Application Materials

Important Application Announcement:

The online application period begins on September 1st at 00:01 am PST. The deadline to submit your application has been shifted to December 1st at 11:59 pm PST.

Please note that your online application must have the following documents by the December 1st deadline in order to be considered:

1. Cover Letter of Intent – max. 1 page (“Statement of Intent” in online application) – upload by applicant

  • Introduce yourself
  • Explain your academic/professional background
  • Why are you interested in the ISGP at UBC?
  • Include details you want to share with the Admissions Committee
  • Include information that is not covered in your CV/SPRT

2. Curriculum Vitae (CV) – upload by applicant

3. Statement of Proposed Research Topic (SPRT) Form – upload by applicant
Please complete the form under the following sub-headings:

  • Context: Show in what context (society, academic, economic, history of ideas, etc.) you pose your question. Why are you interested in this question or think it is important?
  • Research Question: Be clear and succinct
  • Literature Overview: Provide an overview of the existing research approaches and why your research proposal is filling a gap.
  • Methodology or Theoretical Framework / Structure: this part depends on the disciplines you are trying to integrate. You can talk about your methodology, the theorists or concepts you are trying to bring in a dialogue or the structure of your thesis. You are giving us an idea of how your actual thesis might be laid out.
  • Interdisciplinarity Rationale: This is crucial in justifying your eligibility to complete your research at the ISGP. Explain why your research question must be addressed by combining more than one discipline. What is your understanding of “interdisciplinary research”? Why your research cannot be undertaken in a disciplinary faculty?
  • Impact or Significance: What is your research outcome? Imagine what impact your research might have e.g. on society, academia, ways of living, feeling or thinking, economy, environment, etc.
  • Bibliography / Work Cited

In general, please try to avoid sweeping statements and be as narrow and specific as possible, while avoiding the use of jargon. As you describe your topic for your proposed thesis pay attention to the specific arguments and interpretations that you intend to develop. In the process of clarifying the main research materials and debates, pay particular attention to how the different disciplines relate to, and will contribute to the achievement of your research objectives.

Please note that you MUST use the form provided to you by the program. Your SPRT must be a maximum of 2 1/2 pages of text (not including your bibliography).

4. Two (2) ISGP Co-Supervisors Assessment & Agreement Forms – emailed by applicant’s two Co-Supervisors directly to enid.ho@ubc.ca 
Please note that this is your responsibility to ensure your that two proposed Co-Supervisors complete and email the signed form independently and directly to enid.ho@ubc.ca before the December 1st deadline. In your online application, you must indicate that you have confirmed this requirement with your two Co-Supervisors.

5. Scan of (ALL) Official Post-Secondary Transcripts  – upload by applicant
For your online application due on December 1st, please scan one set of all your official post-secondary transcripts (regardless of credentials obtained) and upload them.
If you are accepted into the program, you would be asked to submit another set of sealed and endorsed official transcripts to Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Transcript submission guidelines are found here.

6. Three (3) References – submitted online/emailed by referees directly to enid.ho@ubc.ca
*NOTE: Your referees will only receive email notifications to submit references AFTER you finish and submit your online application.  Referees would have a week to complete and submit their references by December 8th. Three (3) references must be submitted through your online application either as:
1) eRef (for referees with institutional email) – click link within email notification
or
2) “Report on Applicant” form / free-form letter in letterhead bearing signatures (for referees with non-institutional emails e.g. Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo…etc.) – emailed directly to enid.ho@ubc.ca.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Applicants must upload all required documents through the online application portal. Documents emailed or submitted in person by the applicant will not be accepted.