Degrees and Programs

Study what it means to be human in the broadest possible sense. Anthropologists are interested in the findings of all fields pertaining to humans and the processes of social and cultural life in human societies past and present, near and far. It connects the natural sciences, the social sciences, and the humanities. Cultural Anthropology is a main area of focus at UBC’s Okanagan campus.

This program draws together core courses from three themes: media and popular cultures; global cultural studies; critical and cultural theory. Your coursework – in internet culture, film and television, activism, globalization, and human rights, among others – will provide you with the knowledge and skills necessary for a wide variety of professions.

Learn about the world and our place in it through a deeper understanding of sexuality, femininity, embodiment, and social justice. This dynamic program draws from across the humanities, social sciences, and cultural studies.

The International Relations program draws on diverse disciplines, including political science, history, sociology, economics, and anthropology to equip you with the skills necessary to critically assess the contours and dynamics of international politics and events – from conflicts in Afghanistan and the Congo, to the rise of women as political actors.

Explore new media and internet technology, blending artistic, technical, and critical-thinking skills. As part of collaborative teams working on innovative, socially and economically relevant projects, you will have the opportunity to develop a portfolio of skills and experiences to meet today’s employment and entrepreneurial needs.

Train to be a better thinker and problem-solver by studying the ideas of eminent theorists, from the ancient masters to contemporary scholars. Studying philosophy will, among other things, allow you to examine and express ideas and arguments clearly, precisely, and logically.

Explore three of the most important fields in shaping our understanding of society, Canadian public policy, and the world. You’ll study a wide variety of foundational and advanced courses that prepare you for careers in business or government, to undertake studies in law, business, commerce, journalism, social work, education, or public administration.

Examine how government affects our lives, and gain a deeper understanding of the forces that shape law, society, the economy, and politics. You’ll develop in-depth knowledge of political systems, issues, and trends while you learn to conduct research, present arguments, and work and lead effectively.

Psychology explores diverse topics, from the factors involved in social interactions among individuals and groups, to the processes underlying the nervous system, to moral development in children and what gives us a sense of well-being. Round out your degree with arts or science courses that complement your study of human and animal behaviour.

Examine social and cultural life in human societies while exploring challenging community issues. The department of sociology at UBC’s Okanagan campus is committed to a sociological imagination that challenges you to apply your theoretical and analytical skills to exploring, understanding, and exposing how power, privilege, and inequality are controlled, secured, and expressed by the few for the domination of the many.

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology deals with the structure and function of proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, and lipids – the basic constituents of living cells. Biochemists work to understand the structure of cells and how they function at the molecular level. This program includes a wide variety of foundational and advanced courses that cover metabolic pathways, the chemistry of winemaking, pharmacology, and more.

Get your hands dirty in the laboratory and in the field while you study all aspects of living things and their processes. You’ll gain an excellent foundation in all fields of biology while learning the practical skills of a working biologist. Within the Biology program, you can choose to specialize in a number of subject areas including ecology, cell and developmental biology, and physiology.

A chemistry degree can open doors to medical, dental, osteopathic, or veterinary school, and many other careers in health-related professions. The Chemistry program includes a wide variety of foundational and advanced courses that cover atomic, molecular, physical, organic, environmental chemistry, and more.

Investigate the origin, maintenance, and organization of biodiversity and how organisms interact within the natural world. You’ll develop an understanding of core biology concepts and principles, and gain practical experience in the laboratory, field, and classroom, where you’ll develop computer and communication skills.

Environmental Chemistry provides you with a solid education in the four key areas of chemistry – analytical, inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry – along with core courses in Environmental Chemistry, and other fields such as Biology and Earth and Environmental Science. Learn how the environment works, plus learn how to analyze parts per trillion of environmental contaminants, and how to monitor environmental impacts on the environment.

This program will prepare you for careers related to inland aquatic ecosystems. You will study water quality, hydrology, water resources, aquatic organisms and the health of aquatic ecosystems.

Get a strong foundation in the sciences with the opportunity to specialize in two or three specific subjects. The General Science program is appropriate if you plan to continue studying in professional areas such as post-secondary education, business administration, dentistry, law, medicine, or veterinary medicine.

Explore fascinating new worlds at the microscopic level in Microbiology, the study of life too small to see with the naked eye. This program will prepare you for a career in microbiology, including food and beverage industries, health sciences, and environmental sciences.

Explore the animal kingdom as a biological scientist by studying behaviours, physiology, anatomy, and the entire animal organism. You’ll gain practical experience and skills in laboratory and fieldwork, computers, and communication.

In Civil Engineering, you’ll build a solid foundation, from the ground up – from soil mechanics and foundation engineering, to the design of structures, roads and transportation networks, river and flood management systems, construction management and law, environmental engineering (water and wastewater networks and treatment plants, air pollution, and waste management), and municipal engineering.

BA: Find out how Computer Science complements Arts disciplines, and discover how to use your artistic creativity with technology to benefit society. Learn how to use and improve computers while you explore topics such as databases and operating systems, software engineering, security, web development, and numerical methodology. You’ll also learn about specialty areas such as computational intelligence, bioinformatics, and computer graphics and animation.

BSc: Learn how to use and improve computers while you explore topics such as databases and operating systems, software engineering, security, web development, and numerical methodology. You’ll also learn about specialty areas such as computational intelligence, bioinformatics, and computer graphics and animation.

This program provides you with a thorough training in Data Science, which focuses on making decisions supported by data. It is grounded in Statistics – to formulate relevant questions and determine the answer based on data – and Computer Science – to manipulate and visualize data efficiently.

Study at the cutting-edge of technology and be part of global solutions related to energy conservation, power grids, communications networks, and intelligent products. You’ll be solidly schooled from the ground up before studying modern topics in electrical engineering, including communications, electromagnetics, microsystems, nanotechnology, power systems, and electronics.

Acquire powerful tools for solving practical problems in a highly creative environment that demands logic, precision, intuition, and imagination. Learn to reveal and explain patterns in everyday life, from electrical impulses in an animal’s nervous system, to fluctuations in stock market prices, or the fine detail in an abstract geometrical object.

Investigate practical, hands-on ways of creating and improving physical systems to meet the demand of modern industries, from aircraft and energy systems to biomedical, mechatronics, and manufacturing.

Statistics is the science of understanding and managing uncertainty and is ultimately concerned with using theory and methods to extract information from data to solve real word problems. This program provides you with a solid grounding in the theoretical, computational, and applied aspects of statistical science.

BA: Economics will change the way you look at the world, increase your understanding of fundamental human behavior, and improve your reasoning, problem solving, and decision-making abilities. You’ll take courses like “Povery and Inequality,” “Economics of Technological Change,” and “Economics of Public Choice.”

BSc: Study how people, institutions, and nations create and manage scarce resources, make choices by comparing costs and benefits, and act purposefully on those choices. You’ll take courses like “Intermediate Microeconomic Analysis,” “Introduction to Empirical Economics,” and “Competitiveness in the International Economy.”

Focus your studies on accounting, entrepreneurial technology, finance, human resources, marketing, sustainability, and operations/supply chain management, while embracing the Faculty of Management’s cross-disciplinary approach to education. Understand how to navigate today’s rapidly changing world through intensive collaboration and teamwork, critical thinking, and an appreciation for shared solutions.

Explore the natural processes that shape Earth and how humans influence the planet. Investigate mineral resources, structural geology, water resources, environmental systems, hydrology, climate, land use patterns, geochemistry and other topics. Gain hands-on skills in experimentation, data collection, field and laboratory techniques, analysis methods, GIS and spatial representation, and scientific writing.

Explore human and physical landscapes and their interconnections on the surface of the earth. Geography is a unique academic discipline because of its ability to integrate ideas and methods from many disciplines. It also concerns “spatial” or areal patterns, relationships and processes on the Earth’s surface, and a focus on environmental studies.

Discover how human movement impacts health. As a graduate of this program, you will be an adaptable leader who has the ability to work across with various populations to enhance their health and wellbeing.

Meet the health-care challenges of tomorrow with a career based on evidence-based practice, critical reflection, lifelong learning, and the highest standards of professionalism. This program is designed to educate and train you in communities across British Columbia where there is an urgent need for more physicians, particularly in rural, northern, and island areas.

Discover an essential understanding of people within the context of health and healing in today’s society while you prepare for a professional licensure as a registered nurse. As a professional nurse, and a graduate of this program, you will be qualified to provide professional nursing services, deliver health-education programs, and provide consultative nursing services to promote, maintain, and restore patient health.

Explore a variety of global perspectives for studying art and visual culture, with courses on the arts of South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. You’ll develop critical thinking and writing skills while you analyze diverse forms of art and visual culture, including “high” art, pop culture, architecture, everyday objects, and performance in their cultural and historical contexts.

In Creative Writing, you’ll study literature and literary criticism, as well as key aspects of the writing process – from crafting a scene, to pacing a story, working with imagery, and hooking a reader’s interest. Your studies will familiarize you with practical aspects of the writing life, and will include courses in poetry, short fiction, editing and publishing, and more.

Train with the next generation of artists and cultural producers. Learn in cutting-edge facilities designed for traditional and digital-studio arts courses. The Visual Arts program offers a perfect balance of studio work and academic study, immersing you in hands-on critical and contemporary art education.

Shape your understanding of political, economic, and social change, from the dawn of civilization to the 21st century. A historian might conduct research in an institution where artifacts and documents of the past are held, or curate collections of historical exhibitions in museums and galleries. Historians are expert storytellers and may develop journalistic or historical works of fiction in print, online, or multimedia platforms.

In the interdisciplinary Indigenous Studies program you’ll learn about indigenous perspectives and governance, the justice system, land claims, traditional ecological knowledge, and the protection of heritage in the Okanagan, Canada, U.S., and world communities. You’ll build the foundational skills needed to pursue a career in government, in Aboriginal Peoples organizations, in indigenous leadership roles and resource management, or to pursue graduate studies.

Mastery of the English language is a powerful political and philosophical tool to expand career options in the information age. Become an expert communicator in such occupations as speechwriter, editor, and media producer.

Gain strong skills in French language and a critical insight into Francophone literatures and cultures within a global context. The study of French can be an excellent focus for your degree or a perfect complement to a program of study.

Study culture, history, linguistics, translation and much more to acquire practical skills in reading, writing and oral communication.

If you’re searching for a general liberal studies program, this could be the place for you. During your studies you can draw from four categories – Humanities, Social Science, Science, and Creative and Performing Arts.

This program provides significant practical experience with a generalist focus, which means putting students and the quality of their learning first and foremost. In the Teaching Children pathway (Kindergarten to Grade 5+) or the Teaching Adolescents pathway (Grades 6 to 9+), you’ll have the opportunity to personalize your studies by choosing a community-based field experience and elective courses in the Summer Institute.

Become a versatile scientist who seeks to understand how matter and energy work. You’ll learn how to use observation and analysis to discover and explain the physical laws and forces of nature, such as gravity, electromagnetism, and nuclear interactions.

Investigate the evolving world of manufacturing including additive manufacturing, advanced materials, adaptive robotics, artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, digitalization, factory planning, and production management.

Achieve advanced proficiency levels in Nsyilxcn while learning about multiple ways to contribute to the language’s recovery and revitalization efforts in your communities. Note: This program is not direct-entry.

Develop your skills and knowledge to enable you to take action to solve sustainability problems at both a local and global scale. Learn how to critically assess and propose solutions to contemporary sustainability challenges, such as climate change, pollution, and social and economic inequality. You’ll gain a diverse set of skills through both foundational knowledge and hands-on, community-based learning.