Options Solutions consultant Edwin Liew attended the UBC Counselors information session in early November, and has the following updates to share with any students interested in applying to the University of British Columbia:
New programs:
Bachelor of International Economics (BIE):
- New in 2012, the International Economics program combines features of Economics with Sauder Business. The B.I.E. degree is a four-year program featuring intensive study in economics with an emphasis on international trade, international finance, and international development.
- Total number of seats available is 80 (40 local Canadians, 40 international). Last year, UBC received approximately 2,000 applications.
- The Admission GPA is predicted to be from high 80s to low 90s for Fall 2014.
- If an applicant is NOT admitted to the BIE program, the applicant is automatically considered for admissions into Arts. This is different from BA degree in Economics, which is a more general Economics major. Co-op program available.
For more information, go to: http://www.calendar.ubc.ca/vancouver/index.cfm?tree=12,304,932,0
Science Po:
- If you’re interested in studying two years in France through UBC, then you might be interested in the Science Po program where you can take Social Science curriculum courses in three campuses: Reims, Menton or Le Havre. Each campus takes a global-regional focus for study with its own common curriculum and electives:
o Reims – Europe and North America
o Menton – Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East
o La Havre – Europe and Asia
- Dual degrees are offered with Science Po through UBC-Van Arts and UBC B.Com (Sauder): You are either admitted in Arts or Commerce. Supplemental application is required. Students are not required to speak French.
- Students take core courses in social sciences: Political Science, Economics, History, Sociology and Law. Electives in Humanities: Philosophy Art History, Literary Studies. All students take language courses that correspond to the campus’s linguistic and cultural orientation.
More info: http://students.arts.ubc.ca/specializations/dual-degree-program-option-ubc-and-sciences-po/
UBC Vantage College Program:
- The UBC Vantage College Program offers opportunities for international students (non-Canadian citizens and non-landed immigrants) with strong academic background to enter UBC Arts and Science via a one-year (12-month) English-preparation with academic studies in one of three streams: Global Citizenship, Computational Sciences and Physical Sciences.
- Successful completion of the first-year equivalent program (min. of 24 credits) will allow transfer to Second years Arts or Science, where students can complete their studies toward a Bachelor degree in four years . The size of the cohort is 75.
- Students on the program will be living on UBC residence.
More info: http://www.vantagecollege.ubc.ca/
New Admission Policy for BC Schools
Semestered, quarterd, or self-paced courses (online): For the grade to be used in the calculation of the UBC admission average, all Grade 12 courses must be completed by February 1st, 2014. If the course is in progress after Feb. 1st, the final grade from an equivalent Grade 11 course may be used as a substitute. This includes courses offered via Distributed Learning. A course is deemed completed only if the course grade appears or is posted on the Ministry transcript.
New this year, all online courses will need to be identified on the UBC application. The name of the providing institution will need to be entered into the application.
Linear courses: All in-progress Grade 12 courses following a structured linear timetable (i.e. courses start in Sept. and end in June) can be used in the calculation of the admission average on the basis of Term 2 grades (usually available in March). This includes linear-calendar course offered via Distributed Learning.
