Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Engineering (PhD)

Overview

The department has a strong research record, and is particularly proud of its mix of fundamental research coupled with industrial relevance and interaction. The department offers opportunities for study in the fields of casting and solidification of metals, ceramic processes and properties, corrosion, composite material processing and properties, hydrometallurgy and electrorefining, physical metallurgy, pyrometallurgy, remelting processes, thermomechanical processing and environmental processing.

What makes the program unique?

The Department of Materials Engineering at UBC (MTRL) is one of the top-rated materials programs in North America with activities spanning our internationally-leading program in hydrometallurgy to our leading edge research and teaching in sustainability, nanomaterials, biomaterials and composites.

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Program Enquiries

Still have questions after reviewing this page thoroughly?
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

May 2024 Intake

Application Open Date
01 August 2023
Canadian Applicants
Application Deadline: 15 October 2023
Transcript Deadline: 15 October 2023
Referee Deadline: 15 October 2023
International Applicants
Application Deadline: 15 October 2023
Transcript Deadline: 15 October 2023
Referee Deadline: 15 October 2023

September 2024 Intake

Application Open Date
15 October 2023
Canadian Applicants
Application Deadline: 01 February 2024
Transcript Deadline: 15 February 2024
Referee Deadline: 15 February 2024
International Applicants
Application Deadline: 01 February 2024
Transcript Deadline: 15 February 2024
Referee Deadline: 15 February 2024

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 Materials Engineering (PhD)
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.

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

Research Facilities

Research Centres are: Advanced Materials Process Engineering Laboratory (AMPEL), Centre for Metallurgical Process Engineering, Clean Energy Research Centre, Electron Microscope Laboratory, MagNet - Magnesium Network.

Tuition & Financial Support

Tuition

FeesCanadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / DiplomatInternational
Application Fee$112.00$168.25
Tuition *
Installments per year33
Tuition per installment$1,802.52$3,166.73
Tuition per year
(plus annual increase, usually 2%-5%)
$5,407.56$9,500.19
Int. Tuition Award (ITA) per year (if eligible) $3,200.00 (-)
Other Fees and Costs
Student Fees (yearly)$1,081.64 (approx.)
Costs of living (yearly)starting at $18,517.90 (check cost calculator)
* 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

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 $22,000 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 $22,000 per year. Please check with your prospective graduate program for specific details of the funding provided to its PhD students.

Average Funding
Based on the criteria outlined below, 29 students within this program were included in this study because they received funding through UBC in the form of teaching, research/academic assistantships or internal or external awards averaging $31,460.
  • 16 students received Teaching Assistantships. Average TA funding based on 16 students was $6,325.
  • 26 students received Research/Academic Assistantships. Average RA/AA funding based on 26 students was $22,205.
  • 29 students received internal awards. Average internal award funding based on 29 students was $7,339.
  • 1 student received an external award valued at $21,000.

Study Period: Sep 2020 to Aug 2021 - average funding for full-time PhD students enrolled in three terms per academic year in this program across years 1-4, the period covered by UBC's Minimum Funding Guarantee. Averages might mask variability in sources and amounts of funding received by individual students. Beyond year 4, funding packages become even more individualized.
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 Calculator

Applicants have access to the cost calculator to develop a financial plan that takes into account various income sources and expenses.

Career Outcomes

52 students graduated between 2005 and 2013: 1 graduate is seeking employment; for 7 we have no data (based on research conducted between Feb-May 2016). For the remaining 44 graduates:


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
University of British Columbia (3)
McMaster University (2)
University of Manchester
University of Tehran
Mewar University
Southwest Jiaotong University
Northeastern University (Shenjang, China)
Queen's University
University of California - Santa Barbara
University of Calgary
Sample Employers Outside Higher Education
Novelis Inc. (3)
Aperam
Influitive
BioInspire Technologies
Stream-Flo Industries
Niroo Research Institute
Natural Resources Canada
ArcelorMittal
AREAVA
Dana Canada Corporation
Sample Job Titles Outside Higher Education
Research Scientist (3)
Research Engineer (2)
Hydrometallurgical Engineer
Research Professional
Improvement Facilitator
Orthopaedic Engineer / Cleanroom Engineer
Principal Technology Development Engineer
Faculty Member
CFD / FEA Specialist
Project Manager
PhD Career Outcome Survey
You may view the full report on career outcomes of UBC PhD graduates on outcomes.grad.ubc.ca.
Disclaimer
This program underwent a name or structural change in the study time frame, and all alumni from the previous program were included in these summaries. 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 Materials Engineering (PhD). Data are separated for each degree program combination. You may view data for other degree options in the respective program profile.

Enrolment Data

 20212020201920182017
Applications4238434224
Offers14871413
New registrations1265126
Total enrolment6557606263

Completion Rates & Times

This program has a graduation rate of 94% based on 36 students admitted between 2008 - 2011. Based on 25 graduations between 2017 - 2020 the minimum time to completion is 3.33 years and the maximum time is 7.33 years with an average of 5.52 years of study. All calculations exclude leave times.
Disclaimer
Admissions data refer to all UBC Vancouver applications, offers, new registrants for each year, May to April [data updated: 7 April 2022]. Enrolment data are based on March 1 snapshots. Program completion data are only provided for datasets comprised of more than 4 individuals. 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 [data updated: 19 October 2021].

Upcoming Doctoral Exams

Friday, 6 October 2023 - 4:00pm - Room 200

Yunlong Zhao
Monolithic Integration of 850 nm and 940 nm AlGaAs Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers on Bulk Si and Ge Substrates

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 Materials Engineering (PhD)
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.
 
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.

 

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
2020 Dr. Mohseni studied matrix defects in aerospace composites manufacturing. He developed analytical models and approaches for process optimization to minimize waste and reduce the manufacturing cost, especially for small enterprises. This research will inform improvements to cure cycle design, which will enable defect-free part manufacturing.
2020 Dr. Mandal studied welding of steels during construction of pipelines for safe energy transportation. She identified the critical weld regions to improve the mechanical and fracture behavior of the welded joints. Her findings will guide steel producers and pipeline constructors to choose welding parameters for better weld strength and toughness.
2020 Freshwater depletion has become a major problem for the global minerals industry. Dr. Hashemzadeh studied the use of seawater for copper extraction from ores, demonstrating the feasibility of using seawater in the extraction process. His findings will help to address water-related challenges facing the resources sector.
2020 Dr. Nakhaie studied soil and pitting corrosion of zinc and galvanized steel. He developed a mathematical model to predict the corrosion rate of hot-dip galvanized steel power transmission towers. The new developed model showed promising results to calculate the corrosion rate of buried galvanized steel in different soil and environment conditions.
2020 Dr. Liang studied droplet corrosion behavior in diluted bitumen pipelines. By examining the same area of pipeline steel before and after exposure to bitumen, he found no obvious signs of corrosion, even at high temperatures. His findings also show that prior deformation of the steel increases the corrosion penetration rate.
2019 Over the past couple of decades, wastewater contaminated with selenium has become a major issue in mining. Dr. Mohammadi developed a novel method for the removal of selenium using a reducing agent called chromous. The invention of this process has significant impact on the current treatment of wastewater containing selenium.
2019 Mineral carbonation is a carbon storage process that converts CO2 into harmless carbonates. Dr. Wang confirmed that it is possible to recover valuable metals released from silicate minerals during mineral carbonation. This research bridges the technology gap between mineral carbonation and metal recovery enhancement in mineral industries.
2019 Dr. Deen conducted his research on hybrid mineral batteries. He designed two battery setups that extract copper from chalcopyrite mineral as well as store energy. This research can be applied in remote mine sites, where these batteries can be coupled with renewable energy sources for both energy storage and copper extraction.
2019 Dr. Despres studied the crystalline structure of stainless steel during hot rolling. He showed that the development of crystalline orientation depends on several length scales, and how the process parameters control this development. This knowledge will help make the manufacturing of car components more efficient and less expensive.
2019 Using experimental and modeling methods, Dr. Medrano studied aluminum alloys for automotive applications. His work linked the strength of the alloy to the formation of nanoclusters during processing, and their relationship with the material's defects. This study supports the use of these alloys to produce vehicles with less environmental impact.

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Further Information

Specialization

Materials Engineering offers opportunities for study in the following fields: casting and solidification of metals; ceramic processing and properties; refractories; corrosion; composites; high temperature coatings; biomaterials; extractive metallurgy including hydrometallurgy, bio-hydrometallurgy, electrometallurgy, and pyrometallurgy; physical metallurgy; thermo-mechanical processing related to materials production; environmental issues related to materials productions; electronic materials; nanofibers; textile structural composites.

Materials Engineers are experts on the entire life cycle of materials, including recovery of materials from minerals, making engineered materials, manufacturing materials into products, understanding and evaluating materials performance, proper disposal and recycling of materials, and evaluating societal and economic benefits.

Faculty Overview

Program Identifier

VGDPHD-RY

Classification

 

Apply Now

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

May 2024 Intake

Application Open Date
01 August 2023
Canadian Applicant Deadline
15 October 2023
International Applicant Deadline
15 October 2023

September 2024 Intake

Application Open Date
15 October 2023
Canadian Applicant Deadline
01 February 2024
International Applicant Deadline
01 February 2024
 
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