Admissions

Apply to our Graduate Certificate in Migration Studies

KEY DATES and DEADLINES for the 2024-25 CERTIFICATE PROGRAM:

• Applications open: May 30th
• Applications close: July 1^st, 11:59pm PDT
• Decisions announced: July 15^th
• Confirmation of Acceptance due: July 24^th
• Waitlist contacted: July 26^th
• Waitlist confirmation of acceptance due: Aug 1st

APPLICATIONS ARE MADE THROUGH THIS ONLINE PORTAL (below). They cannot be saved while in progress. Applications must be completed and submitted with all attachments in one sitting. Please prepare and gather all required materials before you begin the application, in order to ensure ease of submission.  It should take less than 30 minutes to complete the application form, with all materials ready beforehand.

Acceptance into the program is based on the strength of demonstrated interest in migration/mobilities research and/or professional practice, fit with the program’s objectives, and academic preparation and performance as shown by academic records. Establishing a cohort with diverse disciplinary backgrounds will also be considered when making admission decisions.

In order to participate in the program, you must be able to enrol and participate in the core seminar, ASTU 505, during the 2024-25 academic year. The course meets in-person on Mondays, 12:00-1:45pm, roughly every other week in Term W1 and W2, beginning on Sept 9, 2024, for a total of 13 sessions. The 13^th session, which will take place in April after the end of classes, will run for 2 ¾ hours). See the Certificate Program page for complete requirements.

APPLICATION MATERIALS INCLUDE:

Application form – completed in the online portal

• This includes personal information about you and your degree program, and a brief (150-word) summary of your research interests.

Advisor’s Approval form – to be uploaded with advisor’s signature (pdf)

• This form confirms your advisor’s awareness of your application to the certificate program (recognizing the additional work you may be taking on). Download the form here, consult your primary advisor or graduate program director, obtain their signature, and upload the signed form with your application. (Only one signature is required if you have multiple advisors.) Physical or e-signatures are acceptable.

Transcripts – to be uploaded (pdf, doc, docx, jpg, png)

• We request unofficial copies of all transcripts that you submitted for your UBC graduate degree application, AND transcripts from your current UBC graduate academic record, if degree is in-progress. Screenshots are allowed and official transcripts are not required.

CV/Resume – to be uploaded (pdf, doc, docx, jpg)

• We request CVs/resumes to showcase aspects of you beyond your transcripts or statement of interest (e.g. work/life experience, prior degree(s) or recognitions, relevant publications/exhibits/conference presentations, etc.)

Statement of Interest – to be uploaded (pdf, doc, docx, jpg), 500-words total

• The Graduate Certificate program seeks to provide students with multi- and interdisciplinary training in migration and mobilities research, and to foster an inclusive, engaged, and interdisciplinary academic community that shares a sense of belonging (whether students are pursuing academic or other professional pathways in migration). This 2-part statement of interest is your opportunity to demonstrate how you may both benefit from, and contribute to, this year’s cohort and the certificate program. While the statement is assessed for content and quality and clarity of writing, it is not meant to be scholarly in style; we encourage a personalized approach. Your voice and experiences are welcome.
  • Part 1 (300 words): Please compose a 300-word statement that speaks to your interest in migration as a field of research or work. Be sure to address the following questions to the extent they are relevant to you:
    • why being in this program will help advance your future research and/or professional aspirations
    • what academic and/or professional strengths you have and how they will help you on this path
    • what experiences you’ve had (personal or professional, formal or informal) that have informed your connection to, or interest in, migration research
  • Part 2 (150-200 words): This program will challenge students to stretch and learn together in new ways. Please compose a 150-200-word statement that speaks to the contributions you could bring to this cohort and the ways you hope to grow in the cohort. In your statement, you might address aspects including but not limited to:
    • your discipline, methods, methodologies, geographies/peoples
    • your own positionality
    • your openness to and/or experience with listening, learning, and sharing across methodologies, theoretical orientations, topics, and lived experiences

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For any inquiries, please contact CMS Research Manager, Gabriele Dumpys Woolever, at manager.migration@ubc.ca.