Program Overview

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Master of Science in Oceanography (MSc)

The Master of Science in Oceanography (MSc) program at the University of British Columbia is designed to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the physics, mathematics, biology, chemistry, and geology of the sea. The program is offered by the Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences and is available for students who wish to pursue a career in oceanography or related fields.

Overview

Oceanographers investigate both fundamental and applied problems relating to the physics, mathematics, biology, chemistry, and geology of the sea, often working across traditional academic disciplines. Research carried out both independently and in collaboration with federal government laboratories occurs in many different oceanographic regimes, including coastal BC fjords, the inland sea of the Strait of Georgia, open ocean regions of the Subarctic Pacific, and many other locations, including the Arctic and Antarctic Oceans.

What makes the program unique?

The Program builds on a proven record of accomplishments of the core faculty of the Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences Department that supervised several hundred graduate students. The program brings together 12 full-time faculty allowing students to choose from a wide range of concentrations such as biological oceanography, chemical oceanography, and physical oceanography.

Quick Facts

• Faculty: Faculty of Science
• Academic Unit: Department of Earth, Ocean & Atmospheric Sciences
• Specialization: Oceanography
• Mode of delivery: In person at UBC Vancouver
• Program Components: Coursework + Options
• Tuition (First Year): Domestic: $5,626.02 | International: $9,883.98

Admission Information & Requirements

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). The graduate program that you are applying to may have additional requirements.

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. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application.

Prior degree, course and other requirements

• The GRE is not required.
• All applicants have to submit transcripts from all past post-secondary study.
• Applicants have to submit 3 references to apply to this graduate program.
• Many programs require a statement of interest, sometimes called a "statement of intent", "description of research interests" or something similar.

Research Information

Facilities

In 2012 the new Earth Sciences Building was completed. The $75 million facility was designed to inspire collaboration and creativity across disciplines.

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 in order to start developing a financial plan for your graduate studies.

Financial Support

Applicants to UBC have access to a variety of funding options, including merit-based (i.e. based on your academic performance) and need-based (i.e. based on your financial situation) opportunities.

Career Options

The Program would provide graduates with collaborative research skills to lead marine and freshwater research, to address critical challenges of direct and indirect impacts of anthropogenic and climate change effects on aquatic ecosystems and coastal communities. In addition to academia, program graduates will be well placed for academic and/or government research careers, intergovernmental agencies, industry and positions with environmental consulting firms.

Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats

• ENROLMENT DATA:
  • Applications: 29 (2023), 32 (2022), 36 (2021), 22 (2020), 24 (2019)
  • Offers: 9 (2023), 12 (2022), 5 (2021), 9 (2020), 9 (2019)
  • New Enrolment: 7 (2023), 7 (2022), 2 (2021), 8 (2020), 7 (2019)
  • Total Enrolment: 15 (2023), 15 (2022), 15 (2021), 19 (2020), 14 (2019)
• Completion Rates & Times:
  • This program has a graduation rate of 100% based on 16 students admitted between 2015 - 2018.
  • Based on 15 graduations between 2020 - 2023 the minimum time to completion is 1.7 years and the maximum time is 4.32 years with an average of 3.03 years of study.

Research Supervisors

• Allen, Susan (coastal oceanography; coupled bio-physics and chem-physics and all three models; forecast models; Oceans and Inland Waters; physical oceanography; Prediction and Climatic Modeling)
• Andersen, Raymond (Chemicals produced by marine organisms)
• Bradbury, Hal (Isotope geochemistry; Chemical Oceanography; Reactive Transport Modelling; Carbon cycle; Marine Sedimentary Environments; Early Diagenesis; Biogeochemical Cycles; marine Carbon Dioxide Removal)
• Crowe, Sean (Geobiology, biogeochemistry, microbial evolution)
• Hunt, Brian (marine food webs; ecosystem oceanography; plankton dynamics; open ocean; Coastal Ecosystems; climate change impacts on the ocean; salmon ecology; food web nutrition; microplastics; stable isotopes; forage fish; zooplankton; Urban oceans; Thiamine defficiency; Stormwater)
• Maldonado, Maite (Phytoplankton Trace Metal Physiology)
• Pakhomov, Yevhenii (Feeding ecophysiology of aquatic invertebrates and fishes, Antarctic ecology, Antarctic krill biology, Tunicate biology, Fishery ecology, Stable isotope ecology)
• Pawlowicz, Richard (ocean physics; properties of seawater; geophysical fluid dynamics; Nonlinear waves; Oceans, currents, tides, fjords, islands, Physical Oceanography)
• Suttle, Curtis (Biological Oceanography; Environmental Virology; Marine Environment; Marine Microbiology; Microbial Diversity; Phage; Viral Discovery; Viruses)
• Tortell, Philippe (Biological / Chemical Oceanography, Climate-active Trace Gases, Primary Productvity, Polar Marine Ecosystems)
• Waterman, Stephanie (Arctic oceanography; geophysical fluid dynamics; Jets, eddies & scale interactions; Ocean dynamics; Oceanic processes; Scale interactions; Southern ocean dynamics; Western boundary current jets)

Sample Thesis Submissions

• Contribution of microplastic loading to the Strait of Georgia from Metro Vancouver wastewater effluent and combined sewer overflows
• From poop to marine soup : deconstructing the diet and health of mussels in a high rainfall coastal region
• Investigating the spatial and temporal distribution of microplastics in the Fraser River and Burrard Inlet (British Columbia, Canada)
• Fine scale variability of greenhouse gases in polar and subpolar ocean waters : insights from high resolution sampling and numerical models
• Investigating spatiotemporal trends of Asian-derived aerosols in the northeastern subarctic Pacific Ocean
• Glacier-ocean interactions in the Canadian Arctic and implications for freshwater dynamics
• Modeling freshwater from a subset of rivers throughout the Salish Sea using dye tracers
• Influence of fire on aquatic biogeochemistry from the Fraser River to the Salish Sea
• A method for determining the fraction of organic carbon from microplastics in wastewater sludge by measuring its ¹⁴C content

Related Programs

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