Overview
UBC iSchool’s Ph.D. program is a four-year funded program that combines coursework with independent study and research. Students have access to faculty members and advisors and benefit from unique opportunities at a research-intensive university. The Ph.D. program is designed to provide advanced education for outstanding students who have already obtained a Master of Archival Studies (MAS) degree, a Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) or an equivalent related degree.
We are home to a community of researchers actively engaged in investigating questions of vital importance to society in the age of information. At the broadest level, we are concerned with recorded artifacts of human experience: their creation, collection, organization, preservation, and use. Increasingly, these artifacts - books, documents, images, data, etc.- are created and/or preserved in digital formats that can be widely disseminated and used. Our collective work aims to ensure that this legacy of human experience, housed in both traditional and newer digital forms, is preserved, shared and explored, so that individuals and communities can continue to draw upon it to deepen their understanding of themselves and their communities and make new discoveries about our world.
What makes the program unique?
- Interdisciplinary nature of the faculty and their collaborators
- Teaching opportunities for PhD students in the masters programs and Bachelor of Media Studies program.
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: 100
Reading
22
Writing
21
Speaking
21
Listening
22
IELTS: International English Language Testing System
Overall score requirement: 7.5
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
Document Requirements
Applicants are encouraged to identify and contact potential supervisors based on faculty research areas.
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 Doctor of Philosophy in Library, Archival and Information Studies (PhD)
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.
Research Information
Research Highlights
- Award-winning faculty, recognized provincially, nationally and internationally for their contributions and leadership in library, archival and information studies research.
- Research projects funded in excess of $1M annually.
- Partner in the Designing for People research cluster, a multidisciplinary approach in people-centred design for interactive technologies, with several faculty contributing to the development of the program.
- Learn more about current Faculty leading major research initiatives at ischool.ubc.ca/research
Research Focus
Human-computer Interaction, Information Interaction and Design, Cultural Heritage, Documentation, Records and Information Management, History of the Book, Natural Language Processing, Deep Learning, Knowledge Organization, Digital Archives/Media and Social media.
Research Facilities
PhD students are provided a lab space specifically for work and research in the school. The iSchool has an additional computer lab and bookable spaces with high-tech equipment for use in usability studies, conducting user research and analysis and more.
Tuition & Financial Support
Tuition
Fees | Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat | International |
---|---|---|
Application Fee | $114.00 | $168.25 |
Tuition * | ||
Installments per year | 3 | 3 |
Tuition per installment | $1,838.57 | $3,230.06 |
Tuition per year (plus annual increase, usually 2%-5%) | $5,515.71 | $9,690.18 |
Int. Tuition Award (ITA) per year (if eligible) | $3,200.00 (-) | |
Other Fees and Costs | ||
Supplementary fees (once) | $236.00 Mandatory program fee, student society fee | |
Student Fees (yearly) | $1,116.60 (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
The school strives to support doctoral students in applying for external funding opportunities. As of September 2018, all full-time students who begin the iSchool Ph.D. program will be provided with a funding package of at least $26,000 for each of the first four years of the PhD program. Additional funding may be obtained through internal and external awards, teaching-related work, research assistantships and graduate academic assistantships.
In addition, international students are eligible for the international tuition award of $3,200 per year for four years.
Additional Funding Opportunities
UBC has launched Canada's first Blockchain training pathway for graduate students. The Graduate Pathway on Blockchain and Decentralized Trust Technologies will be a 12-credit non-degree training program that augments existing Master's and PhD programs. Additional funding may be available for students as part of the Blockchain pathway.
Average Funding
- 5 students received Teaching Assistantships. Average TA funding based on 5 students was $6,205.
- 4 students received Research Assistantships. Average RA funding based on 4 students was $10,910.
- 6 students received Academic Assistantships. Average AA funding based on 6 students was $2,910.
- 12 students received internal awards. Average internal award funding based on 12 students was $26,449.
- 3 students received external awards. Average external award funding based on 3 students was $22,778.
Review methodology
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.
Career Outcomes
9 students graduated between 2005 and 2013. Of these, career information was obtained for 7 alumni (based on research conducted between Feb-May 2016):
![](https://static.grad.ubc.ca/outcomes/2016-PHD-sector-LAIS.png)
![](https://static.grad.ubc.ca/outcomes/2016-PHD-highered-LAIS.png)
RI (Research-Intensive) Faculty: typically tenure-track faculty positions (equivalent of the North American Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor positions) in PhD-granting institutions
TI (Teaching-Intensive) Faculty: typically full-time faculty positions in colleges or in institutions not granting PhDs, and teaching faculty at PhD-granting institutions
Term Faculty: faculty in term appointments (e.g. sessional lecturers, visiting assistant professors, etc.)
Sample Employers in Higher Education
University of GhanaKwantlen Polytechnic University
Kuwait University
University of Toronto
University of Alberta
Sample Employers Outside Higher Education
National Central LibrarySample Job Titles Outside Higher Education
Attorney, Privacy ConsultantLibrary Coordinator
PhD Career Outcome Survey
You may view the full report on career outcomes of UBC PhD graduates on outcomes.grad.ubc.ca.Disclaimer
These data represent historical employment information and do not guarantee future employment prospects for graduates of this program. They are for informational purposes only. Data were collected through either alumni surveys or internet research.Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats
These statistics show data for the Doctor of Philosophy in Library, Archival and Information Studies (PhD). 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 | 21 | 32 | 32 | 36 | 29 |
Offers | 3 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
New Registrations | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Total Enrolment | 22 | 24 | 22 | 20 | 23 |
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 Doctor of Philosophy in Library, Archival and Information Studies (PhD)
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.
Doctoral Citations
Year | Citation |
---|---|
2013 | Dr. McKendry investigated ways in which homeless men use Vancouver public libraries. She found that, in addition to information needs, public libraries are inclusive places that also serve the social needs of homeless men. These findings may be of interest to librarians planning library programs and to architects designing future library buildings. |
2013 | Dr. Markwei investigated the everyday-life, information-seeking behaviour of urban homeless youth in Accra, Ghana. The findings highlight their everyday life needs, information seeking behaviours, the importance of their social network of friends in meeting their needs, and the policy and practical changes that would improve the lives of the youth. |
2011 | Dr. Zhang identified the functions of the smallest information units within journal article components, and examined how they can be utilized in journal reading. This research suggested that individual functional units can be organized and presented to benefit readers' information usage of journal articles. |
2010 | Dr. Alzahrani examined the involvement of editorial boards of scholarly journals in liberalizing access policies to journal content. He found that, while generally positive about open access, editors were not active proponents for change. His findings help explain the editors' role in the dramatically changing landscape of scholarly publishing. |
2010 | Dr. Chiang employed mixed methods to study annotations in an online environment. Her study explores online annotation functionalities, reasons for annotating and sharing annotations, as well as impacts on reading and writing online. The research has implications for system design. |
2010 | Dr. Kim explored how the social communication technology, folksonomy, is changing the way people organize Web resources. This empirical study proposes a conceptual framework to recast a folksonomy as a Web classification, and to better understand users' perception and use of folksonomy in organizing Web resources. |
2009 | Dr. Foscarini investigated the design and use of function-based records classification systems in four central banks in Europe and North America. By applying methods derived from other disciplines, her research contributes rich insights into the relationship existing between recordkeeping practices and organizational cultures. Dr Foscarini's study also clarifies fundamental archival concepts like the one of function. |
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Sample Thesis Submissions
Further Information
Specialization
Library, Archival and Information Studies provides an interdisciplinary, high-demand educational experience in which students gain rich expertise suited to hybrid library/archives environments and cultural institutions. Area of study includes First Nations Curriculum Concentrations; Data services; Librarianship; Community and culture; Information interaction and design; Information sources and services; Digital resource management; Information analysis and management; Archives and preservation; Records management; information policy.
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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