Program Overview

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Adult Learning and Global Change (ALGC) Program

The Adult Learning and Global Change (ALGC) program is a fully online asynchronous two-year Master’s of Education (M.Ed) program. It annually admits one global cohort of students from three collaborating universities: UBC (UBC – Canada), University of the Western Cape (UWC-South Africa), and Linköping University (LiU-Sweden). Students from all three universities participate together online, as one learning community from several continents and many unique local contexts.

Program Description

The ALGC program is designed for individuals who require a flexible schedule and who wish to understand adult learning in the context of global change, and thereby improve their professional practice. The courses in this program will benefit those working with adults in formal and informal educational settings, including higher education and student affairs; human resource development in business, industry and government; activist organizations; international and/or community development; non-governmental organizations; and healthcare settings.

Program Objectives

After completing this program, students will be able to:

• Critically analyze dominant and alternative theories and discourses of globalization
• Identify the various ways that local context shapes adult learning and relevant public policy
• Analyze how relationships can foster change through adult learning
• Plan learning interventions that help adults increase their influence over the direction and pace of local and global change
• Nurture and carry forward global networks of adult learning professionals
• Recognize culturally-mediated and context-specific frameworks for understanding education, research, and learning

Admissions Requirements

All graduate program applicants in the Department of Educational Studies (EDST) must meet the minimum entry requirements established by the Faculty of Graduate Studies, which oversees graduate work at UBC. Applicants who do not meet the minimum requirements will be considered for admission only in exceptional circumstances.

ALGC Program Eligibility

The ALGC program is for those seeking a web-based master’s degree that provides multiple perspectives on the role adult learning plays as individuals and communities engage with globalization. The program is also for those interested in international development work; cross-cultural education and training; the role of education in addressing various global health and environmental issues, promoting social justice in the face of economic globalization.

General Eligibility

To be eligible for admission to a master’s degree program at UBC, applicants must hold a four-year bachelor’s degree (apart from applicants from Quebec) with a minimum overall average in the B+ range (at UBC 76%) in third- and fourth-year courses prescribed by the Department concerned as prerequisite to the master’s program.

English Requirements

Applicants whose degrees are 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. Acceptable English language proficiency tests for applicants to graduate studies are:

• TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language): Minimum score of 600 (paper version), 250 (computer version), 92 with a minimum of 22 in each component (iTB)
• IELTS (International English Language Testing Service): Minimum overall band score of 6.5 with no other component score less than 6.0
• MELAB (Michigan English Language Assessment Battery): Minimum overall score of 81

Program Requirements

The ALGC program requirements include:

Required Courses

• EDST 540, Locating Oneself in Global Learning I (3 credits taught by UBC)
• EDST 541, Adult Learning: Contexts and Perspectives (3 credits taught by LiU)
• EDST 575, Work and Learning (3 credits taught by UBC)
• EDST 542, Fostering Learning in Practice (3 credits taught by LiU)
• EDST 544, Global/Local Learning (3 credits taught by UWC)
• EDST 543, Understanding Research (3 credits—teaching rotated among the four universities)
• EDST 540, Locating Oneself in Global Learning II (3 credits taught by UBC)

Equipment and Web Access

Regular internet access is essential in this program. Applicants should have ready access to a computer capable of running a modern operating system and software, as well as capability to view online video and engage in online collaborative and videoconferencing technologies.

Application Process

Applications should be submitted online. All of the following components of an application must be received by the department’s Graduate Program Assistant before the file can be reviewed by the ALGC admissions committee.

• Online UBC application form
• Upload digital copies (.pdfs) of official transcripts
• Three references
• Letter of intent
• Writing Sample

International Applicants

Applicants from outside Canada should be aware of additional requirements that may apply. Please read the following to determine which of these requirements may apply to you.

International Credentials Equivalency

Please see the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies website for details on international credentials equivalency.

International Transcripts and Translation Requirements

If you have transcripts that are issued in a language other than English, then in addition to uploading digital copies of the documents in their original language, you must also upload a certified literal English translation of your transcripts from your home university’s translation service or certified English translator.

Tuition and Deadlines

ALGC Program Fees

For current information about Master’s Programs fees, please visit the UBC Calendar. Annual tuition is paid in three instalments (September, January and May). Additional student fees are required by the University and can be found in the online University Calendar, Student Fees.

Deadlines for applications

Deadlines for the EDST ALGC program can be found on the EDST website.