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Overview
Experimental Medicine is the study of the pathogenesis and treatment of disease. Modern experimental medicine represents a rapidly growing body of knowledge involving the determination of diseases processes and the development of appropriate therapies.
The Experimental Medicine Program is intended for individuals seeking a career in research. The Department of Medicine offers opportunities and facilities for advanced studies in experimental medicine, leading toward the M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees. Members of the Department direct research programs in a wide range of basic and clinically relevant areas. There are a variety of special interest areas of national and international stature. Specialties within the Experimental Medicine Program include: Cardiology, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Hematology, Infectious Diseases, Medical Immunology, Medical Oncology, Molecular Biology, Nephrology, Neurology and Respiratory Medicine.
Students may work with investigators located on the main campus of the University of B.C., or they may work in laboratories located off campus (Vancouver General Hospital, Jack Bell Research Centre, Terry Fox Laboratory, St. Paul's Hospital, Biomedical Research Centre, BC Children's Hospital).
Quick Facts
Program Enquiries
Contact the program
Admission Information & Requirements
1) Check Eligibility
Minimum Academic Requirements
The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies establishes the minimum admission requirements common to all applicants, usually a minimum overall average in the B+ range (76% at UBC). The graduate program that you are applying to may have additional requirements. Please review the specific requirements for applicants with credentials from institutions in:
Each program may set higher academic minimum requirements. Please review the program website carefully to understand the program requirements. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission as it is a competitive process.
English Language Test
Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application.
Minimum requirements for the two most common English language proficiency tests to apply to this program are listed below:
TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language - internet-based
Overall score requirement: 96
Reading
22
Writing
22
Speaking
22
Listening
22
IELTS: International English Language Testing System
Overall score requirement: 7.0
Reading
7.0
Writing
7.0
Speaking
7.0
Listening
7.0
Other Test Scores
Some programs require additional test scores such as the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or the Graduate Management Test (GMAT). The requirements for this program are:
The GRE is not required.
Prior degree, course and other requirements
Prior Degree Requirements
Students admitted to the M.Sc. program in Experimental Medicine normally possess a B.Sc. in life sciences, biology, zoology, biochemistry, or related disciplines, or have an M.D., D.M.D. or D.V.M..
2) Meet Deadlines
September 2025 Intake
Application Open Date
01 September 2024Canadian Applicants
International Applicants
3) Prepare Application
Transcripts
All applicants have to submit transcripts from all past post-secondary study. Document submission requirements depend on whether your institution of study is within Canada or outside of Canada.
Letters of Reference
A minimum of three references are required for application to graduate programs at UBC. References should be requested from individuals who are prepared to provide a report on your academic ability and qualifications.
Statement of Interest
Many programs require a statement of interest, sometimes called a "statement of intent", "description of research interests" or something similar.
Supervision
Students in research-based programs usually require a faculty member to function as their thesis supervisor. Please follow the instructions provided by each program whether applicants should contact faculty members.
Instructions regarding thesis supervisor contact for Master of Science in Experimental Medicine (MSc)
It is not required to secure a supervisor at the time of the application, but the application will only be reviewed once a supervisor is secured.
Citizenship Verification
Permanent Residents of Canada must provide a clear photocopy of both sides of the Permanent Resident card.
4) Apply Online
All applicants must complete an online application form and pay the application fee to be considered for admission to UBC.
Tuition & Financial Support
Tuition
| Fees | Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat | International |
|---|---|---|
| Application Fee | $116.25 | $168.25 |
| Tuition * | ||
| Installments per year | 3 | 3 |
| Tuition per installment | $1,875.34 | $3,294.66 |
| Tuition per year (plus annual increase, usually 2%-5%) | $5,626.02 | $9,883.98 |
| Int. Tuition Award (ITA) per year (if eligible) | $3,200.00 (-) | |
| Other Fees and Costs | ||
| Student Fees (yearly) | $1,144.10 (approx.) | |
| Costs of living | Estimate your costs of living with our interactive tool in order to start developing a financial plan for your graduate studies. | |
All fees for the year are subject to adjustment and UBC reserves the right to change any fees without notice at any time, including tuition and student fees. Tuition fees are reviewed annually by the UBC Board of Governors. In recent years, tuition increases have been 2% for continuing domestic students and between 2% and 5% for continuing international students. New students may see higher increases in tuition. Admitted students who defer their admission are subject to the potentially higher tuition fees for incoming students effective at the later program start date. In case of a discrepancy between this webpage and the UBC Calendar, the UBC Calendar entry will be held to be correct.
Financial Support
Applicants to UBC have access to a variety of funding options, including merit-based (i.e. based on your academic performance) and need-based (i.e. based on your financial situation) opportunities.
Program Funding Packages
Effective September 2024, students who start in the Experimental Medicine M.Sc. program and who do not have a major scholarship, will receive a minimum stipend of $30,000 per year from their supervisor.
Scholarships & awards (merit-based funding)
All applicants are encouraged to review the awards listing to identify potential opportunities to fund their graduate education. The database lists merit-based scholarships and awards and allows for filtering by various criteria, such as domestic vs. international or degree level.
Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA)
Many professors are able to provide Research Assistantships (GRA) from their research grants to support full-time graduate students studying under their supervision. The duties constitute part of the student's graduate degree requirements. A Graduate Research Assistantship is considered a form of fellowship for a period of graduate study and is therefore not covered by a collective agreement. Stipends vary widely, and are dependent on the field of study and the type of research grant from which the assistantship is being funded.
Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA)
Graduate programs may have Teaching Assistantships available for registered full-time graduate students. Full teaching assistantships involve 12 hours work per week in preparation, lecturing, or laboratory instruction although many graduate programs offer partial TA appointments at less than 12 hours per week. Teaching assistantship rates are set by collective bargaining between the University and the Teaching Assistants' Union.
Graduate Academic Assistantships (GAA)
Academic Assistantships are employment opportunities to perform work that is relevant to the university or to an individual faculty member, but not to support the student’s graduate research and thesis. Wages are considered regular earnings and when paid monthly, include vacation pay.
Financial aid (need-based funding)
Canadian and US applicants may qualify for governmental loans to finance their studies. Please review eligibility and types of loans.
All students may be able to access private sector or bank loans.
Foreign government scholarships
Many foreign governments provide support to their citizens in pursuing education abroad. International applicants should check the various governmental resources in their home country, such as the Department of Education, for available scholarships.
Working while studying
The possibility to pursue work to supplement income may depend on the demands the program has on students. It should be carefully weighed if work leads to prolonged program durations or whether work placements can be meaningfully embedded into a program.
International students enrolled as full-time students with a valid study permit can work on campus for unlimited hours and work off-campus for no more than 20 hours a week.
A good starting point to explore student jobs is the UBC Work Learn program or a Co-Op placement.
Tax credits and RRSP withdrawals
Students with taxable income in Canada may be able to claim federal or provincial tax credits.
Canadian residents with RRSP accounts may be able to use the Lifelong Learning Plan (LLP) which allows students to withdraw amounts from their registered retirement savings plan (RRSPs) to finance full-time training or education for themselves or their partner.
Please review Filing taxes in Canada on the student services website for more information.
Cost Estimator
Applicants have access to the cost estimator to develop a financial plan that takes into account various income sources and expenses.
Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats
These statistics show data for the Master of Science in Experimental Medicine (MSc). Data are separated for each degree program combination. You may view data for other degree options in the respective program profile.
ENROLMENT DATA
| 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applications | 58 | 54 | 64 | 67 | 85 |
| Offers | 26 | 23 | 49 | 30 | 27 |
| New Registrations | 20 | 20 | 43 | 25 | 23 |
| Total Enrolment | 82 | 92 | 88 | 71 | 91 |
Completion Rates & Times
Disclaimer
Research Supervisors
Supervision
Students in research-based programs usually require a faculty member to function as their thesis supervisor. Please follow the instructions provided by each program whether applicants should contact faculty members.
Instructions regarding thesis supervisor contact for Master of Science in Experimental Medicine (MSc)
It is not required to secure a supervisor at the time of the application, but the application will only be reviewed once a supervisor is secured.
Advice and insights from UBC Faculty on reaching out to supervisors
These videos contain some general advice from faculty across UBC on finding and reaching out to a supervisor. They are not program specific.
This list shows faculty members with full supervisory privileges who are affiliated with this program. It is not a comprehensive list of all potential supervisors as faculty from other programs or faculty members without full supervisory privileges can request approvals to supervise graduate students in this program.
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Cherkasov, Artem (Drug design; Bioinformatics, Molecular modeling; Proteomics; Artificial intelligence; Antibiotics )
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Chew, Ben (how kidney stones form and in particular intestinal absorption of minerals that can form kidney stones (calcium and oxalate); genetically modifying bacteria normally used to make yogurt to express a naturally occurring enzyme that breaks down oxalate, thus preventing its absorption into the body where it can combine with calcium to form kidney stones.)
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Christenson, James (Other clinical medicine; sudden cardiac death; chain of survival; out of hospital cardiac arrest; emergency medical services; resuscitation science)
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Cibere, Jolanda (Rheumatology; early osteoarthritis; magnetic resonance imaging in osteoarthritis; biomarkers in osteoarthritis; progression of early osteoarthritis; clinical detection of early osteoarthritis)
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Conway, Edward (Basic medicine and life sciences; coagulation; Innate immunity; Inflammation; vascular biologh)
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Cote, Helene (HIV Infection, blood research, infectious diseases)
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Cox, Michael (genetic testing, experiences of hereditary risk, social and ethical implications of genetics, interpersonal and family communication, qualitative research, narrative and story, Prostate cancer)
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Cresswell, Silke (Functional imaging (PETand fMRI) in Parkinson)
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Daley, Denise (Bioinformatics; Asthma; Complex Trait Genetics; Epigenetics; gene-gene and gene-environment interactions; Genetic Diseases; genetic epidemiology; Genetics of Aging; statistical genetics; Susceptibility Genes)
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Daugaard, Mads (Cancer progression and metastasis; Mechanisms of carcinogenesis; Cancer Diagnosis and Detection; Cancer biology; Cancer diagnostics; Cancer therapy; Cell Signaling and Cancer; Cell Therapy of Cancer; Chemotherapy; DNA damage response pathways; glycobiology; Immunotherapy; Radiotherapy; Cell stress and Cancer; Cell stress signalling in cancer)
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De Vera, Mary (examining how eHealth technologies can support new and existing models of care to improve care delivery and patient outcomes; exploring patients' perspectives and experiences with medication taking and adherence; and evaluating the use and impacts of medications among pregnant women, particularly with inflammatory conditions.)
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Deering, Kathleen (Medical, health and life sciences)
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Devlin, Angela (Human nutrition and dietetics; Human reproduction and development sciences; Pathology (except oral pathology); cardiovascular disease; Children; developmental programming; Diabetes; Obesity)
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Doan, Quynh (Medical, health and life sciences; Health Services; Child and youth mental health; Emergency medicine work load modelling)
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Dong, Xuesen (Cancer progression and metastasis; Gene and molecular therapy; Prostate Cancer; Drug development; RNA splicing and Gene Regulation; Hormone Dependent Cancers; Endocrine Regulation)
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Dutz, Jan Peter (Immunity in Health & Disease, diabetes, dermatology)
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Eddy, Rachel (Cardiorespiratory medicine and hematology; Medical and biomedical engineering; Artificial intelligence (AI); Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI); Hyperpolarized 129Xe; Computed tomography (CT); Pulmonary imaging; Lung structure-function; Lung health; Respiratory disease)
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Elango, Rajavel (Protein Nutrition, Maternal-Fetal Nutrition, Childhood Malnutrition, Amino Acid Metabolism, Human Nutrition )
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Eng, Janice (Medical, health and life sciences; Stroke Rehabilitation; Implementation Science; Wearable sensors; Recovery of walking after stroke; Recovery of upper extremity function after stroke)
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Etminan, Mahyar (Eye and Visual System Diseases; Pharmacoepidemiology; Epidemiology; Oular Epidemiology; Drug Safety; Epidemiologist Study Design; Causal Inference; Cancer Epidemiology)
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Fairbairn, Nadia (Drug Abuse)
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Fast, Danya (Social sciences; Substance Use; Substance Use Care; Adolescents and Young Adults; urban health; Urban Poverty; Medical Anthropology; Canada; East Africa)
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Fedida, David (How the heart generates, maintains and regulates electrical activity, Anesthesiology)
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Field, Thalia (stroke; Clinical trials; cerebral venous thrombosis; outcomes; cognition; Machine Learning)
Pages
Sample Thesis Submissions
Further Information
Specialization
Experimental Medicine offers research opportunities in the following specialties: cardiology, cancer biology, dermatology, gastroenterology, hematology/oncology, infectious diseases, molecular medicine, nephrology, neurology, and respiratory medicine. All these fields can involve patients and/or experimental animal models.
Program Website
Faculty Overview
Academic Unit
Program Identifier
September 2025 Intake
Program Enquiries
Contact the program
Departments/Programs may update graduate degree program details through the Faculty & Staff portal. To update contact details for application inquiries, please use this form.
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