The Department

The Department of Physics & Astronomy at UBC is noted for the excellence of its research and its high academic standards and integrity. With approximately 100 regular faculty members, adjuncts, research staff and post-doctoral fellows, and almost 200 graduate students, we are one of the largest departments, and can offer a wide range of pure and applied research opportunities for students. Each year, our faculty bring over $20 million in research grants. This enables us to maintain world-class research laboratories and computational facilities, attract distinguished post-doctorate researchers, and support highly skilled engineers and technicians whose expertise is critical to our research.

Each year, we offer 20 to 30 graduate level Physics and Astronomy courses.  We host a full range of presentations and seminars including many on current and emerging topics and technologies, and invite nationally and internationally renowned scientists to participate. We have weekly seminar series on Astronomy, Particle Physics, Condensed Matter, Biophysics, and Theoretical Physics. At our facilities at Vancouver General Hospital, TRIUMF, and AMPEL, seminars are held regularly for faculty and students.

The Graduate Program

We offer programs leading to the degrees of Master of Science, Master of Applied Science, and Doctor of Philosophy in both physics and astronomy. In addition, an accredited Master of Science program is offered with a sub-specialization in Medical Physics.

Each year we welcome approximately 30 new graduate students. Our students come from all over the world - Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Iran, Italy, Korea, New Zealand, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and the United States of America among others. There are many good reasons why our students choose UBC, and our department.

We have high admission standards, and cannot admit all qualified applicants. but we do offer full financial support to all students whom we accept.