2025 Vancouver Summer Program

Becoming a Leader for the Oceans and Planet

This course prepares students to become leaders in ensuring a healthy, sustainable, and equitable future for the oceans and the planet. Designed for environmental science students across all disciplines, the course focuses on developing versatile leadership, communication, and policy analysis skills essential in tackling global environmental issues. Through interactive workshops and group activities, students will learn about knowledge translation, develop their presentation skills, create effective policy briefs, and communicate science to different audiences, including policymakers and the public. Emphasizing collective leadership, interdisciplinary teamwork, and science communication, this course is ideal for those aspiring to roles in environmental policy, advocacy, and leadership. A science background can be helpful; however, students from many different areas will benefit from the course content. This project-based course will develop leadership and advocacy skills that are required to address key challenges facing the ocean, from overexploitation and marine pollution to climate change and ocean acidification. Students will learn about key marine and coastal issues and how to apply technical expertise to address real-world marine challenges. Working in groups on timely problems facing the ocean, students will learn to analyze the challenges, identify opportunities for resolution, and then embark on that path to change. In so doing, they will gain experience applying their technical expertise to address actual challenges facing the oceans today.

Grand Challenges Facing the Ocean

The leadership skills gained in the program serve as a base for this project-based course, which focuses on addressing the world’s oceans’ significant environmental challenges, such as overexploitation, marine pollution, climate change, and ocean acidification. Students will dive deeper into specific marine and coastal issues and apply their leadership and technical knowledge to real-world environmental problems. Through group projects, students will analyze these global challenges, identify sustainable solutions, and develop actionable plans to implement change. This course is perfect for students who want to apply their leadership and problem-solving skills in the context of environmental conservation and management, making a tangible impact on the future of our oceans.

The IOF VSP includes approximately 39 hours of class time, per session. Courses are directed by UBC faculty members and taught by researchers in our community. Classes are interactive and may include group discussions, guest lecturers, research projects, and short field trips.

Courses do not receive UBC credit but course credit may be granted by the student’s home university (at its discretion).

Note: Many course packages have a minimum and maximum class size, so we encourage you to register your students early. Course packages that do not have the minimum number of students will not be offered, but students may transfer to other packages.

Dates

#1: June 6 to July 6, 2025

#2: July 11 to August 10, 2025

Schedule

Schedules vary depending on the package selected. Typically, classes are held 5 days a week from Monday to Friday.

Example of a typical schedule:

9:00am – 12:00pm | Morning class

12:00pm – 1:00pm | Lunch break

1:00pm - 4:00pm | Afternoon class

The Vancouver Summer Program package fee of CAD $5,975.00 (for the 2025 program) is all-encompassing and includes:

• Application fee (Please note the application fee of $125 CAD is payable upon submitting the application)*
• Course materials and tuition for two courses
• Learn at UBC, one of the largest and oldest universities in Canada, and on its breathtaking campus. (Take a virtual tour of UBC!)
• Shared accommodation on UBC campus (Accommodation and residence details can be found on the UBC Vancouver Summer Program website.)
• Medical insurance
• Transportation by shuttle bus to and from airport (during peak hours)
• Vancouver city tour
• Orientation and farewell events
• Social activities (some activities may require an additional fee)**

* Please note the application fee of $125 CAD is payable upon submitting the application, with the balance of $5,850 due by the payment deadline stated below.

** Some packages include socio-cultural activities that are included in the package fee, while other activities are partly subsidized or come at an additional cost. For example, students may be responsible for the cost of public transportation for all off-campus classes and field trips.

Payment deadline

To qualify for the 2025 Vancouver Summer program, you must receive your Letter of Acceptance and make payment by the following dates:

June Session: February 28, 2025

July Session: April 4, 2025

Other Costs

Your airfare, meals, personal trips, and personal expenses are not covered in the program fee unless noted otherwise. For more details on fees and expenses, please visit the UBC Vancouver Summer Program website.

This program is for students registered at a post-secondary institution outside of Canada and at least 19 years of age on the first day of the program.

For registration and payment, please see the UBC Vancouver Summer Program website.

The IOF VSP includes organized social and cultural activities, which are a great opportunity experience life in Vancouver, to make friends with other VSP students from around the world, as well as local UBC students! Additionally, these activities are opportunity to learn more about Vancouver and Canadian culture.

Example activities include:

• Welcome event and Orientation
• UBC campus tour
• Vancouver city tour
• Sports day
• Pizza night
• Board game night
• Museums
• Farewell event

Optional weekend trips to the following locations may also be organized:

• Victoria
• Whistler
• Squamish
• Rocky Mountains

*additional fees may be required