Application Steps
Step One: Pre-Application Process
Contact a faculty member prior to making a formal application online:
- Review the School’s list of faculty and their specializations to identify a possible supervisor.
- Contact the “identified” faculty member directly to discuss the possibility of pursuing research with them prior to submitting a detailed research plan.
- Submit a detailed research plan to your possible supervisor.
- Submit a copy of your transcripts for all your prior coursework. These need not be official copies at this point.
- If, after reviewing your dossier and discussing possibilities, the proposed supervisor agrees to sponsor your application (to supervise your Ph.D. research), submit a formal application (see below).
Note: Discussions between prospective PhD students and supervisors typically require several interactions, and often, at least, 2 to 3 months. Allow for this time in your planning.
Step Two: Formal Application Process
A formal application requires the following:
- A completed online application with application fee payment
- Transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended (with certified translations, where applicable)
- An up-to-date curriculum vitae (CV), a Statement of Research Interests with a detailed research plan, and well as an indication of your intended research supervisor
- A letter of reference from at least 3 academic referees
- Evidence of English Language proficiency (for applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction)
Application Checklist
Apply through the Faculty of Graduate Studies. You will need a credit card to apply.
Order two (2) sets of official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions you have attended. All transcripts must be sent directly from the post-secondary institution to the School of Audiology and Speech Sciences. If any transcript is not in English or French, an official translation must be provided.
Contact three (3) academic referees, who are researchers and who can comment on your research potential. During the online application process you will be asked to provide your referees’ email addresses. The online system will send your referees instructions for completing the reference electronically. Or you can send your referee the Report on Applicant for Admission to Graduate Studies and follow instructions on the form.
If you are a non-native English speaker, and you do not have at least four years of continuous post-secondary education in an English-speaking university, you must provide proof of proficiency in English by meeting the following two requirements:
- Upload a copy of your official test scores from either the TOEFL or IELTS tests, ensuring that you meet the minimum stated individual component scores AND the overall score for admission to our program as follows:
Components Reading Writing Listening Speaking Overall TOEFL 22 21 22 21 100 IELTS 6 6 6 6 7
Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application. Minimum scores must be achieved in a single sitting of the test (i.e., scores across multiple instances of a test may not be used to satisfy minimum component requirements). - Provide the School with a five to ten-minute recording of your speech. This speech sample may be on any topic, as long as it is neither read nor recited. An interview may follow. You should submit your recording to the School by e-mail to inquiry@audiospeech.ubc.ca as an attached electronic audio file (e.g., MP3).
Send the following directly to the School:
- Your up-to-date CV
- Your Statement of Research Interests and detailed research plan
- The name of the School faculty you wish to supervise your PhD research
Please indicate in your application if you would like to be considered for full-time or part-time classification for your PhD.
Note: we are unable to change a student status (from part-time study to full-time study and vice versa) once the program has started. A maximum 8-year time period is allowed for completion of the part-time doctoral program (compared to a 6-year time period for full-time students).
Note: Any offer of admission to the PhD program (conditional on acceptance by the Faculty of Graduate Studies) requires the approval of the School’s Doctoral Studies Committee and Admissions Committee. These committees will only consider formal and complete applications.
Application Deadlines
Normally, the deadline for admission is a minimum of 4-5 months prior to the intended start of a program. However, prospective students are strongly encouraged to begin the process earlier in order to determine if an appropriate faculty supervisor is available.
- Application deadlines for September admission is April 1st.
- While most students begin their programs September 1st, students may also be admitted to start their programs January 1st or May 1st, depending on their program of study. Students applying to begin in January or May must make their application by August 1st.