Application Requirements

All students must meet the requirements for this program, which include:

1. A four-year undergraduate degree:
   • An approved Bachelor of Education degree, OR
   • An approved four-year undergraduate degree in a related field*, OR
   • An approved Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Fine Arts with an early childhood education minor
2. An overall average of 76% (B+) or better in all third- and fourth-year courses or at least 12 third- and fourth-year credits with an overall average of 80% (A-) or better in the field of education or a related field*
3. Minimum of two years professional experience working with young children in an appropriate setting

* Related Fields include, but are not limited to, Child and Youth Care, Nursing, Psychology, Social Work and Family Studies.

Applicants whose degree is in an unrelated field (e.g., Arts, Commerce, General Studies) may be accepted if they have completed a college or university certificate program in early childhood education or if they have extensive professional experience in early childhood education or a related field.

Experience & Interests

Applicants are required to answer the following questions about their professional experience and interests, and academic and professional goals, and how they align with the graduate program in Early Childhood Education:

• Introduce your specific professional experience and interests. What specific issue, area, or population would you like to explore and acquire experience in? Why is it important to you, other practitioners, early educators, and the communities with whom and where you hope to work. Please limit your response to 400 words.
• Outline your general career objectives, including both immediate and long-term, academic and professional goals. In your response indicate how you see this aligning with the graduate program in Early Childhood Education. Please limit your response to 400 words.
• Please describe any professional experiences you’ve undertaken that are relevant to study in Early Childhood Education. Please limit your response to 400 words.
• Considering an inclusive definition of culture (Collins & Arthur, 2010; Kassan & Sinacore, 2016) that includes but is not limited to cultural identities and social locations such as race, ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, status in country, Indigenous heritage, religion, spirituality, social class, physical and mental abilities, and disabilities, please describe any experiences and/or training you have with this inclusive definition of culture. Discuss and how it relates to your past, present, and future/proposed work in early childhood education. How do you think your own cultural background and professional experiences have influenced your practice and research goals? In addressing these questions, you may choose to speak to issues such as forms of privilege you have, your own identity, your knowledge of the history of the field of ECE, and/or how your professional interests relate to issues of culture, diversity, and social justice. Please limit your response to 400 words.

Reference Letters

Reference letters are very important in the application process; applicants are required to submit three reference letters (one academic and two professional) that speak to their academic potential and their professional qualities. At the same time, some applicants may encounter serious difficulties in retrieving these letters. The following options are presented for these applicants:

1. Academic reference: In the event of an applicant not being able to obtain an academic references, it could be substituted for an additional professional reference that also speaks to the applicant’s capacity to articulate ideas and to support them with the appropriate references when writing reports, summaries, lesson plans, and/or any work related resources. For teachers, academic advisors (teachers who supervised them during their practicum) may be asked to write this letter, should the applicant have no access to another faculty member.
2. Professional reference(s): In the event of an applicant not being able to obtain two professional letter of reference, a letter from a board or committee overseeing their current place of employment, or a letter from a professional in an agency that has collaborated with their program (for example, from a consultant and coordinator from programs like the Supported Child Development Program, if working with a child or children with special needs) will be acceptable.

Writing Sample

For those students who have no access to a previous paper completed in the last 15 years, or to a publication, or report, please select one of the two articles uploaded here; provide a scholarly summary of the article with your own reflections and connections to practice. This summary has a word count of 500 words, in addition to the reference list that matches references provided in text (preferably using APA format; at the same time, MLA and other formats are acceptable).

1. Gagné, M., Guhn, M., Emerson, S., Magee, C., Milbrath, C. and Gadermann, A. (2019). “Thriving, catching up or falling behind: Immigrant and refugee children’s kindergarten competencies and later academic achievement”, International Journal of Population Data Science, 4(3). doi: 10.23889/ijpds.v4i3.1222.
2. Argent, A.L., D. Vintimilla, C., Lee, C. and Wapenaar, J. (2017). A dialogue about place and living pedagogies: Trees, ferns, blood, children, educators and wood cutters. Journal of Childhoods and Pedagogies, 1(2). Retrieved from: https://journals.sfu.ca/jcp/index.php/jcp/article/view/23/30

Resume

Applicants must include a full professional resume with their application. Items covered should include: education, coursework, employment history, volunteer work or other related experience (i.e. publications, interests).

ALL APPLICANTS PLEASE NOTE:
The minimum degree requirement for admission is a 4-year bachelor degree. This is a Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies requirement that cannot be waived, regardless of professional experience.

Eligibility for candidates with a 3-year baccalaureate will be assessed on a case-by-case basis by the academic department and the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

International Applicants

• Please refer to the UBC Minimum Academic Requirements for international students.
• We also recommend that you review the English Language Proficiency Requirements to ensure you meet the English language requirements.

If you require assistance with your application as an international student, please contact the Senior Program Assistant.

Fees

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are reviewed annually by the UBC Board of Governors and may be adjusted without prior notice. For the most accurate and up-to-date information on tuition and fees, visit the official UBC Calendar. In case of a discrepancy between this webpage and the UBC Calendar, the UBC Calendar entry will be held to be correct.

Graduate tuition is assessed as an annual program fee, which is divided into three equal installments due at the beginning of academic terms starting in September, January and May. Students in this program will pay a minimum of 8 installments.

Student Fees

Student fees include fees established and authorized by the UBC Board of Governors and fees established and authorized by students societies. These fees are in addition to tuition fees. Please see the UBC Calendar for details on student fees.

Funding Eligibility

As this program is part-time, it is not eligible for student loans or other types of funding.

Application Status: Opens October 15, 2024

Application Deadline: December 15, 2024

Document Deadline: January 15, 2025

Apply Now

ONLINE APPLICATION

• Navigate to grad.ubc.ca/apply/online.
• When you are ready to apply, click “Apply Online”.
• Read the instructions, and either log in with your CWL or create a CWL if you have never attended UBC.
• Once logged in, on the “Degree Program Selection,” type “Professional Cohort” into the “Program Keyword” field.
• IMPORTANT: The program name should be Early Childhood Education – Professional Cohort M.Ed. Please ensure you are applying to the correct program – this part-time Professional Cohort is different than the regular on-campus program.
• Select the program.
• Click the “Apply” button.
• Fill out the application as indicated.

SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS

Please have these ready to upload when you apply:

Transcripts, degree certificates (if applicable), English language assessment report (if applicable), statement of intent, and an up-to-date resume must be uploaded to your application.

In cases where referees are unable to submit an electronic reference, sealed and endorsed reference letters may be sent by mail. Your reference will receive a link to a reference form that they should complete and send back to us.

You can also find the Grad Reference Form here.

 Important: Please ask your references to include the 4-character cohort designation EC25 when they submit their reference. All references must arrive in sealed envelopes with the reference’s signature on the seal.

Please send mailed documents to:

Vicki Domansky
EC25 Graduate Cohort
Faculty of Education, PDCE Office
University of British Columbia
1304-2125 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4

APPLICATION TIMELINE

After your application is submitted, all documents are uploaded, and references have been received, your application file is considered complete.

Once the application deadline for the program has passed, all completed application files are submitted to the Department for review.  Applications recommended by the Department for admission are then confirmed against Graduate & Post-Doctoral Studies requirements, and accepted applicants are notified. Any special case admissions require an additional review by Graduate and Post-Doctoral Studies.

The entire process generally takes 8 to 12 weeks.

ASSISTANCE

If you require any assistance with the application process, please contact:

Vicki Domansky
Team Lead, Senior Program Assistants
604-822-8638
eced.educ@ubc.ca

Info Sessions

Have questions? We’ve got answers!

Meet the Program Advisor and Senior Program Assistant, and learn more about this program and about applying to become a UBC graduate student.

There are currently no info sessions scheduled for this program

Did you miss one of our info sessions?

Watch a recorded info session from October 17, 2023

Mackenzie Radomski, Kindergarten Teacher at Westcot Elementary

2019 graduate

“I got to expand my own knowledge and understand developmentally where my students are at, and how I can meet them there, and give them the tools and guidance to help them in life.”

Read more about how our program has helped Mackenzie learn, grow and excel as an educator.

Contacts

For program content questions:

Dr. Iris Berger
Cohort Advisor
Early Childhood Education (ECE)
604-822-6593
iris.berger@ubc.ca

For application questions or assistance:

Vicki Domansky
Team Lead, Senior Program Assistants
604-822-8638
eced.educ@ubc.ca