This YouTube playlist includes the following videos:

• PHAS department introduction video
• PHAS Undergrad Program Options – Janis McKenna
• Astronomy Specializations - Ingrid Stairs
• Biophysics Specialization – Vesna Sossi
• Science Co-op – Javed Iqbal
• Preparing for graduation/grad school – Jeremy Heyl
• UBC Physics Society - Steffani Grondin
• UBC Astronomy Club - Katie Rink
• Biophysics Student Experience (2021) - Imagine Day Video
• And Biophysics Student Experience (2021) - Full Interview Video

Click on the top right of the video (playlist icon) to display the list and go to specific videos.

• About the PHAS Department
  • PHAS Events
  • Upcoming Department Colloquium Talks
  • PHAS News | Subscribe to the UBC Physics & Astronomy News Digest
• Academic Contacts (academic advisors and undergrad coordinators) 
• Student Services:
  • PHAS First Year Guide
  • PHAS Undergraduate Drop-in Centre

• PHAS on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube

• Undergrad Co-op, Research & Career 
• UBC Science Co-op
• Grad School
• Careers for physics

• Stewart Blusson Quantum Matter Institute (SBQMI)
• TRIUMF: Canada's particle accelerator centre
• CHIME - The Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment
• CERN ATLAS Experiment (UBC group)
• LIGO - The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (UBC group)

Other affiliations: https://phas.ubc.ca/affiliated-institutes-programs

We collected the best advice from current and graduating PHAS students. Here is a list of their top tips for success:

1. Join Co-op. Co-op work placements provide relevant, paid work experiences for succeeding in your future careers.
2. Take Computer Science courses. They provide a good foundation in coding and programming, which are helpful for landing research positions, Co-op placements, and for developing skills necessary for computation physics.
3. Budget your time and learn how to prioritize. Talk with your advisors, TAs and instructors for tips that will help you manage your schedule.
4. Make friends with your peers. You can gain insights by working through challenging problems with peers. This experience can be more productive than struggling alone.
5. Go to office hours. This is like having 1-on-1 instruction from a successful person in the field.
6. Find Research opportunities. There are many opportunities in the PHAS department, including summer jobs, award competitions and Co-op.
7. Try new things. Extracurricular activities, clubs, and other projects can provide educational and professional networks, contacts, and the experiences and skills you can put on your resume.
8. Make the most of your time at UBC/PHAS.  Attend colloquia, talk to your professors, and go to events. The learning never ends!

• For PHAS registration assistance, see here: https://phas.ubc.ca/students/contact-us#GeneralProgramContacts
• For PHAS advising assistance, see here: https://phas.ubc.ca/students/contact-us#UndergradAdvisors

• Science Advising is your resource for specialization questions, course planning, graduation checks, credit limits, and more! Visit the Science Advising website to book an appointment, or drop-in during office hours.

• Students apply to and are admitted into Honours programs through the Faculty of Science (not the PHAS Department). For more information on applying for Honours specializations, please see here: https://science.ubc.ca/students/degree/apply/hon

• Honours programs are a preferred route to Graduate school or a career in Research. Courses are taught at a higher level, are more demanding, and require the following to be accepted:
  • 68% or higher in all MATH and PHYS courses; 68% or higher term average (Winter and Summer terms)
  • No failed or previously failed courses
  • A minimum of 30 credits/academic year
• Honours physics courses in 1st year are: PHYS 106, PHYS 108, PHYS 119 (lab) and PHYS 129 (enriched lab); see more information about Honours in the PHAS 1st year guide here: https://phas.ubc.ca/undergrad-first-year-guide

• If the Faculty of Science removes you from Honours due to not fulfilling the Honours requirements, you can appeal via Science Advising; this involves writing a letter of appeal to the Associate Dean (see "What if I want to apply, but don't meet the requirements?" section on the Faculty of Science website). For more information, visit the Science Advising website.

• Honours programs are preferred, but if you are in Majors and take a lot of the Honours courses and get some research experience, you can still be competitive for grad school. Please contact the appropriate advisor for more information. Also, see Dr. Heyl's video on Graduate School Admissions.

• If you are currently in Majors, you will need to write a letter of appeal to the Associate Dean of science in order to apply to get into an Honours program. If you meet the Honours requirements, you will usually get in. however, if you took too few courses (less than 30 credits/academic year), or have failed a course in the past, then it is less likely your application will be approved. Visit the Science Advising website to book an appointment with an advisor, or drop-in during office hours.

• No - Biophysics is an Honours program. If you wish to enter into the Biophysics program and you are in your 1st year, you can apply to the Faculty of Science for this specialization. If you are in 2nd year and wish to switch into Biophysics for the beginning of your 3rd year, this is still possible at the discretion of the program advisor. Contact the program advisor at ug-biop@phas.ubc.ca if you have any questions.

• The Honours Biophysics program requires 2 terms of calculus and physics, and also 2 terms of CHEM courses with labs and at least one Biology course with a lab. Please refer to the relevant year of the UBC Academic Calendar to see the requirements for this specialization.

• Astronomy specializations include the Astronomy Major program and the Combined Honours Physics & Astronomy program. For more information, please visit the UBC Astronomy programs website page, PHAS website, and contact the Astronomy program advisor at ug-astr@phas.ca.

• Currently (2021W), CPSC 103, or CPSC 110 is the minimum requirement for any Combined PHYS & CPSC program specialization. Starting in 2022W, students will need CPSC 107 (which has CPSC 103 as a pre-requisite), or CPSC 110 to get into any Combined PHYS & CPSC program specialization.

• Computational courses entail coding (Python), whereas Computational Physics courses (i.e., such as PHYS 410) are not just about programming, they apply computational methods to Physics problems.

• YES. CPSC courses are highly recommended for PHYS&ASTR program specializations, for Co-op work placements, to be competitive in the USRA summer research awards, for industry, for education and for graduate school. Starting in 2022W, all combined PHYS&CPSC programs will require either CPSC 107, or CPSC 110 for admission.

• PHAS currently offers a quantum computing course at the graduate level. Upper-level undergraduate students can apply to take graduate-level courses with approvals from the 5**-level course instructor, the PHAS Graduate Advisor, and the UBC Faculty of Science (Science Advising). For more information, contact the PHAS Undergraduate Coordinator at ug-coord@phas.ubc.ca.

• Application requirements include demonstrated competencies in MATH, PHYS, English and the sciences, as well as communication, teamwork and time management skills. See the list here on the Science Co-op website.

• No, the process for applying to Co-op is the same for MAJ/HON/CHN degrees. Although there are no specific Co-op options currently for Dual Degree students, please contact Co-op advisor Dr. Javed Iqbal at iqbal@phas.ubc.ca for more information. To get more information on the Faculty of Science Co-op application process, visit the Science Co-op website.

• For Covid-19 information re: upcoming Co-op terms, working from home, applying for jobs, etc., please see the Co-op website here: https://sciencecoop.ubc.ca/students/covid-19
  • Co-op student FAQ: https://sciencecoop.ubc.ca/students/covid-19/covid-19-student-faq
  • Some Co-op postings will be remote. Questions about the details of Co-op postings can be addressed to your Co-op coordinator.

• Co-op positions are posted throughout the year, for Fall, Winter, Spring and Summer terms. See here for typical Co-op work schedules: https://sciencecoop.ubc.ca/prospective/apply/physics.

• 3rd year students must apply for admission to the Science Co-op in term 1 (the application deadline is usually September 30). These students will follow Co-op Schedule B.

• Take CPSC courses! We recommended CPSC 110 as it allows you to continue to CPSC 210 (which is typically recommended if you want to participate in the Co-op program).

• NO. Co-op is for Honours, Combined Honours, Majors, Combined Majors, everyone.

• Yes! See more information under the GRADUATE SCHOOL section on this page.

• See Dr. Javed Iqbal's Imagine Day video for more information.
• Join a Co-op Information Session, or feel free to contact Dr. Javed Iqbal at iqbal@phas.ubc.ca for any questions.  

• YES! There are many opportunities for undergraduate students to get research experience throughout the school year. Some opportunities include:
  • UBC Science Co-op  - this is a great place to get national and international industry and research work experience: www.sciencecoop.ubc.ca
  • Check out the PHAS Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA) competition for NSERC USRA, SURE, Work-Learn
  • TRIUMF
  • National Research Council of Canada, and more!
• See Dr. Janis McKenna’s Imagine Day video for the full list of options.

• YES! Watch Dr. Janis McKenna's 2021 Imagine Day video (or the same information via slides) for various national and international exchange opportunities for Physics/Astronomy students.

• Research abroad does not necessarily require being fluent in another language. You can confirm this with the program coordinator or exchange website. Many Research labs use English as the communication language - at least in Germany! Generally speaking, consider that trying to speak the language, even as a visitor while you live abroad on exchange, will help you with day-to-day communications with your colleagues and the public.
• For further information about UBC Exchange opportunities, check the UBC Go Global website.

There are many career options for Science students, including academia (teaching/research), industry, education, business, writing, start-ups, private sector, tech services, systems, programming, development,...

• Career options with your science degree on the UBC Student Services website (career options with a physics or astronomy degree can be found here)
• A list of websites with career options for astronomy and physics careers on the department website
• See Dr. Janis McKenna's Imagine day video for more information on Physics careers.

• See Dr. Ingrid Stairs' Imagine Day video for more information on Astronomy careers
• About Careers in Astronomy via Canadian Astronomical Society
• A list of websites with career options for astronomy and physics careers on the department website

• See Dr. Vesna Sossi's Imagine Day video to get more ideas of careers and the Biophysics program requirements.
• Career options with your biophysics degree on the UBC Student Services website
• A list of websites with career options for astronomy and physics careers on the department website

• See Dr. Jeremy Heyl's Imagine Day video to learn more about preparing for graduation/graduate school.
• Graduate schools in Science are competitive: Honours program specializations are the surest route to graduate school and/or research careers, and grades are important. However, Graduate Admissions committees are also looking for other things apart from your GPA, such as capstone courses, research experience, volunteering, participation in student clubs, awards, competitions, collaborations and community participation.

•  Consider:
  • Adding a Co-op designation to your degree and using the UBC Science Co-op program to get work/research experience
  • Taking an Honours program specialization
  • Taking Capstone courses and/or Thesis or Directed study
  • Getting research experience through Undergraduate Student Research Awards (USRA), Work-Learn, TA or RA experience
  • Ask PHAS faculty if there are opportunities to work with them on their projects
  • Get involved in research collaborations, student competitions
  • Look for opportunities to get your research published
• Want more information on UBC Graduate school? Attend a UBC graduate school info session.

• The Graduate School Admissions Committee looks at key required courses like quantum, thermodynamics and E&M. They don’t look too closely at other course because depending on the university, not everyone will have access to a wide span of alternate courses. So, taking extra courses as an undergraduate doesn’t look poorly, but you are paying a lot of extra money for courses you don’t need for your degree. Consider that taking extra courses during graduate school is free.  

• YES. The Honours stream is not the only thing the graduate admissions panel takes into consideration - they are also interested in grades, research and work experience, leadership, participation, etc. See Dr. Jeremy Heyl's video on Graduate Admissions.

• There are scholarships, awards and fellowships available for Graduate students. See here for more information: https://phas.ubc.ca/graduate-program-financial-support#scholarships
• Want to chat with someone? Contact the PHAS Graduate Coordinator at gradcoord@phas.ubc.ca, or the UBC Graduate Studies office for more information: [https://www.grad.ubc.ca]