Program Overview

Program Overview

The University of British Columbia offers a Master of Education in Curriculum Studies with a specialization in Health, Outdoor, and Physical Experiential Education (HOPE). This part-time, cohort-based program is designed for working educational professionals who wish to enhance their ability to deliver experiential education and facilitate health, outdoor, and physical learning experiences.

Program Details

Designed with working educational professionals in mind

This program allows students to:

• Develop a foundation for exploring philosophical connections among beliefs, intentions, actions, ontologies, epistemologies, and methodologies.
• Gain insight into facilitating opportunities for engagement in health, outdoor, and physical education.
• Engage in interdisciplinary studies and student-led research initiatives in diverse fields.
• Gain shared research experiences in courses and final project, drawing from UBC faculty expertise and collaborations.

Program Areas

The program focuses on three main areas:

• Health Education: Dive into the complexities of health education through timely and relevant discussions on social determinants of health, complexities and challenges faced within the health education space, and understanding health from a constructivist perspective.
• Physical Education (PE): Refine and expand your approach to teaching, learning, and knowing with innovations within PE, including Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU), Inventing Games, Physical Literacy, and Sport Education.
• Outdoor Education: Consider curricular and pedagogical approaches and methodologies beyond the traditional classroom setting, including experiential education, environmental education, Indigenous principles of learning, local learning, place-based learning, socio-emotional learning, STEM, sustainability, and holistic wellbeing.

Schedule

The program schedule includes:

• Summer Term 2a (In person from July 8-July 19, 2024): EDCP 585 – Experiential Education, EDCP 530 – Curriculum Innovations in Physical Education
• Summer Term 1: Health Education – EDCP 534 or 535
• Summer Term 2a: Physical Education – EDCP 533, EDCP 420, Outdoor Education – EDCP 531, EDCP 532, or EDCP 423
• Winter Term 1: EDCP 585 – Health Education and Social Justice, EDCP 508 – Review of Research in HOPE
• Winter Term 2: EDCP 562 – Curriculum and Pedagogy, EDUC 500 – Research Methods
• Winter Term 2 & Summer Term 1: EDCP 590

Core Courses by Area

• Health Education:
  • Approaches to Health Education, EDCP 325
  • Seminar in School Health Education, EDCP 534
  • Seminar in Curriculum and Pedagogy: Researching Health for Social Justice, EDCP 585
• Outdoor Education:
  • Health Promotion, Wellness and Life Skills in Outdoor Settings, EDCP 531
  • Theories and Dimensions of Place-Based Learning: Ecohumanist, Critical & Indigenous Lenses, EDCP 532
  • Explorations in Curriculum and Pedagogy for Local Outdoor Learning, EDCP 423
• Physical Education:
  • Curriculum Innovations in Physical Education, EDCP 530
  • Seminar in Curriculum and Pedagogy: Physical Education – Early Year (K-7), EDCP 533
  • Seminar in Curriculum & Pedagogy: Physical Education – Beyond Early Years (8-12), EDCP 585

Requirements

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

• Normally two years' teaching experience, practice, and/or other relevant professional experience.
• A 4-year undergraduate degree with an average in the B+ range (76% at UBC) in all senior-level courses.
• A resumé/CV.
• A 600-word statement of intent clearly outlining your experiences and interests in Health, Outdoor, & Physical Experiential Education (HOPE-Ed) program.
• Statements of support from three referees who can speak to your engagement with Health, Outdoor, & Physical Experiential Education (HOPE-Ed), teaching, or other relevant professional experience.

Fees

Tuition Fees

• Type | Per Installment | Total Tuition
• Domestic | $2,388.10 CAD | $16,716.70 CAD
• International | $2,604.8 CAD | $18,233.60 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.

Application Process

The application process involves:

1. Online Application: Navigate to the UBC graduate studies application portal and submit your application.
2. Supporting Documents: Upload required documents, including official transcripts, references, statement of intent, and resumé.
3. Application Timeline: The application process generally takes 8 to 12 weeks.

Program Coordinator and Senior Program Assistant

For program content questions, contact the Program Coordinator. For application questions or assistance, contact the Senior Program Assistant.