The DEADLINE for PhD September 2008 admission
is December 15, 2007

The DEADLINE for Master of Arts and Masters in Education
July or September 2008 admission is March 1, 2008

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Masters' Programs in CCFI require one of three possible qualifications: (a) an approved BA degree (four years) and one year of teacher education or (b) a five-year BA or (c) a four-year BA and a 15-unit program of approved senior undergraduate courses or (d) the support of three referees. Students are admissible if they have an average of at least 76% (B+) in third and fourth year-level courses.

Masters' Programs in ECED require (a) a Bachelor of Education degree or a four-year undergraduate degree in a related field; (b) experience working with young children in an appropriate setting; (c) an overall average of 76% or better in all third-and fourth-year courses; (d) at least 12 credits at 80% or higher on senior-level credits.

Click Here for more detailed information on the Masters of Education and Masters of Arts Early Childhood Education Graduate Programs.

Doctoral Programs require (a) a Master's degree with high standing in a relevant education discipline; (b) a sample of work demonstrating an ability to do scholarly writing; (c) a letter of intent describing the proposed focus of the program; and (d) the support of three referees. For students possessing a thesis-based Master's degree from other than a relevant education discipline, it may be possible, after consultation with the Graduate Advisor, to proceed into the Ph.D. by taking, and achieving a high standing in, the core course requirements of an appropriate Master's degree in education at UBC. Intending PhD applicants are advised to contact the Director, Dr. Mary Bryson 604 822-6502 well before the December deadline. Doctoral applicants, please read additional admission criteria.

APPLICATION PACKAGES We ask that all applicants please apply on-line, the CCFI Program is currently listed under Cross-Faculty Inquiry in Education, and the ECED program is listed under Early Childhood Education (ECE). Those applying to the Urban Learner Program or the External Cohort in Early Childhood Education, please contact Dan Kravinchuk in the External Programs and Learning Technologies at (604) 822-4499, or by e-mail at dan.kravinchuk@ubc.ca. Please download and submit an application checklist to assist you in the application process, and an appointment form for a graduate teaching assistant, graduate academic assistant, or graduate research assistant position (full time students only). You must also include three references with your application. A reference form may be downloaded here. You can also have your referee submit their reference through the online application site. If you should encounter any problems or have any questions, please contact ccfi.grad.secretary@ubc.ca A non-refundable application fee of $90.00 CDN for Canadian citizens or permanent residents, and a fee of $150 CDN for international students is required in the form of a cheque, certified cheque, bank draft (drawn in Canadian funds), or Money Order and made payable to the Faculty of Graduate Studies (if you apply using the electronic application form, you may pay the application fee by credit card). International students (from selected countries) are allowed to apply for a fee waiver.  All other application materials (i.e. transcripts, statement of intent, letters of recommendation, sample of scholarly writing-for Ph.D. only) should be sent directly to:

Graduate Program Assistant
Centre for Cross-Faculty Inquiry
Faculty of Education
The University of British Columbia
2125 Main Mall
Vancouver, B.C. Canada V6T 1Z4

The program has one starting date: September 1 (Fall Term)

The submission deadlines are for complete applications (including references and transcripts) received by the Centre.  

ASSESSMENT OF APPLICATIONS Initially, the student's grades are assessed for basic admissibility, and then the entire file is reviewed by the Centre's Advisory Committee, composed of representatives from the various Departments and units in the Faculty of Education. This Committee reviews the applications and, for students deemed admissible, identifies an appropriate Graduate Advisor for the student. Admission is based on

(1) an evaluation of the student's academic performance and potential;
(2) the match between student's interests and Centre programs; and
(3) the availability of a suitable advisor for the student. For PhD students a potential Cross-Faculty Committee should also be identified.

ASSIGNMENT OF AN ADVISOR When students are admitted to a program, a pro-tem advisor is identified in the notification letter to assist the student in planning a program of studies. The student's advisor is a faculty member who has been selected by the Centre to meet the expressed academic interests of the student. PhD Students especially may wish to approach specific instructors with requests to be their advisors prior to applying, letting the Director of the Centre know if a potential agreement to supervise is reached. The advisor plays a major role in assisting the student in constructing a graduate program which meets the student's needs and interests. Students should consult with their advisors about the selection of courses and the identification of other committee members, as well as on general academic matters. The advisor may be called upon to write supporting letters for scholarships and other purposes during and after the program. The pro-tem advisor becomes the student's program and thesis advisor unless the Centre is notified otherwise.

Students should feel free to request a change of advisor at any time by submitting a request to the Director of the Centre.

REGISTRATION

Students must be registered continuously during the program, including when working on graduating papers (CCFI 590), thesis (CCFI 599), or dissertation (CCFI 699). The University Calendar describes the procedures and current fee structures. Programs are paid for on a per-degree rather than per-course basis, and students are free to take, or audit, additional courses during their programs. Students have five years to complete the Master's program and six years for the doctoral program, with extensions granted only under exceptional circumstances. In special situations, a leave from the program can be arranged for up to one year; there is also a one-year parental leave available.

Students should complete and submit a Program of Graduate Study form:

CCFI MA PGS
CCFI MED PGS
CCFI PHD PGS

COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATION FOR Ph.D. STUDENTS

Comprehensive examinations are required by the Faculty of Graduate Studies in all Ph.D. programs. These are typically written over the course of two to three months at the conclusion of the student's coursework and prior to approval of the dissertation proposal. The comprehensive examinations for the Ph.D. degree in the Centre for Cross-Faculty Inquiry in Education entail the preparation of two scholarly papers that deal with important and far-reaching concepts from across the student's program of studies. One paper will address scholarly constructs and questions relevant to the proposed dissertation and one will address research methodology. Coming at the end of the student's coursework, and before the heavily specialized research of the proposal and dissertation, the papers should pursue a more comprehensive goal, in a critical fashion, taking on one or more of the leading questions at the intersection of policy, theory, research, and practice for each area. One model that might guide students in writing these papers is the scholarly journal article that, rather than present the results of a research project, seeks to engage a specified field of inquiry by contributing an engaged analysis of a current or historical orientation and disposition.

While the actual time frame for writing the papers is decided by the student and her/his supervisory committee, the specific date for submitting the two papers to the committee must be registered with the Centre's Director at least one month prior to the submission deadline. In preparing the papers, students work with their committee to develop a) a general issue or question that will provide the focus of the argument within each paper and b) a preliminary reading list of key works in the area of 10 or so items for each of the papers. After this initial period of consultation and topic development, students complete the papers independently of the faculty members who are to examine the resulting work. The papers should have the format and length of a typical academic article (5000 - 7000 words).

Within three weeks of submitting the papers, the supervisor will schedule a meeting of the supervisory committee and student to discuss the two papers. The committee may request that the student revise one or more of the papers before evaluating the comprehensive examination on a Pass/Fail basis. The student has the right to appeal the committee's decision through the Centre's Director. The committee submits the completed Comprehensive Examination Form and the student's two papers to the Office of the Director. The Faculty of Graduate Studies is notified with the appropriate form and signatures.

THESIS (M.A., PH.D.)

There are a number of guidebooks to thesis and dissertation writing available in the University bookstore. Instructions for the Preparation of Graduate Thesis is available from the Faculty of Graduate Studies. The conceptualization of the project should be done in close consultation with the student's advisor and committee. The Centre keeps copies of graduating papers, theses, and dissertations on file for students to examine. All research involving human subjects has to receive approval by following the procedures outlined in the Ethical Review of Activities Involving Human Subjects in Questionnaires, Interviews, Observations, Testing, Video and Audio Tapes Etc., available from the Office of Graduate Programs and Research. Given the variety of disciplines in which students work we do not insist on a single style guide for scholarly writing, although we do recommend the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (4th Ed.) as one that is used by many of the professional journals in education. In the writing of the thesis and course papers, students are expected to avoid the use of sexist language and biased research designs. To that end, students are advised to consult On the Treatment of the Sexes in Research by Jeanne Lapointe & Margrit Eichler and the Publication Manual of the APA.

M.ED GRADUATING PAPER (CCFI 590)

The graduating paper demonstrates a substantial examination of a topic relevant to the student’s program. Its scope should be roughly equivalent to the amount of work produced for two 500-level 3-credit courses in the Faculty, and will be proportionately less than that of the six-credit M.A. Thesis. Appropriate topics can be drawn from any aspect of the student's graduate program or professional experience and plans, and will tend to be oriented to problems and issues of professional practice in Education. Topics need not be original contributions to knowledge, but can, for example, be the application of knowledge to the field, development of instructional practices or resources, evaluations of practices or resources, critical essays, critical analyses of problems or issues, policy analysis or development, surveys, creative works, documentary work, and other types of projects negotiated with the supervisory committee. In all cases, the scope of the Graduating Paper need not include all of the requirements of the social science research report as described in standard guidebooks to educational research. The Graduating Paper is typically not as comprehensively conceptualized as the M.A. Thesis. Some, but not all of the regularly accepted requirements of methodological rigour will apply equally to the Graduating Paper, because of its limited scope and distinct aims.

The student's supervisor will discuss the criteria to be employed when judging the acceptability of any Graduating Paper; those criteria will be appropriate to the specific nature and aims of the exercise undertaken. The topic and format of the Graduating Paper should be recorded on the CCFI 590 (Graduating Paper) Proposal form

The format of the Graduating Paper is normally that of a written report (submitted in a 3-ring or coil binding). In certain cases, other formats and media will be more appropriate, and these matters will be negotiated as part of the topic approval process.

Procedures:
i. The Graduating Paper project may be commenced prior to the conclusion of coursework requirements if the candidate and supervisor believe this arrangement is in the interests of successful completion of the work. Candidates residing away from the lower mainland are particularly encouraged to take advantage of this provision.
ii. The topic, format and criteria for assessment must be approved in advance by the student's supervisor. A proposal will be presented in advance as part of the approval process.  An CCFI 590 (Graduating Paper) Proposal form, recording the topic and form of the graduating paper, will be filed with the Center for Cross-Faculty Inquiry (CCFI) by the supervisor.
iii. The Graduating Paper must be accepted for credit and signed by the graduate supervisor and a second reader.
iv. Completed Graduating Papers are housed in the Education Library. Copies of graduating papers are also kept digitally by CCFI. An CCFI 590 (Graduating Paper) Accepted form is signed by the supervisor, second reader, and the Director, and is filed in CCFI.
A Copyright Clearance Form is also required when submitting the graduating paper (Word Document).

GRADUATION PROCEDURES All graduate students must be registered for the session during which they wish to graduate. Students must complete an application to graduate found on the online Student Service Centre. For both November and May convocations, check the current University Calendar for the final dates for, 1) applying to graduate online;2) getting approval of graduating papers;3) submitting thesis in final form to the Centre; 4) and filing the thesis in the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Master's students should check to ensure that the following are in order for graduation:

• Currently registered in CCFI 590 (M.Ed. graduating paper) or CCFI 599 (M.A. thesis). Completion of 30 credits, including 12 in core curriculum, 6 in research methodology, with 24 at the 500-level. Submission of M.Ed. graduating paper.
• Submission of M.A. thesis.