Program Overview

Overview

The Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Engineering (PhD) program at the University of British Columbia delivers an interdisciplinary experience, combining principles of geotechnical engineering, hydrogeology, and geology. This combination provides a versatile set of skills needed to solve a wide range of practical problems related to engineering interactions with the earth environment.

Program Details

• Faculty: Faculty of Science
• Academic Unit: Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences
• Specialization: Geological Engineering
• 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 $42,800 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: 22
    • Speaking: 23
    • Listening: 22
  • IELTS: Overall score requirement: 7.0
    • Reading: 6.5
    • Writing: 6.5
    • Speaking: 7.0
    • Listening: 6.5

Meet Deadlines

• Program Name: Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Engineering (PhD)
• Intake:
  • September 2026: Canadian Applicant Deadline - 15 January 2026, International Applicant Deadline - 15 January 2026
  • January 2027: Canadian Applicant Deadline - 15 June 2026, International Applicant Deadline - 15 June 2026

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.

Research Information

Facilities

The Geological Engineering program is housed in the recently constructed Earth Science Building and the associated buildings EOAS-Main and EOAS-South. Research facilities include the Environmental Interfaces laboratory (EIL), the Centre for Experimental Studies of the Lithosphere (CESL), a wet lab, and field staging areas.

Tuition & Financial Support

Tuition

• Fees:
  • Application Fee: $118.50 (Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat), $168.25 (International)
  • Tuition per year: $5,626.02 (Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat), $9,883.98 (International)
• Other Fees and Costs:
  • Student Fees (yearly): $1,144.10 (approx.)
  • Costs of living: Estimate your costs of living with our interactive tool to start developing a financial plan for your graduate studies.

Financial Support

• Program Funding Packages: All full-time Ph.D. students who begin a UBC-Vancouver PhD program in January 2021 or later will be provided with a funding package of at least $25,500 for each of the first four years of their PhD.
• Funding Statistics: Based on the criteria outlined, 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 $35,128 and a median of $42,800.

Career Outcomes

• Sample Employers Outside Higher Education: Schlumberger Technology Corp., Knight Piesold, BGC Engineering Inc., Crux Engineering Group (CEG), AMC Consultants
• Sample Job Titles Outside Higher Education: Engineer, Senior Engineer, Senior Geotechnical Engineer, Vice President, Senior Geotechnical Consultant
• PhD Career Outcome Survey: You may view the full report on career outcomes of UBC PhD graduates.

Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats

• Enrolment Data:
  • Applications: 7 (2023), 4 (2022), 2 (2021), 5 (2020), 7 (2019)
  • Offers: 3 (2023), 1 (2022), 1 (2021), 1 (2020), 2 (2019)
  • New Enrolment: 3 (2023), 1 (2022), 1 (2021), 1 (2020), 2 (2019)
  • Total Enrolment: 9 (2023), 9 (2022), 9 (2021), 9 (2020), 8 (2019)

Research Supervisors

• Supervision: Students in research-based programs usually require a faculty member to function as their thesis supervisor.
• Instructions regarding thesis supervisor contact for this program: Applicants should browse faculty profiles and indicate in their application who they are interested in working with. No commitment from a supervisor prior to applying is necessary, but contacting faculty members is encouraged.

Sample Thesis Submissions

• Spalling and strainbursting in deep mining tunnels: data-driven and numerical analyses to improve ground support design and tunnel reliability
• Quantitative life-loss risk evaluation for landslides

Related Programs

• Same Specialization:
  • Master of Applied Science in Geological Engineering (MASc)
  • Master of Engineering in Geological Engineering (MEng)
• Same Academic Unit:
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Atmospheric Science (PhD)
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Geological Sciences (PhD)
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Geophysics (PhD)
  • Doctor of Philosophy in Oceanography (PhD)
  • Graduate Certificate in Applied Geological Engineering (GCAGE)
  • Master of Applied Science in Geophysics (MASc)
  • Master of Science in Atmospheric Science (MSc)
  • Master of Science in Geological Sciences (MSc)
  • Master of Science in Geophysics (MSc)
  • Master of Science in Oceanography (MSc)