Program Overview

Master of Education in Social & Emotional Learning (SEL)

The Master of Education in Social & Emotional Learning (SEL) is a program tailored for working educators and professionals. It equips students with the tools and knowledge to apply SEL practices directly in educational settings.

Program Highlights

• Cohort-Based Model of Learning: Most of the coursework is delivered online, with a short portion of the first course taking place in July on the UBC Vancouver campus, where accommodation will be subsidized. This unique structure helps students balance their professional commitments while building connections and engaging in collaborative learning as part of a professional community.
• Active and Experiential Learning: Students engage in hands-on activities that emphasize the importance of learner-teacher relationships and holistic well-being.
• Culturally Responsive Practices: Students learn to implement equitable and inclusive SEL practices that benefit all learners and teachers.

Program Details

This program is offered by the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education.

Start Date, Length, Format, and Tuition

• Start Date: July 2027
• Length: 2 Years | Part-Time
• Format: Online + In-Person Sessions in the First Summer at UBC Vancouver (Subsidized Accommodation)
• Domestic Tuition: $17,051.02 CAD
• International Tuition: $20,102.53 CAD

About the Program

This program allows students to:

• Learn the skills and strategies to understand and recognize one’s emotions, develop care and understanding for others, and foster healthy relationships both for themselves and the students they work with.
• Understand how SEL impacts students’ academic success and how to create classroom communities where all learners can grow and thrive.
• Focus on creating equitable and inclusive SEL practices that are culturally responsive and sustaining.
• Highlight the role of culturally responsive approaches to SEL as central to learning-teaching relationships, school climate, and relationships with communities beyond the school.
• Create and implement a project in their workplace to enact their learning during the program and share their experience with their students and colleagues.

Schedule

Students will complete a total of 30 credits of coursework, typically within 2 years and 1 month.

Year 1

• July (S2B): Seminar in Human Development, Learning, and Culture (mostly online but ends with a mandatory 4-day IN-PERSON intensive—July 28-31, 2025) | EPSE 501
• Winter 1: Research Methodology in Education | ETEC 500
• Winter 2: Foundations in Human Development: Infancy to Adulthood | EPSE 505
• May/June (S1): Social and Emotional Development in Education | EPSE 585

Year 2

• July/August (S2B): Indigenous Pathways Through Social and Emotional Learning | EPSE 588
• Winter 1: Cultural Perspectives on Learning, Development, and Media | EPSE 503
• Winter 2: Social and Emotional Learning Through the Lens of Mental Health AND Action Research—1/2 term (part 1) | EPSE 582 AND EDCP 512
• May/June (S1): Special Topics: Critical Perspectives on Learning Technologies and Digital Contexts AND Action Research—1/2 term (part 2) | EPSE 511 AND EDCP 512
• July/August (S2B): Graduating Seminar | EPSE 590

Application Requirements

All students must meet the admission and application requirements of both the Faculty of Graduate Studies and the program, which include:

• A four-year Bachelor’s degree in Education (or related degree) with at least a 76% average on senior-level credits.
• In special circumstances, a non-related degree may be waived for those applicants who have a university degree with sufficient standing and experience related to their proposed field of study.
• Normally 18 credits of senior course work or a professional concentration in SEL.
• Normally two years’ teaching experience or other relevant professional experience within schools, communities, business, government, non-governmental organizations, or other education-oriented environments.
• Three letters of recommendation from educators, supervisors, colleagues, or clients that speak to the applicant’s abilities to complete a graduate degree and interest in SEL.
• Resume/CV

Fees

Tuition Fees

• Type: Domestic
  • Per Installment: $2,435.86 CAD
  • Total Tuition: $17,051.02 CAD
• Type: International
  • Per Installment: $2,871.79 CAD
  • Total Tuition: $20,102.53 CAD

Tuition fees are reviewed annually by the UBC Board of Governors and may be adjusted without prior notice.

Student Fees

Student fees include fees established and authorized by the UBC Board of Governors and fees established and authorized by students societies. These fees are in addition to tuition fees.

Funding Eligibility

As this program is part-time, it is not eligible for student loans or other types of funding.