University of British Columbia

Overview

University of British Columbia, or UBC, is a public research institution with two campuses in Kelowna and Vancouver, British Columbia. Formerly known as the McGill University College of British Columbia, UBC is one of the oldest universities in Canada and is consistently ranked among the top three institutions in the country. It has a well-established reputation for high-quality academic authority and is home to several Nobel laureates, Olympians, Rhodes scholars, and members of the Royal Society and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Two of the university’s campuses—the Vancouver campus and the Okanagan campus located in Kelowna—both empower students with technical expertise and an awareness of the latest research trends, allowing them to contribute to their chosen area of study. The university offers around 500 master’s and bachelor’s degrees in subjects such as IT and applied technology, business and technology management, linguistics and translation, as well as liberal arts and sciences.

Founded in 1908, the university was established as part of the British Columbia University Act that formally calls for bringing a provincial university into being. During its early establishment, the university relied on research grants from Canada’s federal government. It also played an integral part of the country’s efforts in the war by providing assistance to the government in the form of laboratory research and military training programs.

Throughout the years, the university launched research projects and established partnerships with key institutions to foster the creation of new companies. It also manages and operates a number of research centers throughout the country, including the Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, the Peter Wall Institute for Advanced Studies, and the Centre for the Study of Democratic Institutions.

In addition, the UBC is a member of Universitas 21, an international network of research-intensive institutions. The university is also the only Canadian university that belongs to the Association of Pacific Rim Universities, a consortium of leading research institutions that foster collaboration among member universities, policymakers, and researchers in an attempt to address scientific, economic, and cultural challenges in the Pacific Rim.

With its excellent reputation for academics and research, the university receives the second-largest research funding for any Canadian university. UBC also serves as home to a number of modern and world-class facilities, including TRIUMF, Canada’s premier physics laboratory and one of the world’s leading subatomic physics research centers.

As one of the world’s top research institutions, UBC pursues excellence in education and research to provide its students, faculty, staff, alumni, and partners with a competitive advantage in the corporate world.