Applications for the Doctor of Philosophy open on November 15th, 2021. The deadline for receipt of applications is January 9th, 2022. The deadline for receipt of references is January 16th, 2022. The Admissions Committee will not consider your application unless all documents have been received by this date. There is only one admission cycle per year, and all new students begin the program in September.
SPPH values and seeks to enrol indigenous students and students with diverse racial, ethnic, gender, socioeconomic, sexual orientation, ability/disability, and religious contexts. Our admissions processes and committees take into account equity, diversity, and inclusion in criteria development, the assessment of merit relative to these criteria, and the student community across our graduate programs.
We accept applicants from many diverse backgrounds and countries, and we do not have a limit to out-of-province or international students. We rank all completed applications and applicants are offered admission based on merit. If you will complete your masters degree before the entry date in September, we encourage you to apply.
Applicants must meet the minimum academic requirements, relevant experience, and program requirements set out by the PhD Program and the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Contact us with questions about the admission requirements or admissions process: spph.graduate-programs@ubc.ca. You may also review the information on how to apply.
Minimum Academic Requirements
| Masters Degrees from Canada or USA | Degree and GPA:
Quantitative Skills:
English Language Proficiency:
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| International Masters degrees | Degree and GPA:
Quantitative Skills:
English Language Proficiency:
If you do not have an undergraduate or graduate degree from a university where English is the primary language of instruction, then an English Language test is required. |
Meeting the minimum criteria does not ensure acceptance into the program – most successful applicants present academic credentials and test scores that are above the minimum.
Relevant Experience Requirements for All Applicants
Applicants should have interest, experience, and/or skills in a health-related field. This information can be provided in the following required documents.
| Curriculum Vitae (CV) |
A detailed and up-to-date CV that highlights your academic, research, and professional experience. Please include (if relevant): academic history, publications, conference presentations, awards, fellowships, teaching experience, workshops, volunteer work, or employment. We recommend sharing your CV with your potential supervisor. Find more resources to assist in preparing your CV from UBC Student Services or G+PS. |
| Letter of intent (LOI) |
A letter of intent that describes your career objectives, your research interests, and how the PhD program will meet your career goals. The LOI should be about 700 words. We recommend sharing your LOI with your potential supervisor. Additional instructions and suggestions can be found in our LOI Guide. You can find even more tips on writing your LOI from G+PS. |
| Reference Letters |
Three reference letters are required for each application. We prefer that two of these references be from former professors, but we will accept professional references if you do not have academic references. Please ask your references highlight your academic skills, research skills, and your ability to excel in an academic environment. This might include:
Please ask your referees to provide information on the context in which they’ve known you (e.g., work environment, your role and responsibilities, or the educational/course setting). For additional information, including information for people writing reference letters, see our Reference Guide. |
Program-Specific Admissions Policies
Supervisor support is required for all PhD applications. We are not able to review applications without supervisor support. The best way to connect with a potential supervisor is to investigate Faculty profiles (including research interests and recent publications) and then contact the faculty member you are interested in working with to inquire whether they are willing to serve as your supervisor.
Use the G+PS Supervisor Tool to assist you in your investigation.
SPPH offers a minimum funding guarantee of $22,000 per year for the first four years in your PhD program. All new full-time admissions to the SPPH PhD program will receive an offer of admission from the program that includes a funding package. The funding package may consist of any combination of external or internal scholarships, research assistantships, teaching assistantships, or income from other academically-related work at UBC (e.g. graduate administrative assistantships, lectureships). At your request, income from other employment in your field of research may be considered part of the funding package, whether the work occurs on or off campus. You may be required to disclose your sources and amounts of university employment income or scholarship funding, as well as other income sources to the graduate program, and you must inform the program immediately of any new or additional funding sources. You will be able to accept or decline the package as a whole or only accept specific components.
Indigenous applicants are encouraged to contact the program before applying for more information about supports for Indigenous students and applicants at UBC.
Information about tuition fees for the PhD program can be found here.