for our graduate program

Programs Offered – UBC Civil Engineering

M.A.Sc.   Applicants may only start in September.  Applications completed online.

M.Eng.  Applicants may start in either September or January, however it is recommended to begin in September due to course work requirements.  M.Eng. is a non-thesis program.

If you are applying to the Master of Engineering Program
(M.Eng.) please visit the Faculty of Applied Science -
Master of Engineering where you will find a link to their
full application form.

Ph.D.  Applicants may start any time but it is recommended that they begin their program in either September or January due to course work requirements. Applications completed online.

 

Preliminary Application Information

Before a full application is submitted to our Graduate Studies Program, please complete a Preliminary Application Form and submit it to the Civil Engineering office. 

Preliminary Application Form

Preliminary Application Form

Departmental deadlines are as follows:

Preliminary Application Deadlines:	Full Application Deadlines:
September Admissions – October 1 of the preceding year January Admissions – March 1 of the preceding year	September Admissions – December 1 of the preceding year January Admissions – May 1 of the preceding year

Upon submitting a Preliminary Application, applicants can expect to receive a decision from the Department within approximately 30 to 45 days as to whether or not they have been recommended to submit a Full Application. 

Application deadlines are firm.  If you miss the Preliminary Application deadline and meet the minimum requirements for admission outlined below, you may submit a Full Application.

To avoid missing the deadline for Full Applications, we recommend that applicants begin compiling the required documents well in advance of the Full Application deadlines. 

Full Application Information

Please complete the formal application and send supporting documents to:
Graduate Advisor of Admissions
Department of Civil Engineering
The University of British Columbia
Suite 2002 - 6250 Applied Science Lane
Vancouver, BC - V6T 1Z4, Canada
Telephone: (604) 822-2637
E-mail:grad-applications@civil.ubc.ca

Required Documents

The following documents are required to complete your application file:

1. Completed application form and processing fee (International applicants: CND$153.00; Canadian Citizens/Permanent Residents: CND$91.80.  Fees are subject to change; please confirm fees Faculty of Graduate Studies website.)
2. Two official copies of your transcript(s)/degree certificate(s) from all colleges and universities attended
3. Three reference letters submitted through the online application system or sent directly to the department in sealed and endorsed envelopes.
4. Official TOEFL/IELTS or MELAB scores, if necessary (see criteria below)

For more information regarding the submission of your documents, please visit the Faculty of Graduate Studies - Required Documents.

English Requirements

Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must present evidence of competency to pursue studies in the English language prior to being extended an offer of admission. Test scores must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application, and official test scores ordered from the testing agency are required for application. Photocopies of test scores are not acceptable.
The following English Language tests will be accepted:
TOEFL - TOEFL iBT - minimum score 100, TOEFL computer-based test - minimum score 250, TOEFL paper-based test minimum score of 600. Also, we require a minimum TWE score of 5.0.
IELTS - a minimum score of 7 with nothing less than 6.5 per individual test.
MELAB - a minimum score of 81.

Areas of Specialization

Possible areas of specialization within the Department of Engineering include:

• Environmental Engineering (choose one of the following):

Environmental Fluid Mechanics
Pollution Control and Waste Management
Geo-Environmental Engineering
Agricultural Waste Management

• Materials
• Geotechnical Engineering and Environmental Geotechnics
• Construction Engineering and Management Engineering
• Structural Engineering (includes Earthquake Engineering)
• Transportation Engineering
• Hydrotechnical Engineering

Funding

The department awards a limited number of Research Assistantships to well-qualified, full-time students in the MASc and PhD programs, subject to funds being available. Research Assistantships are not available to MEng students. The current stipend for Research Assistants is $15,600.00 (MASc) and $18,000.00 (PhD) per annum. These amounts are under review.

Additional support may be gained through Teaching Assistantship positions. For more information on these opportunities, please visit our information page on Teaching Assistant and Marker Opportunities. As well, partial tuition scholarships, are available to some international students on "student visas" who pursue an MASc degree. Further information on this and other scholarships may be found at The Faculty of Graduate Studies Awards and Financial Aid.

Entrance Requirements

Because the number of applicants greatly exceeds the number of positions available, a record that satisfies basic entrance requirements does not guarantee admission to Graduate Studies.
To calculate your overall Grade Point Average (GPA), International applicants need to use all courses taken. Canadian and US applicants calculate their GPA using senior level coursework (3rd and 4th years).
The minimum requirements for graduate admissions are:

• A Bachelor's degree or recognized equivalent from an accredited institution
• An acceptable academic standing *
• Sufficient undergraduate background to carry out graduate work in a chosen field.

* Grading systems differ widely among countries. We recommend that applicants have an academic standing within the general requirements listed below to ensure a chance of gaining admission to graduate studies:

Canada & USA: Honours or a Bachelor's degree requiring at least four years of study with a B+ (76% at UBC or GPA of 3.76) average in third and fourth year course work prescribed by the Department concerned as prerequisite to the Master's program. From Quebec, a three-year Bachelor's degree is acceptable provided the Diplôme d'Etudes Collégiales has been awarded.

India, Pakistan, Bangladesh: B.Eng., B.Sc.(Eng.), B.Tech., B.Arch.; or a Master's degree in a non-engineering field. All degrees must be awarded with First Class/Division standing. Applicants must arrange for the submission of certified copies of detailed mark sheets and degree certificates to be sent to UBC in envelopes sealed and endorsed by the issuing institution.

People's Republic of China: A four-year Bachelor's degree with an overall "B+" average (85% or better). Applicants must arrange for the submission of official transcripts in Chinese and certified English (literal) translations to be sent to UBC directly from the home university. Official proof of degree conferral is required in the form of a degree certificate.

United Kingdom (and other Commonwealth countries whose system follows that of the U.K.): Honours Bachelor's degree with at least an Upper Second Class standing. Official statements from the University Registrar indicating program of study, courses taken and grades achieved are required. An attested copy of the degree certificate showing class and division of degree awarded must also be submitted.

Australia & New Zealand: Honours or Bachelor's degree requiring four years of study with an overall minimum standing of Second Class, Upper Division.

France (and other schools modeled after the French system): Diplôme or Maîtrise; or title of Ingénieur with at least an overall "Bien" standing. Applicants should arrange for the submission of official relevé de notes showing all courses and grades/mentions for each year of study to be sent to UBC directly by the home university.

Germany: Hauptdiplom Magister Artium, or Staatsexamen with at least an overall "Gut" standing. Applicants should arrange for the submission of all examination records, Seminarscheine, and diplom certificates to be sent to UBC directly by the home university. Graduates of Polytechnic Institutions (or Fachhochschulen) are not admissible.

Denmark, Norway & Sweden: The minimum qualification required is the Candidatus, Sivilingenor or Hogskolexamen or equivalent.

Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile & Colombia: 8.0 GPA on a 10.0 scale.

Iran: At least 16 on a GPA scale of 20. Requirements for students from Islamic Azad: Applicants should obtain verification from the Higher Education Advisory (HEA) of the Iranian Embassy in Ottawa that their specific degree program (including the campus 'branch' where it was taken) has been approved by the "Educational Evaluation Committee for Azad University". Verification obtained by applicants must be in the form of a paper letter or fax from the HEA. FoGS will accept email verification from the HEA, printed or forwarded by program staff, but not from the applicant. Additional HEA contacting information:

Higher Education Advisory
Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran - Ottawa, Canada
245 Metcalfe Street
Ottawa, Ontario K2P 2K2
FAX: (613) 235-5712
Requests for verification should include the degree (BA, BSc, etc), program or department, date conferred, and branch (or campus) where the degree program was taken.

South Korea: At least 85% overall average.

If your country is not listed above, please see the full list of Minimum Academic Requirements for students by country.