The M.Sc. Program
The Oceans and Fisheries (OCF) Master’s program is a 2 year, full-time program that provides students with the opportunity to broaden their academic and research experience.
The Program is designed to train marine and freshwater scientists to undertake basic and applied research that will help foster healthy marine and freshwater ecosystems and sustainable resource use. Students will broaden their interdisciplinary expertise and acquire professional experience in areas including fisheries science, aquatic ecology, environmental physiology, natural resource economics, marine governance, and climate change.
The Program will be the only M.Sc. program in British Columbia, indeed in Canada, that offers both 18-credit thesis and 12-credit thesis streams, and is interdisciplinary in providing training in both ocean and fisheries science.
The Master’s degree requirement is a minimum of 30 credits, including either a 12-credit thesis (FISH 549A) or an 18 credit thesis (FISH 549B).
Prior Degree Requirements
BA or BSc is required, with minimum grade averages set by UBC Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies (G+PS):
- Admission Requirements: Canadian & United States Students
- Admission Requirements: International Students
English Proficiency Requirements
| Reading | Writing | Listening | Speaking | Overall | |
| TOEFL | 22 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 100 |
| IELTS | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 7.0 |
The Doctoral (Ph.D.) Program
The Oceans and Fisheries (OCF) Doctoral Program is full-time, consisting of courses and research, and is designed to train marine and freshwater scientists in basic and applied research that will help foster healthy marine and freshwater ecosystems and sustainable resource use. It draws on the broad and extensive expertise of faculty associated with the Institute for the Oceans and Fisheries (IOF) and responds to the emerging need for expertise to manage fisheries and other resource use activities on Canada’s coastlines, marine territory and inland waterbodies. Ph.D. candidates will deepen their interdisciplinary expertise and acquire professional experience in areas including fisheries science, aquatic ecology, environmental physiology, natural resource economics, marine governance, and climate change. In the process, the program will foster cutting-edge research on marine and freshwater systems, and address national and global priorities in environmental science and technologies, and natural resources and energy.
The program is expected to take four years, and provides a student with demonstrated academic and research ability an opportunity to develop and strengthen his/her research capabilities and knowledge to a more advanced level. Candidates are required to pass a comprehensive examination on their research area within 24 months of their program start date, and then focus on their doctoral dissertation.
Prior Degree Requirements
A Master’s degree (or equivalent) from an approved institution with clear evidence of research ability or potential, with minimum grade averages set by UBC Graduate & Postdoctoral Studies (G+PS):
English Proficiency Requirements
| Reading | Writing | Listening | Speaking | Overall | |
| TOEFL | 22 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 100 |
| IELTS | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 7.0 |