Admissions

UBC welcomes excellent students from around the world. This page describes our selection criteria and procedures.

Proven Academic Ability

Applicants for graduate study should have completed a four-year bachelor's degree (preferably with honours) in mathematics or a closely related field, with a strong grade-point average (GPA). The required GPA depends on the applicant's previous institution: students from Canadian universities should have a GPA of 76% or higher in third- and fourth-year courses; students from universities in the USA need 3.3/4.0 or more in third- and fourth-year courses. Most applicants we admit surpass these levels by a large margin.

Proficiency in English

Applicants from a university in which English is not the primary language of instruction must present evidence of competency to pursue studies in the English language. Students may present their choice of

• TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language): minimum score of 600 (paper version); 250 (computer version); 100 (Internet version, effective September 2005);
• IELTS (International English Language Testing Service): minimum overall band score of 7.0 with no other component score less than 6.5;
• MELAB (Michigan English Language Assessment Battery): minimum overall score of 84.

Core Mathematical Knowledge

In order to obtain a graduate degree in Mathematics, a student must have completed courses in the following topics at the senior undergraduate level or above:

1. Real Analysis (including metric spaces, Lebesgue measure and Integration)
   Examples at UBC:
   • Real Analysis (Math 420 and 421, or Math 507 and 510)
2. Complex Analysis
   Examples at UBC:
   • Complex Analysis (Math 440 or 508)
3. Abstract Algebra
   Examples at UBC:
   • Abstract Algebra (Math 422 and 423, or Math 501 and 502)
4. A mathematical topic different from those above
   Examples at UBC:
   • Applied Analysis (Math 400 and 401)
   • Probability and Stochastic Processes (Math 418 and 419)
   • Theory of Differential Equations (Math 416 and 417)
   • Differential Geometry (Math 424 and 425)
   • Algebraic Topology (Math 426 and 427)
   • Calculations of Variations and Optimal Control (Math 402 and 403)

Priority for admission is given to students who have completed each of the four requirements above. Students admitted in spite of a gap in their background will be required to address it during their first year at UBC.

Admission to a Doctoral Program

Admission to a doctoral program normally requires the applicant to hold a Master's degree in Mathematics or an equivalent qualification. Thus most recent Bachelor's graduates, including those who seek a doctorate, are admitted to a Master's program at first.

University regulations allow students without a Master's degree (or equivalent) to enter the Ph.D. program directly only if they are nominated by a Department and

1. hold a Bachelor's degree with First Class honours, or
2. hold a Bachelor's degree and have completed one year of study in a Master's program, earning at least 12 credits with at least 9 credits of first class standing and at least 9 credits at the 500-level or above, and show clear evidence of research ability. (Transfer directly into a Doctoral program is not permitted after the completion of the second year of a Master's program.)

Students who earn a Master's degree at UBC are not guaranteed a place in our PhD program. A formal application for PhD studies is required. Students with a satisfied Master's supervisor, a source of financial support, and a willing doctoral supervisor (all of whom may be the same faculty member) have a high probability of success.

How to Apply

Each year we welcome 30 - 40 new students from over 200 applications. Thus, although the official application deadline is January 15, 2013, we strongly encourage interested students to apply as early as possible in the new year.

A complete application includes the following:

1. An online application form (and fee) collected by the Faculty of Graduate Studies, and
2. Official transcripts and TOEFL to be mailed directly to this address:

   Graduate Advisor
   Department of Mathematics
   The University of British Columbia
   #121-1984 Mathematics Road
   Vancouver, BC
   CANADA       V6T 1Z2

   Required documents:
   • 3 electronic reference letters from the online application system,
   • 2 sets of official transcripts (with certified translations if the original is not in English or French),
   • evidence of proficiency in English (official documents from TOEFL, IELTS, or MELAB), as detailed above,
   • a curriculum vitae, and a statement of research interests ( not necessary to mail, please email PDF documents to admiss(at)math.ubc.ca ). These documents are optional. As long as you have answered the online application questions thoroughly (particularly your research interests and goals), there is no need to send us a cv and statement of research interests or to duplicate information.

More Information

For more information about Graduate Studies in the Department of Mathematics, please contact the Mathematics Graduate Advisor, Dr. Greg Martin [gradadv(at)math.ubc.ca], the Mathematics Graduate Program Coordinator, Lee Yupitun [admiss(at)math.ubc.ca], or the UBC Faculty of Graduate Studies.