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Admissions questions? Meeting the GPA requirements.
February 16, 2022
If you’re thinking about applying to the MEL or MHLP, you likely have some questions about the admissions process. In this series, we chat with some of our team members about the eligibility requirements and application process for the Master of Engineering Leadership (MEL) and Master of Health Leadership and Policy (MHLP) degrees.
We spoke with one of our MHLP & MEL Program Coordinators, about the minimum GPA requirement.
What’s the minimum GPA I need to be accepted to the program?
Anyone applying to a master’s degree program at UBC must meet certain minimum academic requirements.
If you completed your undergraduate degree at a Canadian or US post-secondary institution, you need a 76% average overall in your 300- and 400-level classes.
You can also meet UBC’s academic requirement if you attained an “A” grade in at least 12 credits of 300- and 400-level classes.
What if I studied outside Canada or the US?
If you completed your undergraduate degree outside of Canada or the US, your GPA is calculated over the full length of your undergraduate degree.
Find UBC’s minimum academic requirement for your country of study, to see if you meet the eligibility requirements. For example, if you completed your undergraduate degree in India, you must have attained a first-class/division 1 (65%) or very good (8 on a 10-point scale).
What if my transcripts don’t calculate my average for my upper-year classes only?
We go through each application manually and review your transcripts line by line to calculate a percentage equivalent grade in each course. If you completed your degree in Canada or the US, we will use this data to calculate your average over your 300- and 400-level classes. And as I mentioned earlier, if you don’t meet the required average, we’ll look for 12 university credits with an “A” grade at the 300- or 400-level if you studied in the US or Canada. If your degree was completed outside of Canada or the US, we will calculate your average based on courses from your entire degree.
What if my GPA is on the borderline or a little below the requirement?
We evaluate each application holistically. So if you don’t quite meet the minimum academic criteria, but you do have significant professional experience in a field related to the program you want to study, we’ll take that into consideration.
That being said, these are competitive programs so there is no guarantee that you will be accepted even if you meet all the minimum criteria!
If you’re not sure if you meet the eligibility requirements, I really encourage you fill out the am I eligible to apply form. This will give you live feedback regarding your eligibility, and afterwards, one of our student recruitment experts will send you a personalized email regarding your next steps. I also suggest you attend one of our information sessions. You’ll learn more about the application and admissions process, and it is followed by a live question-and-answer period.
Are there any other academic requirements I need to know about?
Clean Energy Engineering requires students to have completed a second- or third-year thermodynamics course. If you’re applying to this program and you don’t meet this requirement, you can still apply and be accepted, but one of the conditions of your admission will be that you complete this course before your program starts.
If you are applying to Sustainable Process Engineering, we recommend that you take a second- or third-year thermodynamics course before you apply if you haven’t taken this course during your undergraduate degree. It will make your application stronger and provide a valuable foundation of knowledge for you to make the most of the program if you are admitted.
If you need to take a thermodynamics course, or would like to freshen up your skills, you might want to check out the free, self-paced Coursera course which we accept for both the Clean Energy Engineering requirement, and Sustainable Process Engineering recommendation.
Why do the MEL and MHLP have a minimum academic requirement?
We want our students to be successful. The MEL and MHLP are intense master’s degrees that require a lot of work.
If you performed at a high level in your undergraduate degree, this shows us that you have the academic skills you’ll need to handle the workload and succeed in a master’s degree program.
Looking for more information? Check out the other articles on admissions questions, including eligibility requirements, reference requirements, why you should apply early and how to create a strong application. You’ll also want to take a look at UBC’s academic requirements for students applying to master’s degree programs.
Application Deadlines
2023 Application Deadlines
The online application portal for 2024 admission opens on January 1, 2023.
Round 1: March 30, 2023
Round 2: June 30, 2023
Round 3 (Canadian Citizens, Permanent Residents of Canada, and US citizens only): August 30, 2023
See how to apply section for full details.
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