phd programs vancouver

• Experiential Learning
• Human Subject Pool
• Student Associations
• Student Research

PhD Program

• Behavioural Neuroscience
• Cognitive Science
• Developmental
• Quantitative Methods
• Social & Personality
• Opportunities
• Research Streams
• Participate
• Postdoctoral Research
• PSYC240: Research Experience
• Newsletters
• Pets of UBC Psych
• EDI Committee
• EDI Strategy, Goals & Initiatives
• EDI Involvement
• EDI Resources & Support
• EDI Funding
• EDI Research
• Diversity Mentorship Program
• Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
• Psychology Clinic
• Community Pantry
• Job Opportunities
• Sustainability

On average, it takes four to five years to complete the PhD program (after the MA) and requires full-time academic year residency until the attainment of candidacy.

At least 12 credits of coursework are required, and the details of required courses vary by research area . In addition to courses, doctoral students are required to complete a comprehensive examination and a dissertation. Students in the Clinical Program are, in addition, required to complete a year-long accredited clinical internship.

Interested in why we behave, think and feel the way we do?

Study the rich and complex nature of human behaviour, thoughts and emotions and explore how you can help improve the lives of people in your community..

• Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD)
• Graduate School
• Prospective Students
• Graduate Degree Programs

Canadian Immigration Updates

Review details about the recently announced changes to study and work permits that apply to master’s and doctoral degree students. Read more

Go to programs search

The Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Program (ISGP) at the University of British Columbia was established in 1971, the first of its kind in Canada. It is one of the only Canadian programs to offer doctoral degrees in interdisciplinary studies, and is possibly one of the largest of its kind in North America.

The main purpose of the ISGP is to enable qualified graduate students to pursue advanced interdisciplinary research exceeding the provisions of existing departmental programs. There are no restrictions regarding the topic and in many cases the student draws upon expertise from several distinct faculties. The prospective student has to bring together three or four qualified faculty from different departments or units. Because there are no constraints on which fields are brought together, there are virtually no two students in the same sub-field. The ISGP is designed only for a highly motivated and superb student who can steer an independent course.

For specific program requirements, please refer to the departmental program website

What makes the program unique?

ISGP gives you the opportunity to:

• pursue interdisciplinary research that is individually designed by the student
• select courses and research supervisors from every department at UBC
• participate in interdisciplinary lectures, workshops and seminars
• apply for funding for exceptional students

UBC is a world renowned organisation in a fantastic city. Being able to meet students and teachers from Canada and around the world is a great benefit to my research, career and life. Furthermore, my supervisors at UBC are experts in their field and brilliant mentors.

Ewan Wright

Quick Facts

Program enquiries, admission information & requirements, program instructions.

Please see ISGP website for complete list of required documents.

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:

• Canada or the United States
• International countries other than the United States

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

IELTS: International English Language Testing System

Overall score requirement : 6.5

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.

Prior degree, course and other requirements

Document requirements, 2) meet deadlines, september 2025 intake, application open date, canadian applicants, international applicants, deadline explanations.

Deadline to submit online application. No changes can be made to the application after submission.

Deadline to upload scans of official transcripts through the applicant portal in support of a submitted application. Information for accessing the applicant portal will be provided after submitting an online application for admission.

Deadline for the referees identified in the application for admission to submit references. See Letters of Reference for more information.

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 Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD)

IMPORTANT: In order to ensure stability and appropriate level of support from your supervisory team, it is crucial that at least one of your proposed co-supervisors is a  G+PS member  who is tenured or tenure track faculty member holding the rank of Assistant/Associate/Full Professor (verify by entering name  here ).

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.

Tuition & Financial Support

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 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 from September 2024. 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.

Average Funding

• 6 students received Teaching Assistantships. Average TA funding based on 6 students was $9,532.
• 13 students received Research Assistantships. Average RA funding based on 13 students was $20,892.
• 8 students received Academic Assistantships. Average AA funding based on 8 students was $7,509.
• 44 students received internal awards. Average internal award funding based on 44 students was $12,361.
• 14 students received external awards. Average external award funding based on 14 students was $24,258.

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

72 students graduated between 2005 and 2013. Of these, career information was obtained for 66 alumni (based on research conducted between Feb-May 2016):

Sample Employers in Higher Education

Sample employers outside higher education, sample job titles outside higher education, phd career outcome survey, career options.

Many employers are increasingly interested in hiring people with broader backgrounds than are provided by traditional programs. For example, in some academic settings, it is a real advantage to be versatile enough to teach in several areas and to interact with researchers across a broad spectrum of interests. The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies offers a wide range of seminars and workshops on professional development. The UBC Centre for Student Involvement and Careers provides support in helping students navigate career options.

Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats

These statistics show data for the Doctor of Philosophy in Interdisciplinary Studies (PhD). Data are separated for each degree program combination. You may view data for other degree options in the respective program profile.

ENROLMENT DATA

Completion rates & times, upcoming doctoral exams, monday, 9 december 2024 - 9:00am - room 203.

• Research Supervisors

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.

This list shows faculty members with full supervisory privileges who are affiliated with this program. It is not a comprehensive list of all potential supervisors as faculty from other programs or faculty members without full supervisory privileges can request approvals to supervise graduate students in this program.

• Kerr, Thomas (harm reduction, injection drug users, HIV / AIDS, safe injection site, addiction, HIV/AIDS, injection drug use, health policy and service evaluation, and community-based research methods)
• Kornelsen, Jude (providing an evidence base to inform decisions on the planning of rural maternity services; advancing our understanding of women)
• Kuhl, David (understanding compassion fatigue/vicarious trauma, burnout, moral distress, grief, and psychological well being in health care providers)
• Kwon, Brian (Spinal cord injury)
• Loock, Christine Ann (Brain, Behaviour & Development; Social Pediatrics; Health Inequities; Child-health medical-home: children/families, integration / patient care / community services; Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders; Pediatric Sleep Disorders)
• Ogrodniczuk, John (Mental Health and Society; Psychodynamic Psychotherapy; Personality Disorders; Group Psychotherapy; Men’s Mental Health; Alexithymia; Athletes)
• Shannon, Kate (epidemiology, HIV/AIDS, sex work, public health, community health, gender epidemiology, health prevention, social determinants of health, community-based research, gender inequities, sexual health, vulnerable populations, structural determinants, qualitative evaluations, HIV/STI prevention, Social determinants of sexual health, HIV/AIDS and access to care among marginalized populations, particularly youth, sex workers, and women at-risk and living with HIV)

Doctoral Citations

Sample thesis submissions.

• Ruin conversions : violence, architecture and commemoration in post-1944 Warsaw
• Placing the overdose crisis : single room occupancy housing and the production of risk among structurally vulnerable people who use drugs in Vancouver, BC
• The community table : building radical collective wellbeing through food justice with and for women on parole in British Columbia
• A co(s)mic guide to getting bent : shifting perspectives between science and literature in twentieth-century England
• Statue, bear or rogue : ecological objects in Shakespeare and Jonson
• Social and structural contexts of injectable opioid agonist treatment : a critical ethnographic study of people's experiences in Vancouver, BC
• Territorial affirmation : sustainable production and conservation practices in the páramo communities of Sumapaz, Colombia
• Imagining museum futures through community-centered curating : representation with and by Chinese Canadian communities
• Disruptive stories and cautionary tales : an anti-oppressive autoethnography on digital storytelling
• Developing a learning model for teaching film production online
• “We dodge each other smiling” : older adults’ social connectedness and everyday well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond
• A systematic framework for coastal zone management and economic valuation of ecosystem services in BC coastal nations
• New approaches to understand species-habitat relationship using Indigenous Knowledge and scientific data
• The right to food matters : implementing the constitutional right to food in Mexico and Bolivia
• Navigating racism and resilience : an interpretive description study of ethnoracial minority youth experiences in Vancouver

Related Programs

Same specialization.

• Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies (MA)
• Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies (MSc)

At the UBC Okanagan Campus

Related disciplines.

• Doctor of Philosophy in Economics (PhD)
• Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD)
• Doctor of Philosophy in History (PhD)
• Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science (PhD)

Further Information

Specialization.

Interdisciplinary Studies allows students to design their own graduate program by bringing together three or four qualified faculty from different departments or units. Because there are no constraints on which fields are brought together, there are virtually no two students in the same subfield.

UBC Calendar

Program website, faculty overview, academic unit, program identifier, supervisor search.

Departments/Programs may update graduate degree program details through the Faculty & Staff portal. To update contact details for application inquiries, please use this form .

Elaine Williamson

I chose to study at UBC because of its reputation for academic excellence and its strong commitment to Indigenous research and community engagement. UBC offers a unique environment where I can learn and contribute to the body of knowledge on Indigenous entrepreneurship, business and governance...

Alexa Norton

I did my undergraduate degree at UBC and am happy to be back as a doctoral student. I've lived and worked in Vancouver since 2010, and studying at UBC enables me to stay connected and accountable to my community. There are brilliant minds studying and working in my field at UBC and its affiliated...

Kai Jacobsen

UBC is a top research university with many resources available to support community-engaged research and impactful knowledge translation. I am keen to join UBC initiatives related to community-based research and knowledge translation, such as the Public Scholars Initiative and the Centre for...

Raha AtashPa

I chose to study at the University of British Columbia (UBC) for its exceptional commitment to fostering interdisciplinary research and its globally recognized support for innovative art-based scholarship. UBC stands out as a leading institution that not only values but actively promotes the...

The city and the sea

Take a break from studying with opportunities at your fingertips. Whether you want to settle down in a café or take your research outdoors, we have a place for you.

• Why Grad School at UBC?
• Application & Admission
• Info Sessions
• Research Projects
• Indigenous Students
• International Students
• Tuition, Fees & Cost of Living
• Newly Admitted
• Student Status & Classification
• Student Responsibilities
• Managing your Program
• Health, Wellbeing and Safety
• Professional Development
• Dissertation & Thesis Preparation
• Final Doctoral Exam
• Final Dissertation & Thesis Submission
• Life in Vancouver
• Vancouver Campus
• Graduate Student Spaces
• Graduate Life Centre
• Life as a Grad Student
• Graduate Student Ambassadors
• Meet our Students
• Award Opportunities
• Award Guidelines
• Minimum Funding Policy for PhD Students
• Killam Awards & Fellowships
• Dean's Message
• Leadership Team
• Strategic Plan & Priorities
• Vision & Mission
• Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
• Initiatives, Plans & Reports
• Graduate Education Analysis & Research
• Media Enquiries
• Newsletters
• Giving to Graduate Studies

Strategic Priorities

• Strategic Plan 2019-2024
• Improving Student Funding
• Promoting Excellence in Graduate Programs
• Enhancing Graduate Supervision
• Advancing Indigenous Inclusion
• Supporting Student Development and Success
• Reimagining Graduate Education
• Enriching the Student Experience

Initiatives

• Public Scholars Initiative
• 3 Minute Thesis (3MT)
• PhD Career Outcomes

• Sociology Programs
• Family Studies Program
• Opportunities
• Master’s Program

PhD Program

• Research Streams
• Projects & Initiatives
• Sojourners: Undergraduate Journal of Sociology
• Distinguished Speaker Series
• Sociology Research Forum
• Job Opportunities
• Indigeneity, Equity and Diversity
• Student Health and Wellness Resources
• Faculty and Staff Health and Wellness Resources
• Community Food Garden

Students in the doctoral program in Sociology at UBC graduate with extensive experience in research, publication, and teaching.

Besides the comprehensive curriculum equipping our graduates with a strong mixed-methods background, our students build extensive resumes through publication, instruction, and collaboration with a world-class faculty.

Graduates from the PhD program have established themselves at prestigious universities and research institutions worldwide, and students’ research has earned them numerous major awards.

We welcome around 4 students each year into the PhD program.

Sociology PhD students have the opportunity to specialize in any one or more of the Department’s four major research streams:

• Race, Ethnicity and Migration
• Sex, Gender and Sexuality
• Environment and Community
• Sociology of Health

Think critically and socially

Understand the world in which we live and how you can change it..