Program Overview

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Overview

The Master of Science in Business Administration in Finance (MSCB) at the University of British Columbia is a challenging and rigorous program designed to prepare students for a PhD program and a subsequent career in academia. As an MSc student, you will become part of a rich and stimulating academic community with a strong research emphasis, and enjoy the opportunity to work with the best research faculty in Canada.

What makes the program unique?

The Sauder School of Business is considered the top research business school in Canada and a leading academic institution. Sauder is the leading recipient of research grants from Canada's major federal agencies and outperforms other Canadian business schools in both research publications and citations.

Quick Facts

• Faculty: Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration
• Academic Unit: Robert H. Lee Graduate School
• Specialization: Finance
• 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

1) 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). 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.

TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language - internet-based

• Overall score requirement: 100
• Reading: 22
• Writing: 21
• Speaking: 21
• Listening: 22

IELTS: International English Language Testing System

• Overall score requirement: 7.0
• Reading: 6.5
• Writing: 6.5
• Speaking: 6.5
• Listening: 6.5

Other Test Scores

Some programs require additional test scores such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Test (GMAT). The requirements for this program are: The GRE or a comparable test is required.

2) Meet Deadlines

• Program Name: Master of Science in Business Administration in Finance (MSCB)
• Intake: September 2026
• Canadian Applicant Deadline: 31 December 2025
• International Applicant Deadline: 31 December 2025

3) 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. The program will review research interests of applicants and recommend/match faculty members during the application/evaluation process.

Tuition & Financial Support

Tuition

• Fees:
  • Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat:
    • Application Fee: $118.50
    • Tuition per installment: $1,875.34
    • Tuition per year: $5,626.02
  • International:
    • Application Fee: $168.25
    • Tuition per installment: $3,294.66
    • Tuition per year: $9,883.98
• 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

Applicants to UBC have access to a variety of funding options, including merit-based and need-based opportunities.

Career Options

Our MSc is designed mainly to prepare students for further studies in a PhD program. Our MSc graduates have proceeded to PhD programs at the University of British Columbia, Columbia University, MIT, Northwestern University, Carnegie Mellon University, University of Minnesota, University of Toronto, London Business School, London School of Economics and the National University of Singapore.

Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats

ENROLMENT DATA

• Applications:
  • 2023: 122
  • 2022: 112
  • 2021: 128
  • 2020: 97
  • 2019: 99
• Offers:
  • 2023: 13
  • 2022: 10
  • 2021: 11
  • 2020: 7
  • 2019: 7
• New Enrolment:
  • 2023: 4
  • 2022: 7
  • 2021: 1
  • 2020: 5
  • 2019: 5
• Total Enrolment:
  • 2023: 9
  • 2022: 10
  • 2021: 6
  • 2020: 11
  • 2019: 10

Completion Rates & Times

This program has a graduation rate of 89% based on 18 students admitted between 2015 - 2018. Based on 17 graduations between 2020 - 2023 the minimum time to completion is 0.34 years and the maximum time is 2.73 years with an average of 1.67 years of study.

Research Supervisors

The program will review research interests of applicants and recommend/match faculty members during the application/evaluation process. Some of the faculty members with full supervisory privileges who are affiliated with this program include:

• Agarwal, Isha
• Baldauf, Markus
• Bena, Jan
• Bian, Bo
• Dias Saraiva-Patelli, Ella
• Donaldson, Glen
• Favilukis, Jack
• Fisher, Adlai
• Garlappi, Lorenzo
• Giammarino, Ronald
• Gornall, Will
• Hu, Allen
• Lazrak, Ali
• Li, Kai
• Ortiz-Molina, Hernan
• Pikulina, Elena
• Zhang, Shaojun

Related Programs

Same specialization

• Doctor of Philosophy in Business Administration in Finance (PhD)

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 Management Science (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 Management Information Systems (MSCB)
• Master of Science in Business Administration in Transportation and Logistics (MSCB)
• Professional Master of Business Administration (PMBA)

Further Information

Specialization

Finance at UBC covers research interests ranging from game-theoretic models of corporate finance, to applications of Bayesian analysis in empirical finance, to theoretical modeling of equilibrium asset pricing.

Program Website

The program website provides more detailed information about the Master of Science in Business Administration in Finance (MSCB) program.

Faculty

Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration

Academic Unit

Robert H. Lee Graduate School

Program Identifier

VGMMSI-I4

Classification

Natural sciences » Mathematics and statistics » Statistics » Actuarial science and mathematical finance
Social sciences » Economics and business administration » Economics » Financial economics
Social sciences » Economics and business administration » Economics » International economics and international finance
Social sciences » Economics and business administration » Finance