Applicants must submit complete on-line applications (including all supporting materials) by 13 January 2012. Please make sure to submit your on-line application on or before this date or by 4:00 p.m. (PST) at the latest on Fri., Jan. 13, 2012. Also, all supporting documents must be received in the History Dept. office by this date. If you are a permanent resident of Canada, please submit a copy of your permanent residency card (both sides) or a copy of Record of Landing if arrived in Canada prior to June 28, 2002.
Complete applications must include the following:
Admission to the MA program is based on a variety of criteria, including a strong undergraduate record, strong letters of recommendation, a well-planned research proposal, and the department's ability to provide instruction in the applicant's area of interest.
Candidates must hold a four-year Bachelor's degree from a recognized university.
a. Canadian applicants should have completed either:
OR
b. International applicants are required to meet the Faculty of Graduate Studies admission criteria for international students.
Students who have not taken the required concentration of senior undergraduate history courses but who have superior undergraduate records in the social sciences or humanities are also encouraged to apply. Depending on circumstances they may have to make up their deficiencies in history and thus may take longer to complete the program.
NOTE: These are minimum requirements for admission. Successful applicants typically have qualifications higher than the minimum listed. In any given year we receive many more applications than we can accept.
Faculty and departmental regulations require applicants whose degrees are from a country other than Canada, USA, United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Australia, Kenya, New Zealand, or the British West Indies to submit an official, original TOEFL score report showing that the applicant has achieved a score of at least 88-89 (internet based TOEFL score) during the past 24 months. The institution code for UBC is 0965 and the department code is 86. The GCE "A" level English examination with a standing of at least "B" may be substituted for a TOEFL. Two other tests can be employed instead of TOEFL. One is the IELTS, for which the minimum overall band score is 6.5, with no component less than 6.0. The other is MELAB, for which the minimum overall band score is 81. For information on TOEFL, contact
TOEFL
P.O. Box 6151
Princeton, N.J. 08541-6151,
USA
or visit the TOEFL Website
Before receiving the MA degree, candidates must demonstrate an adequate reading ability in a language other than English - either French or a foreign language appropriate to their field of study. Students who require a foreign language (or languages) for their thesis research will normally be expected to take the language exam in that language.
The department holds language exams twice yearly (usually in November and April) in which candidates must successfully translate a passage from the language they have chosen into English, with the aid of a dictionary, but without the assistance of a lap-top computer.
Exemption from the language exam may be granted under certain circumstances. Several departments at the university offer courses to help students acquire a reading knowledge of a foreign language, such as French, German, or Russian. Students who have successfully completed such a course at the third-year level or above, with at least a B (72%) average, can apply for exemption from the History Department's exam by submitting evidence of completion of the course to the graduate secretary.
Applicants must have demonstrated an ability to undertake and complete independent, original research of a high quality. Demonstration of such ability is the chief criterion for admission into the PhD program.
The candidate must hold a Master's degree (or equivalent) in history. Typically, to be considered for admission, an applicant with an MA degree should have obtained first-class ("A") standing in the equivalent of at least four one-term graduate courses, and an overall first-class standing in at least 18 credits of graduate work (= six one-term courses at UBC). Candidates must provide confirmation that their M.A. is complete before they will be allowed to register in September. If the requirements for the M.A. are not complete by registration, admission is revoked. The undergraduate record will also be considered in evaluating students for admission to the PhD program.
The Executive Committee of the Faculty of Graduate Studies may give recommended MA candidates within the department permission to proceed directly to the PhD program without submission of the Master's thesis. The History Department may recommend those MA candidates who have obtained high first-class standing and whose independent research is of high quality. Such candidates will not receive the MA degree.
Mature returning students and applicants with strong backgrounds in other academic disciplines will be considered for admission to the PhD program in history only if they can demonstrate a record of recent formal academic achievement at an acceptable standard in regular session university courses in history, or a comparable achievement. They must also have letters from professors who are familiar with the applicant's recent level of achievement.
Faculty and departmental regulations require applicants whose degrees are from a country other than Canada, USA, United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Australia, Kenya, New Zealand, or British West Indies to submit an official, original TOEFL score report showing that the applicant has achieved a score of at least 88-89 (internet based TOEFL score) during the past 24 months. The GCE "A" level English examination with a standing of at least "B" may be substituted for a TOEFL. Two other tests can be employed instead of TOEFL. One is the IELTS, for which the minimum overall band score is 6.5, with no component less than 6.0. The other is MELAB, for which the minimum overall band score is 81. For information on TOEFL, contact
TOEFL
P.O. Box 6151,
Princeton, N.J. 08541-6151,
USA
or visit the TOEFL Website
Before receiving the PhD degree, candidates must demonstrate an adequate reading ability in a language other than English. Students who require a foreign language (or languages) for their dissertation research are required to take the language exam in that language and are expected to have a basic reading knowledge, or better, in the relevant language(s) prior to entering the program. In cases where the dissertation research involves only English-language sources, students may take the exam in French or another language.
The department holds language exams twice yearly (usually in November and April) in which candidates must successfully translate a passage from the language they have chosen into English, with the aid of a dictionary, but without the assistance of a lap-top computer.
Exemption from the language exam may be granted under certain circumstances. Several departments at the university offer courses to help students acquire a reading knowledge of a foreign language, such as French, German or Russian. Students who have successfully completed such a course at the third-year level or above, with at least a B (72%) average, can apply for exemption from the History Department's exam. The student should inform the History Department's graduate secretary when they have enrolled in such a course, and should submit evidence of completion of the course with their application for exemption. Students who have received an undergraduate degree in the language to be examined may also apply for an exemption.
Students who have completed the MA in History at UBC and have passed the language exam with first class (A) standing are not required to fulfill the requirement at the PhD level, unless the language(s) required for the PhD dissertation are not the same as the language examined for the MA degree. The results from a pass/fail MA exam are not sufficient to waive this requirement. The department may also require evidence of the candidate's competence to use additional foreign languages deemed necessary for study and research in the candidate's PhD program.||||
Apply Online::
Application for admission to the MA and PhD programs is made online using the university's online application procedure:
http://www.grad.ubc.ca/apply/online/
Note: When using the online application procedure, certain supporting documents must still be sent directly to the History Department. Your transcripts must be sent by the issuing institutions directly to the History Department. Your statement of purpose and the statement concerning your language knowledge should be included on the on-line application. Letters of recommendation should be sent electronically and writing sample must be sent electronically by e-mail attachment to hist.grad@ubc.ca.
Graduate Admissions
History Department
University of British Columbia
#1297 - 1873 East Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z1
Canada
Applicants whose degree(s) are from a country other than Canada, USA, United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Australia, Kenya, New Zealand, or the British West Indies must submit an official, original TOEFL score report showing that the applicant has achieved a score of at least 88-89 during the past 24 months. The GCE "A" level English examination with a standing of at least "B" may be substituted for a TOEFL. Two other tests can be employed instead of TOEFL. One is the IELTS, for which the minimum overall band score is 6.5, with no component less than 6.0. The other is MELAB, for which the minimum overall band score is 81. For information on TOEFL, contact,
TOEFL
P.O. Box 6151
Princeton, N.J. 08541-6151,
USA
or visit the TOEFL Website
Language scores should be sent directly to the History Department at the address given above.
Please note that we do not return official copies of transcripts and writing samples. For foreign transcripts, a request may be made by unsuccesful applicants to have these returned. Please be sure to let us know this ahead of time. We only keep unsuccesful application files for one year.
1. Two certified copies of official transcripts from all universities and colleges the applicant has attended, including universities from which no degree was received. These must be sent to the History Department in envelopes sealed and endorsed by the issuing institution. If the applicant has attended UBC, two official copies of UBC transcripts should also be sent. Send directly to History Department.
2. Confidential letters of recommendation from three professors who have taught the applicant. Generally at least two of these should be professors of history. Reference letters may indicate whether the referee considers the student deserving of financial assistance. We prefer to receive references electronically. Pls. let your referees know this and that they should send in their references before our application deadline.
3. Sample of writing. If you are applying to the MA program, an undergraduate history term paper or a chapter from an Honours graduating essay is acceptable. If at all possible, pls. send in a 30 page paper. If you are applying to the PhD program, you should send a sample of your written work, in English, at the graduate level; this may be either a major seminar paper or a chapter from an MA thesis. The length of the paper should not exceed 50 pages, if possible. The writing sample must be sent electronically as an e-mail attachment to hist.grad@ubc.ca.
4. A brief statement of purpose (1-2 pages) identifying the subject, place and time period you hope to concentrate on in your studies and outlining a research proposal which describes the topic on which you might write your thesis. This proposal should demonstrate your ability to define a significant and manageable project in your chosen field. Include with online application.
5. A brief statement (one paragraph) describing the level of your reading knowledge of languages other than English. Include with online application.
Applications for admission are adjudicated by the Department's Graduate Studies Committee in consultation with appropriate members of the department. When an applicant's file is complete, the committee has three courses of action:
The committee's recommendation is usually, but not always, accepted by the Faculty of Graduate Studies.
Applications are adjudicated following the January deadline for applications. Applicants will be notified in the spring.
The Graduate Studies Committee is composed of the Graduate Advisor, who serves as chair of the committee, and such faculty members as the department Head may appoint. Two graduate student representatives (normally one MA and one PhD candidate) join the Committee for policy discussions. The committee is responsible for admissions to the department's graduate program for general supervision of that program, and for giving advice to the department and to students when so requested.
The Graduate Advisor chairs the Graduate Committee and is responsible for the administration of the graduate program of the department. This includes advising students seeking admission to the department, advising students currently enrolled, and organizing applications for financial assistance.
Each successful applicant is assigned a provisional advisor (or advisors) whose academic interests will normally be in a field related to the area in which the student has expressed interest. The provisional advisor is responsible for providing general assistance and advice on the student's program and for overseeing the student's progress.
