Master of Science in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (MSc)
Overview
The UBC Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine offers a remarkable opportunity to study with numerous world renowned faculty and research programs. We are recognized as national and international leaders in both basic and clinical research. Experimental Pathology refers to research in any area of biomedical investigation that is relevant to human disease. Since it is necessary to understand the normal working of the system to fully define the changes associated with disease, the areas represented at UBC cover a wide range of fields and approaches. Work at all levels of biological organization is involved, from protein to lipoprotein biochemistry and molecular biology through cell and tumour biology, animal models for studies on pulmonary and cardiovascular pathophysiology and viral and bacterial infection processes, to clinical studies on human population and the AIDS epidemic.
We train students with varied backgrounds in science and medicine including: biochemistry, physiology, cell biology and microbiology/immunology.
We are committed to effective, cutting-edge, ethical research. The results of which will reach beyond the academic realm to effect positive change in the lives of our families, communities and, ultimately, our world.
Quick Facts
Program Enquiries
Contact the program
Admission Information & Requirements
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
6.5
Writing
6.5
Speaking
6.5
Listening
6.5
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 required by some applicants. Please check the program website.
2) Meet Deadlines
May 2023 Intake
Application Open Date
01 September 2022Canadian Applicants
International Applicants
September 2023 Intake
Application Open Date
01 November 2022Canadian Applicants
International Applicants
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 supervisor. Please follow the instructions provided by each program whether applicants should contact faculty members.
Instructions regarding supervisor contact for Master of Science in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (MSc)
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
| Fees | Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat | International |
|---|---|---|
| Application Fee | $112.00 | $168.25 |
| Tuition * | ||
| Installments per year | 3 | 3 |
| Tuition per installment | $1,767.18 | $3,104.64 |
| Tuition per year (plus annual increase, usually 2%-5%) | $5,301.54 | $9,313.92 |
| Int. Tuition Award (ITA) per year (if eligible) | $3,200.00 (-) | |
| Other Fees and Costs | ||
| Student Fees (yearly) | $1,057.05 (approx.) | |
| Costs of living (yearly) | starting at $17,366.20 (check cost calculator) | |
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
All full-time students who begin a UBC-Vancouver PhD program in September 2021 or later will be provided with a funding package of at least $24,000 for each of the first two years of their MSc. The funding package may consist of any combination of internal or external awards, teaching-related work, research assistantships, and graduate academic assistantships. In addition, the Program provides tuition funding of $2,000.00 per year for each of the first two years of the MSc. Please note that some graduate programs provide funding packages that are greater than $26,000 total per year. Please check with your prospective graduate program for specific details of the funding provided to its MSc students.
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.
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.
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 direction. The duties usually constitute part of the student's graduate degree requirements. A Graduate Research Assistantship is a form of financial support for a period of graduate study and is, therefore, not covered by a collective agreement. Unlike other forms of fellowship support for graduate students, the amount of a GRA is neither fixed nor subject to a university-wide formula. The stipend amounts vary widely, and are dependent on the field of study and the type of research grant from which the assistantship is being funded. Some research projects also require targeted research assistance and thus hire graduate students on an hourly basis.
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 Calculator
Applicants have access to the cost calculator to develop a financial plan that takes into account various income sources and expenses.
Career Options
Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats
These statistics show data for the Master of Science in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (MSc). Data are separated for each degree program combination. You may view data for other degree options in the respective program profile.
Enrolment Data
| 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applications | 26 | 22 | 27 | 25 | 23 |
| Offers | 15 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 12 |
| New registrations | 11 | 8 | 11 | 11 | 12 |
| Total enrolment | 36 | 29 | 32 | 34 | 32 |
Completion Rates & Times
Disclaimer
Research Supervisors
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.
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Luo, Honglin (Basic medicine and life sciences; Viral Infections; Cardiomyopathy; Innate immunity; Central Nervous System Inflammatory Diseases; Enteroviral infection and neurodegeneration; Oncolytic virus; Protein quality control in cardiac remodeling; RNA viruses)
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Mackenzie, Ian (Alzheimer's Disease)
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Nielsen, Torsten (Clinical oncology; Pathology (except oral pathology); Biomarker development; Breast Cancer; Cancer Diagnosis and Detection; Cancer of the Musculoskeletal System; Clinical trials; Epigenomics; Experimental Therapeutics; Immuno-oncology; Tissue-based diagnostic technologies; Translational research)
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Park, Yongjin (Other basic medicine and life sciences; High dimensional data analysis; Biostatistical methods; Bioinformatics; single-cell genomics; Computational Biology; Causal inference; Bayesian machine learning)
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Perrone, Lucy (Improving health outcomes through improved diagnostic testing quality, Improving capacity through strengthening health and laboratory systems, Using effective quality improvement tools and approaches to improve diagnostic service delivery)
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Quandt, Jacqueline (Neuroinflammation in damage and repair relevant to multiple sclerosis and other nervous system disorders)
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Sadar, Marianne (Prostate Cancer; Drug development; transcriptional regulation)
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Schaeffer, David (Clinical oncology; Pathology (except oral pathology); Bioinformatics; cancer genetics; Cancer biology; Genomic rearrangements; genomics; Pancreas; Pathology; patient derived models)
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Schreiber, William (Porphyrias, toxicology, electrophoresis, educational technology, biochemistry, molecular biology)
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Scott, David (Lymphoid Cancer; Lymphoma Tumor; Lymphoma Biomarker; Determinants of treatment failure in B-cell lymphoid cancers (lymphoma and CLL); Treatment management; Lymphoma/Leukemia Molecular Profiling; Cancer Genomics)
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Seow, Chun Yong (Biological and Biochemical Mechanisms; Asthma; Muscle; Respiratory System; Physiology; Airway smooth muscle; Contraction mechanism)
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Sorensen, Poul (Childhood cancer cells, genomic science )
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Steidl, Christian (Cancer; Molecular Pathology & Cell Biology, Genetics, genomics proteomics and related approaches)
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Takei, Fumio (Molecular immunology, cancer, cell-cell interactions)
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Verchere, Bruce (Diabetes research, pediatrics, Beta cell survival and function)
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Watson, Peter (Pathology (except oral pathology); Breast Cancer; Pathology; biomarker)
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Wellington, Cheryl Lea (Alzheimer's Disease; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Trauma / Injuries; Lipid/Lipoprotein analysis; Structural Tissue Engineering / Biomaterials; Traumatic Brain Injury; Tissue Engineering; Biomarkers; drug discovery; Apolipoprotein E; Cerebrovascular function)
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Weng, Andrew (Molecular biology )
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Wright, Joanne (Role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, airways disease in asocation with mineral dusts and fumes, pulmonary vascular disease as a consequence of cigarette smoking, respiratory )
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Yang, Decheng (Cardiovascular and pulmonary, infectious diseases, host gene responses to viral infections )
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Yip, Stephen (Pathology (except oral pathology); Cancer Genomics/Epigenomics/Proteomics; molecular diagnostics; Neuro-oncology; Neuropathology)
Pages
Sample Thesis Submissions
Further Information
Specialization
Experimental Pathology refers to research in any area of biomedical investigation that is relevant to human disease. Since it is necessary to understand the normal working of the system to fully define the changes associated with disease, the areas represented at UBC cover a wide range of fields and approaches. Work at all levels of biological organization is involved, from protein to lipoprotein biochemistry and molecular biology through cell and tumour biology, animal models for studies on pulmonary and cardiovascular pathophysiology and viral and bacterial infection processes, to clinical studies on human population and the AIDS epidemic.
Program Website
Faculty Overview
Academic Unit
Program Identifier
Classification
May 2023 Intake
September 2023 Intake
Program Enquiries
Contact the program
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