This December the Department will be celebrating our 50th Anniversary with a banquet to be held at the Renissance Hotel downtown, join us for a night of more...
Each year the department offers a variety of topics under the course numbed 360B. This year we are offering courses in Modern Japanese Literature, Cultures of Manga and Anime More...
How to Apply
Applicants should direct all correspondence to the Department of Asian Studies and are strongly advised to submit the application form and research proposal first so that we can establish a file for you.
Next admission is winter 2013 (starting September 2013). Deadline: TBA
(all applicants: domestic, international, MA, PhD, online submission and documents submission, not postmark).
Application deadline for 2012 admissions: has passed.
Please be advised that we don’t accept late applications and we don’t have January nor May admissions.
1. A completed application form
Apply on-line at http://www.grad.ubc.ca/prospective-students/application-admission/apply-online
2. A non-refundable application fee of CDN $91.80 (for Canadian and Permanent Residents) or CDN $153.00 (for International students) made payable to U.B.C. Faculty of Graduate Studies.
3. A one-page Research Proposal
Select and propose a single topic of research. Make clear the geographic area (e.g., China), the discipline (e.g., literature), and time period (e.g., modern) of your proposed research topic. Since the Research Proposal is used for determining which professor will supervise your research, please be specific about your research plan.
You are welcome to contact our professors in your field of study if you need assistance with your research proposal or like one of them to act as your research supervisor. However, even if a professor agrees to supervise you, it doesn't necessarily mean that you will be accepted in a program. Please see admission process at the bottom of the page.
NOTE: Your application cannot be assessed if your research topic (area, discipline, and time period) is not clear. You have to to copy and paste your proposal in the application.Please don't send your proposal as an email attachment or a paper copy.
Those interested in Asia-related modern history, political science, commerce, economics, geography, fine arts, anthropology or sociology, should apply to the department concerned. In special cases, PhD degree programs can be arranged jointly between Asian studies and other departments. For interdisciplinary programs, please contact the Interdisciplinary Studies Graduate Program directly http://www.isgp.ubc.ca/
4. Two official copies of transcripts covering ALL previous post-secondary studies.
If you have participated in an exchange program, you need to submit transcripts from your home university as well as transcripts from the university on exchange.
This include:
1. Two official degree certificates and transcripts in language of teaching
2. Two official English translations of degree certificate(s) and transcript(s) needed for non-English institutions
IMPORTANT: To be considered official, academic records MUST be sent to this department DIRECTLY from each of the issuing institutions you have attended. The documents need to be in official university envelopes that are stamped, sealed and endorsed by the institution(s).
Please DON’T send us photocopies of your documents or photocopies notarized by a notary public. We cannot accept them as official. If your university cannot issue multiple copies of transcripts please follow the required procedure http://www.grad.ubc.ca/prospective-students/application-admission/international-students-transcripts
UBC students and graduate don't need to submit transcripts.
In addition to originals provided by universities, please send to us (asiagrad@mail.ubc.ca) all your transcripts in a pdf. format.
5. Reference letters
A minimum of three references are required. References should be requested from individuals who are prepared to provide a report on your academic ability and qualifications.
There are three possible formats for references:
Electronic references ("e-ref") system: In the online application system, applicants are asked to provide an email address for each referee. (Please note, that we are unable to accept e-mails from Hotmail, Yahoo, GMail, MSN or other free e-mail accounts for referees.) A unique link will be emailed to each referee, allowing them to log in to a secure site and submit an online reference or upload a reference document as an attachment.
Paper letters of reference: Your referee may wish to send a paper letter. Paper letters of reference should be on referee's official letterhead and must be mailed directly to our program in a sealed and endorsed envelope.
Paper reference forms: UBC provides a general reference form. Your referee may fill out this form and mail it directly to our program in a sealed and endorsed envelope.
6. English Language Competence
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 is required for application.
Our department requires a TOEFL score of at least 570 (written test) or 230 (computer test) or 89 Internet-based TOEFL (iBT).
We don’t require an IELTS or GRE score.
However, if submitted in lieu of a TOEFLscore, a minimum overall band score of 6.5 is required with a minimum score of 6.0 in each component of the academic (NOT general) IELTS test.
Official TOEFL score report must be issued to UBC DIRECTLY from the Educational Testing Centre. (http://www.toefl.org or call1-800-257-9547).The University of British Columbia Institution Code is 0965 and our department code is 99. You must have a minimum score of 230 for the computer-based test, 570 for the paper based test and 89 for the Internet based test (iBT).
Please take a language exam well in advance of our deadline because it takes up to one month until the result reaches us.
7. Sample(s) of written work (required for Ph.D. applicants ONLY). Please send to us a writting sample as an email attachment (no more than twenty-five pages and do not send a hard copy). If you are applying for the master program, please DO NOT send a writing sample.
8. Permanent Residents
Canadian Permanent Residents are required to provide proof of immigration status and date of landing by submitting a copy of the Record of Landing Form or a copy of both the front and back of their Permanent Resident card. You can send these documents as the .pdf attachments.
Please send ALL documents to the following address:
University of British Columbia
Department of Asian Studies
403-1871 West Mall
Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z2
CANADA
Attn.: Graduate Secretary
Since all information is our website, we don’t send application packages. If you have further questions after reading the information on the website, please contact Ms. Jasmina Miodragovic, Graduate Secretary in the Asian Studies Department.
Phone: 604-822-5728
Fax: 604-822-8937
E-mail:asiagrad@mail.ubc.ca
Please be advised that we don't return long distance calls.
The results of admission are usually known in early March.