Doctor of Philosophy in History (PhD)
Canadian Immigration Updates
Applicants to Master’s and Doctoral degrees are not affected by the recently announced cap on study permits. Review more details
Overview
Historians study the past to better understand the present. They analyze the forces and influences that have affected human experiences and shaped different societies over time. For more than 80 years, our graduate program has promoted this analysis from social, cultural, political, and intellectual perspectives in diverse contexts throughout the world. Our graduate students have done research in such diverse locations as the Philippines, China, Japan, India, Russia, Germany, Britain, Mexico, Cuba, the United States and Canada and in fields spanning Indigenous History, Gender History, History of Science, International Relations, and Migration History, among others.
What makes the program unique?
The Department comprises over 30 full-time faculty members and over sixty graduate students who work collaboratively in vibrant research clusters covering all the continents and organized thematically around themes such as Culture/Power/History; Environmental History; Indigenous History; History of Children and Youth; History of Science, Technology, and Medicine; and International Relations. It is the center of a community of history scholars at UBC that also includes faculty members and student colleagues from other departments and research institutes across the University who have numerous occasions to meet, especially during colloquia and workshops. Faculty and graduate students have access to library resources which are among the best in North America. The UBC Library is the second largest research library in Canada, with especially strong collections in the fields of East Asia, Canada, Britain and Central and Eastern Europe.
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: 90
Reading
22
Writing
21
Speaking
21
Listening
22
IELTS: International English Language Testing System
Overall score requirement: 6.5
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.
2) Meet Deadlines
September 2025 Intake
Application Open Date
01 May 2024Canadian 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 thesis supervisor. Please follow the instructions provided by each program whether applicants should contact faculty members.
Instructions regarding thesis supervisor contact for Doctor of Philosophy in History (PhD)
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.
Research Information
Program Components
In 2013-14, the Arts Co-op Program and the UBC Department of English launched UBC’s first Ph.D. Co-op Program. This exciting initiative allows Ph.D. students to widen their range of professional skills through paid work experience in fields such as academic administration, communications, project management, and archival, government, and non-governmental organization (NGO) research. Through Co-op, Ph.D. students will build valuable skills and experience that will extend and enrich their career options in both academic and alternative workplaces. Read more about how the Co-op Program works: https://artscoop.ubc.ca/graduate/phd-co-op/
Tuition & Financial Support
Tuition
| Fees | Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat | International |
|---|---|---|
| Application Fee | $114.00 | $168.25 |
| Tuition * | ||
| Installments per year | 3 | 3 |
| Tuition per installment | $1,838.57 | $3,230.06 |
| Tuition per year (plus annual increase, usually 2%-5%) | $5,515.71 | $9,690.18 |
| Int. Tuition Award (ITA) per year (if eligible) | $3,200.00 (-) | |
| Other Fees and Costs | ||
| Student Fees (yearly) | $1,116.60 (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. | |
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
From September 2024 all full-time students in UBC-Vancouver PhD programs will be provided with a funding package of at least $24,000 for each of the first four years of their PhD. The funding package may consist of any combination of internal or external awards, teaching-related work, research assistantships, and graduate academic assistantships. Please note that many graduate programs provide funding packages that are substantially greater than $24,000 per year. Please check with your prospective graduate program for specific details of the funding provided to its PhD students.
Sample of Ph.D. Funding Packages Represents:
Ph.D. Funding Package - 4 year of funding. Each year represents:
- Four Year Fellowship Award Stipend (~$18,200 per year) plus tuition coverage for each year.
- Half Teaching Assistantship (~$7,000 per year)
- Department Fellowship (~$2,000 per year)
- International Students receive an international tuition award worth up to $3,200 per year.
Average Funding
- 10 students received Teaching Assistantships. Average TA funding based on 10 students was $11,732.
- 4 students received Research Assistantships. Average RA funding based on 4 students was $3,600.
- 6 students received Academic Assistantships. Average AA funding based on 6 students was $2,171.
- 11 students received internal awards. Average internal award funding based on 11 students was $22,953.
- 3 students received external awards. Average external award funding based on 3 students was $30,000.
Review methodology
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 Outcomes
27 students graduated between 2005 and 2013. Of these, career information was obtained for 25 alumni (based on research conducted between Feb-May 2016):
RI (Research-Intensive) Faculty: typically tenure-track faculty positions (equivalent of the North American Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor positions) in PhD-granting institutions
TI (Teaching-Intensive) Faculty: typically full-time faculty positions in colleges or in institutions not granting PhDs, and teaching faculty at PhD-granting institutions
Term Faculty: faculty in term appointments (e.g. sessional lecturers, visiting assistant professors, etc.)
Sample Employers in Higher Education
California State University - FresnoFree University Berlin
Douglas College
Brock University
Langara College
University Hildesheim
University of South Alabama
Jacobs University
Bishop's University
Vancouver School of Theology
Sample Employers Outside Higher Education
VF Ltd.Sample Job Titles Outside Higher Education
Research ConsultantRegional Marketing Manager
PhD Career Outcome Survey
You may view the full report on career outcomes of UBC PhD graduates on outcomes.grad.ubc.ca.Disclaimer
These data represent historical employment information and do not guarantee future employment prospects for graduates of this program. They are for informational purposes only. Data were collected through either alumni surveys or internet research.Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats
These statistics show data for the Doctor of Philosophy in History (PhD). Data are separated for each degree program combination. You may view data for other degree options in the respective program profile.
ENROLMENT DATA
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applications | 47 | 51 | 40 | 49 | 29 |
| Offers | 4 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 7 |
| New Registrations | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Total Enrolment | 21 | 24 | 25 | 30 | 31 |
Completion Rates & Times
Disclaimer
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 Doctor of Philosophy in History (PhD)
Doctoral Citations
| Year | Citation |
|---|---|
| 2012 | Dr. Madokoro explored ways in which settler societies of the British Commonwealth responded to refugees from the People's Republic of China between 1949 and 1989. She demonstrated how Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa resisted humanitarian appeals to assist refugees and instead, forced migrants to overcome persistent barriers to entry. |
| 2012 | Dr. Sedgwick explored the trial of Japanese leaders after World War II. He provides a behind-the-scenes, experiential history of a groundbreaking judicial undertaking and multilateral institution. His work reinterprets modern internationalism and global governance as a messy and negotiated process, rather than a staid set of promises and ideals. |
| 2012 | Dr. Yang examined one of the largest instances of political migration in modern Chinese history: one million soldiers and civilian refugees who followed Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist regime from mainland China to Taiwan, after the Chinese civil war in the late 1940s and early 1950s. This study of displaced communities in Asia during the Cold War offers new perspectives on exile, displacement, and Chinese diaspora. |
| 2012 | Dr. Luesink demonstrates the rapid shift, in China, from a cosmology centered in Confucian orthodoxy toward a scientific worldview based on material practices like anatomical dissection and bolstered by a vast technical terminology. The establishment of these practices led to regulation of the profession and attempts to abolish Chinese medicine. |
| 2012 | Dr. Belogurova studied the history of the Malayan Communist Party in the 1920s and 1930s, leading to a devastating anti-British insurgency in the 1950s. She explored unintended consequences and contingencies of the revolutionary connections between China, Southeast Asia and the Third Communist International in Moscow, and showed that those connections resulted in the rise of Malayan nationalism among the Chinese communists in Malaya |
| 2012 | Dr. Meola evaluated the contributions of German Jews within the German press over the period 1815-1848. Through actions and words, German Jews transformed local newspapers into public spaces, where they destabilized the status quo and strove for a society where they would be equal to German Christians. |
| 2011 | Dr. Cheung developed a new approach to interpreting the society of Ming dynasty China by analyzing the history of famous places in the city of Hangzhou. He showed how different social groups helped construct significant sites and the sites' meanings, thereby enhancing current perspectives on social interaction and contestation in late imperial China. |
| 2011 | Dr. Lloyd examined the same-sex relationships of the prominent Victorian Evangelical, Constance Maynard, and argued that rather than a transgression of Maynard's faith they were integral to it. Lloyd presents a new approach to the relationship between Christianity and sexuality, one which she hopes will inform contemporary Christian dialogue on homosexuality. |
| 2011 | Dr. Sedo examined a small Northern Chinese county during the Ming period to provide a new regional alternative to the dominant 'Jiangnan Model' of Late Imperial Chinese studies. In doing so, he provides a new local vantage point to rethink the deeply regional character of the composite Ming realm. |
| 2010 | Dr. Agov studied the international political economy of North Korea. His research reveals that North Korea's economic integration into the socialist system was greater than its ideology and politics of "self reliance" indicated. North Korea's external ties, though curtailed at times, made its unreformed domestic system more resilient than scholarship has previously indicated. |
Pages
Sample Thesis Submissions
Further Information
Specialization
History focuses on the fields of Asian, Canadian, First Nations, British and European (early modern and modern), U.S., Latin American, and Environmental History and in the History of Science.
The following thematic research clusters highlight the interests and expertise of departmental members:
- History of Science, Technology, and Medicine
- Global History, Maritime History, and the History of Empire
- First Nations, Aboriginal, and Indigenous History
- Environmental History
- Ethnicity, Race, and Nationalism
- Religion
- Gender, Sexuality, and the Body
- International Relations
- Culture/Power/History
- Children and Youth
- Migration, Borderlands, and Transnational History
- Politics, Political Culture, and State Power
- Law and Society
- Communities
Program Website
Faculty Overview
Academic Unit
Program Identifier
Classification
September 2025 Intake
Program Enquiries
Contact the program
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