and other requirements

Prior Degree Requirements

Applicants to the M.A.Sc. program must have an accredited (by UBC) four-year Bachelor's degree in Electrical or Computer Engineering or a closely related field (A closely related field is considered any degree program that has significant course overlap with electrical or computer engineering.) It is preferred that M.A.Sc. applicants have a GPA in the first-class range and show some demonstrated aptitude for research.

Other Requirements

GRE scores are not mandatory for applying to our MASc program. You are welcome to submit GRE scores if you have them, to provide further support to your application. Please ask GRE to submit their examination report to UBC using the institution code 0965 (UBC).

Applicants who have recently completed a degree in one of the following countries do not need to submit a language score. Degrees must have been completed within the past 5 years of the date of application to our department in order for this language score requirement to be waived.

Australia, Botswana, Canada, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Ireland, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Malta, Namibia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Singapore, South Africa, Tanzania, United Kingdom, United States, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and the English-speaking countries of the West Indies.

Other applicants, including Canadians, who have completed their most recent degree in other countries, must submit a current TOEFL or Academic IELTS score. We will not waive this requirement for you. Our department does not consider conditional admission in the case of pending English language training.

2) Meet Deadlines

September 2025 Intake

Application Open Date
15 October 2024
Canadian Applicants
Application Deadline: 15 January 2025
Transcript Deadline: 31 January 2025
Referee Deadline: 31 January 2025
International Applicants
Application Deadline: 15 January 2025
Transcript Deadline: 31 January 2025
Referee Deadline: 31 January 2025

January 2026 Intake

Application Open Date
01 May 2025
Canadian Applicants
Application Deadline: 01 June 2025
Transcript Deadline: 15 June 2025
Referee Deadline: 15 June 2025
International Applicants
Application Deadline: 01 June 2025
Transcript Deadline: 15 June 2025
Referee Deadline: 15 June 2025

3) Prepare Application

Transcripts

All applicants have to submit transcripts from all past post-secondary study. Document submission requirements depend on whether your institution of study is within Canada or outside of Canada.

Letters of Reference

A minimum of three references are required for application to graduate programs at UBC. References should be requested from individuals who are prepared to provide a report on your academic ability and qualifications.

Statement of Interest

Many programs require a statement of interest, sometimes called a "statement of intent", "description of research interests" or something similar.

Supervision

Students in research-based programs usually require a faculty member to function as their thesis supervisor. Please follow the instructions provided by each program whether applicants should contact faculty members.

Instructions regarding thesis supervisor contact for Master of Applied Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering (MASc)
Applicants should browse faculty profiles and indicate in their application who they are interested in working with. No commitment from a supervisor prior to applying is necessary, but contacting faculty members is encouraged.

Faculty members will review applications based on research interests and availability of student positions during the application/evaluation process.

Citizenship Verification

Permanent Residents of Canada must provide a clear photocopy of both sides of the Permanent Resident card.

4) Apply Online

All applicants must complete an online application form and pay the application fee to be considered for admission to UBC.

Tuition & Financial Support

Tuition

FeesCanadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / DiplomatInternational
Application Fee$116.25$168.25
Tuition *
Installments per year33
Tuition per installment$1,875.34$3,294.66
Tuition per year
(plus annual increase, usually 2%-5%)
$5,626.02$9,883.98
Int. Tuition Award (ITA) per year (if eligible) $3,200.00 (-)
Other Fees and Costs
Student Fees (yearly)$1,116.60 (approx.)
Costs of livingEstimate 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, including merit-based (i.e. based on your academic performance) and need-based (i.e. based on your financial situation) opportunities.

Program Funding Packages

Many supervisors are pleased to provide funding to graduate students in the form of research assistantships while they work on their thesis. The decision on whether to grant a research assistantship to an MASc student is made by the individual faculty supervisor. Students who have been accepted into the graduate program should contact their supervisor directly regarding the possibility of a Research Assistantship.

UBC has launched Canada's first Blockchain training pathway for graduate students. The Graduate Pathway on Blockchain and Decentralized Trust Technologies will be a 12-credit non-degree training program that augments existing Master's and Phd programs. Additional funding may be available for students as part of the Blockchain pathway.

Scholarships & awards (merit-based funding)

All applicants are encouraged to review the awards listing to identify potential opportunities to fund their graduate education. The database lists merit-based scholarships and awards and allows for filtering by various criteria, such as domestic vs. international or degree level.

Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA)

Many professors are able to provide Research Assistantships (GRA) from their research grants to support full-time graduate students studying under their supervision. The duties constitute part of the student's graduate degree requirements. A Graduate Research Assistantship is considered a form of fellowship for a period of graduate study and is therefore not covered by a collective agreement. Stipends vary widely, and are dependent on the field of study and the type of research grant from which the assistantship is being funded.

Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA)

Graduate programs may have Teaching Assistantships available for registered full-time graduate students. Full teaching assistantships involve 12 hours work per week in preparation, lecturing, or laboratory instruction although many graduate programs offer partial TA appointments at less than 12 hours per week. Teaching assistantship rates are set by collective bargaining between the University and the Teaching Assistants' Union.

Graduate Academic Assistantships (GAA)

Academic Assistantships are employment opportunities to perform work that is relevant to the university or to an individual faculty member, but not to support the student’s graduate research and thesis. Wages are considered regular earnings and when paid monthly, include vacation pay.

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.

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 20 hours a week.

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.

Career Options

The 24-month M.A.Sc. program Electrical and Computer Engineering prepares students for employment directly after completing the degree or to pursue further studies in a Ph.D. program. Some of our recent graduates are now working with Google, Microsoft, Facebook, Intel, Samsung, D-wave, BC Hydro, Bell Mobility, Sierra Wireless, PMC-Sierra, TELUS, Bank of Montreal, BC Children’s Hospital, The Government of Canada, Drobo, Siemens Canada, Celestica, Cisco, Alpha Technologies, etc. Many of our M.A.Sc. graduates have also gone on to pursue their Ph.D. with us at UBC. Some of our graduates have completed their PhDs at institutions such as Stanford, MIT, UC Berkeley and The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Some of our graduate students have also founded companies; a recent example is Veridae that was acquired by Tektronix.

Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats

These statistics show data for the Master of Applied Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering (MASc). Data are separated for each degree program combination. You may view data for other degree options in the respective program profile.

ENROLMENT DATA

 20232022202120202019
Applications525584618629538
Offers6368658149
New Registrations3943435635
Total Enrolment134140129117103

Completion Rates & Times

This program has a graduation rate of 96% based on 138 students admitted between 2015 - 2018. Based on 122 graduations between 2020 - 2023 the minimum time to completion is 1.36 years and the maximum time is 5.47 years with an average of 2.71 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.

Research Supervisors

Supervision

Students in research-based programs usually require a faculty member to function as their thesis supervisor. Please follow the instructions provided by each program whether applicants should contact faculty members.

Instructions regarding thesis supervisor contact for Master of Applied Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering (MASc)
Applicants should browse faculty profiles and indicate in their application who they are interested in working with. No commitment from a supervisor prior to applying is necessary, but contacting faculty members is encouraged.

Faculty members will review applications based on research interests and availability of student positions during the application/evaluation process.

 
Advice and insights from UBC Faculty on reaching out to supervisors

These videos contain some general advice from faculty across UBC on finding and reaching out to a supervisor. They are not program specific.

 

This list shows faculty members with full supervisory privileges who are affiliated with this program. It is not a comprehensive list of all potential supervisors as faculty from other programs or faculty members without full supervisory privileges can request approvals to supervise graduate students in this program.

  • Aamodt, Tor (Computer architecture; Machine learning; Computer Architecture; graphics processor units (GPUs); Machine Learning)
  • Abolmaesumi, Purang (Electrical engineering, computer engineering, and information engineering; Medical and biomedical engineering; Artificial Intelligence; Biomedical Engineering; Biomedical Technologies; Cancer Imaging; Computer Assisted Interventions; Image Guided Surgery; Machine Learning; Medical Imaging; Surgical Robotics; Ultrasound Imaging)
  • Beznosov, Konstantin (Electrical engineering, computer engineering, and information engineering; computer security and privacy; mobile security and privacy; online social networks security and privacy; usable security and privacy)
  • Chen, Yu Christine (Engineering and technology; energy systems; Electric power system modelling, control, and operation; Renewable energy sources; electricity markets)
  • Cheung, Karen (Electrical engineering, computer engineering, and information engineering; Medical and biomedical engineering; additive manufacturing; BioMEMS; Biomedical Technologies; biosensors; microfluidics; neural interfaces; organ-on-chip; Tissue Engineering)
  • Chrostowski, Lukas (Electrical engineering, computer engineering, and information engineering; Optics and Photonics; Micro and Nanoelectronics; Nanotechnologies; Manufacturing Processes; biophotonics; biosensors; optics; optoelectronics; photonics; quantum computing; semiconductor lasers; silicon photonics)
  • Cretu, Edmond (Nano-technology; Electronics; Medical and biomedical engineering; microsystems and nanotechnology; sensor clusters and networks; Signal processing and control; Ultrasound Imaging; Microinstrumentation; Inertial measurement units; wearable systems)
  • Desjardins, Adrien (Imaging and sensing, Robotics, Photonics, Ultrasound, Machine learning, Marine and biomedical applications, Development of imaging and sensing modalities and autonomous robotics, Biomedical Technologies, Emerging Micro/Nano Technologies)
  • Di Matteo, Olivia (Quantum information, computation and communication; Quantum computing: compilation, circuits and algorithms; Tomography and characterization; Open-source quantum software)
  • Dumont, Guy A (biomedical engineering; automatic drug delivery; mobile health; global health; anesthesia; physiological monitoring;, Adaptive control, predictive control, control of distributed parameters systems, advanced process control, applications of wavelet analysis, biomedical applications of control, pulp and paper process control)
  • Dutta, Souradeep (Reinforcement learning; Cyber-physical systems; Artificial Intelligence; Machine Learning)
  • Fedorova, Alexandra (design of system software: the software that manages the hardware and decides how to allocate its resources to applications; building better performance tools.)
  • Fels, S Sidney (Electrical engineering, computer engineering, and information engineering; Medical and biomedical engineering; Human Computer Interaction; biomechanical modeling of human anatomy; Machine Learning; new interfaces for musical expression; speech synthesis)
  • Garbi, Rafeef (Bioinformatics; Electrical engineering, computer engineering, and information engineering; Medical and biomedical engineering; Artificial Intelligence; Biomedical Engineering; Biomedical Technologies; Computer Vision; Deep Learning; image analysis; Imaging; Machine Learning; Medical Image Computing)
  • Gopalakrishnan, Sathish (computer and software systems, real-time and embedded computing (computer systems as part of the real world); cyber-physical systems, Real-time systems, distributed systems, resource management)
  • Ivanov, Andre (microelectronics; integrated circuits, computer chip design, smart grid, engineering curriculum, Computer and Software Systems, Emerging Micro/Nano Technologies)
  • Jaeger, Nicolas A (Integrated-optics, fiber-optics, optical sensors, optical measurement of voltage and current in power substations, ultrahigh-speed electro-optic modulators, ultrahigh-speed measurement techniques)
  • Jatskevich, Juri (Power and energy systems, smart energy grids, power electronic systems and converter circuits, electrical machines and drives, controls, electromagnetic transients, computer modeling and simulation, distributed and parallel simulation)
  • Lampe, Lutz (Wireless communication systems; Fibre-optic communications technologies; Coding and information theory applied to communications and networks technologies; Learning and adaptive systems; Radar and sonar signal processing; wireless communications, optical fiber communications, signal processing, machine learning)
  • Lemieux, Guy (vector processors, parallel programming, programmable logic devices (PLDs, FPGAs), computer architecture, computer arithmetic, custom computing hardware, computer engineering, Programmable logic and computing systems, multiprocessor and computer architecture)
  • Leung, Cyril (Wireless communication systems; digital communication networks; Wireless communications; network security; ageless aging technologies)
  • Li, Xiaoxiao (Machine Learning; Deep Learning; Explainable AI; Trustworthy AI; Privacy and Security; Medical image analysis; Bioinformatics)
  • Liao, Renjie (Machine Learning, Deep Learning, Statistical Learning Theory, Computer Vision, Machine Learning for Programming Languages, Natural Language Processing, Self-Driving)
  • Lis, Mieszko (Computer and Software Systems)
  • Madden, John (Electrical engineering, computer engineering, and information engineering; Medical and biomedical engineering; artificial muscle; electrochemical devices; electronic skin; Functional and Intelligent Materials; medical devices; smart materials; supercapacitors; wearables)

Pages

Open Research Positions

This list of possible research projects is non-exhaustive. It only shows positions that are specifically advertised in the G+PS website.

Further Information

Electrical and Computer Engineering provides advanced study and research for graduates of electrical or computer engineering, engineering physics, physics, computer science or other related subjects. Facilities are provided for research in: communications and signal processing; computers and computer applications; digital system design, VLSI design and software engineering; electromagnetics; power systems and power electronics; solid state devices; microelectronics, nanoelectronics and optoelectronics; robotics and telerobotics; and systems and control.

Faculty Overview

Program Identifier

VGMMAC-HA
 

Apply Now

If you don't have a UBC Campus-Wide Login (CWL) please create an account first.
 

September 2025 Intake

Application Open Date
15 October 2024
Canadian Applicant Deadline
15 January 2025
International Applicant Deadline
15 January 2025

January 2026 Intake

Application Open Date
01 May 2025
Canadian Applicant Deadline
01 June 2025
International Applicant Deadline
01 June 2025
 
Supervisor Search
 

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