Program Overview

Overview

The Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration in Management Science (PhD) program at the University of British Columbia focuses on the application of mathematical models to decision problems in business, industry, government, and other organizations. The program offers a wide variety of courses in Management Science, Operations Research, and Operations Management, exposing students to the latest methods, recent modeling approaches, and current issues in the general areas of operations and logistics.

Program Details

• Faculty: Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration
• Academic Unit: Robert H. Lee Graduate School
• Specialization: Management Science
• Mode of Delivery: In person at UBC Vancouver
• Program Components: Dissertation
• Tuition (First Year):
  • Domestic: $5,626.02
  • International: $9,883.98
• Median Funding: 50% of students receive $61,981 or more funding per year in the first 4 years, before tuition and fees

Admission Information & Requirements

Check Eligibility

• Minimum Academic Requirements: The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies establishes the minimum admission requirements common to all applicants, usually a minimum overall average in the B+ range (76% at UBC).
• English Language Test: Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application.
  • TOEFL: Overall score requirement: 100
    • Reading: 22
    • Writing: 21
    • Speaking: 21
    • Listening: 22
  • IELTS: Overall score requirement: 7.0
    • Reading: 6.5
    • Writing: 6.5
    • Speaking: 6.5
    • Listening: 6.5
• Other Test Scores: The GRE or a comparable test is required.

Meet Deadlines

• Program Name: Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration in Management Science (PhD)
• Intake: September 2026
• Canadian Applicant Deadline: 31 December 2025
• International Applicant Deadline: 31 December 2025

Prepare Application

• Transcripts: All applicants have to submit transcripts from all past post-secondary study.
• Letters of Reference: Applicants have to submit 3 references to apply to this graduate program.
• Statement of Interest: Many programs require a statement of interest, sometimes called a "statement of intent", "description of research interests" or something similar.
• Supervision: Students in research-based programs usually require a faculty member to function as their thesis supervisor.

Tuition & Financial Support

Tuition

• Application Fee:
  • Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat: $118.50
  • International: $168.25
• Tuition per Installment:
  • Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat: $1,875.34
  • International: $3,294.66
• Tuition per Year:
  • Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat: $5,626.02
  • International: $9,883.98
• Int. Tuition Award (ITA) per Year (if eligible): $3,200.00
• Other Fees and Costs:
  • Student Fees (yearly): $1,144.10 (approx.)
  • Costs of living: Estimate your costs of living with our interactive tool.

Financial Support

• Program Funding Packages: We provide a financial package that includes tuition plus $30,000 per year for the first five years of the PhD Program.
• Funding Statistics: Based on the criteria outlined below, 5 students within this program were included in this study because they received funding through UBC in the form of teaching, research, academic assistantships or internal or external awards with a mean of $61,191 and a median of $61,981.

Career Outcomes

• Graduates: Graduates from the Management Science PhD program are respected for both the quality and creativity of their research. Many of them hold positions at leading schools in Canada, the USA, and worldwide. Others have taken up careers in a wide variety of organizations.
• Sample Employers in Higher Education:
  • Western University (Ontario)
  • City University of Hong Kong
  • University of Manitoba
  • University of British Columbia
  • Simon Fraser University
• Sample Employers Outside Higher Education:
  • Banco de México
  • Bank of Canada
  • IBM Research
  • Ministry of Education - Guyana
  • Ontario Public Service
• Sample Job Titles Outside Higher Education:
  • Strategic ICT Specialist
  • Senior Economist
  • Research Scientist
  • Senior Financial Specialist
  • Economic Staff
  • Consultant / Analyst
  • Information Organization Manager
  • Deputy Executive Secretary
  • Assistant Chief
  • Head of Research

Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats

• Enrolment Data:
  • Applications: 25 (2023), 26 (2022), 35 (2021), 44 (2020), 29 (2019)
  • Offers: 1 (2023), 1 (2022), 3 (2021), 4 (2020), 5 (2019)
  • New Enrolment: 1 (2023), 0 (2022), 2 (2021), 3 (2020), 1 (2019)
  • Total Enrolment: 8 (2023), 10 (2022), 12 (2021), 11 (2020), 11 (2019)
• Completion Rates & Times:
  • Graduation Rate: 83% based on 7 students admitted between 2011 - 2014.
  • Minimum Time to Completion: 5.12 years
  • Maximum Time to Completion: 7.07 years
  • Average Time to Completion: 6.04 years

Research Supervisors

• Supervision: The program will review research interests of applicants and recommend/match faculty members during the application/evaluation process.
• Faculty Members with Full Supervisory Privileges:
  • Cohen-Hillel, Tamar
  • Li, Jiajin
  • Paat, Joseph
  • Ryan, Christopher
  • Yan, Julia
  • Zheng, Andrew

Sample Thesis Submissions

• Learning and decision-making in complex information environments
• Probabilistic design in the operation of service systems
• Essays on healthcare delivery analytics
• Essays in healthcare operations research

Related Programs

• Same Academic Unit:
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration in Accounting (PhD)
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration in Finance (PhD)
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration in Management Information Systems (PhD)
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration in Marketing and Behavioural Science (PhD)
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration in Organizational Behaviour (PhD)
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration in Strategy and Business Economics (PhD)
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration in Transportation and Logistics (PhD)
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration in Urban Land Economics (PhD)
  • Master of Business Administration (MBA)
  • Master of Business Analytics (MBAN)
  • Master of Management (MM)
  • Master of Science in Business Administration in Finance (MSCB)
  • Master of Science in Business Administration in Management Information Systems (MSCB)
  • Master of Science in Business Administration in Transportation and Logistics (MSCB)
  • Professional Master of Business Administration (PMBA)

Further Information

• Specialization: Management Science
• UBC Calendar: graduate-and-postdoctoral-studies/degree-programs/business-administration
• Program Website: administration/specializations/management-science
• Faculty: Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration
• Academic Unit: Robert H. Lee Graduate School
• Program Identifier: VGDPHD-CHQO
• Classification: Social sciences » Economics and business administration » Management and trade » Operations and supply chain management
• Program Website: administration/specializations/management-science