Rehabilitation Sciences: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) - UBCV is a doctorate in Rehabilitation Sciences programme taught at The University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. The programme is delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition for international students is CAD 10,082 per year (CAD 5,739 per year for local students).
At a glance
Degree:Doctorate
Field:Rehabilitation Sciences
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 5,739 / year
International tuition: CAD 10,082 / year
Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
The PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences at UBC Vancouver is jointly administered by the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy and the Department of Physical Therapy within the Faculty of Medicine. It is a dissertation-based degree centred on research into restoring function, well-being, and independence for people living with disability, framed around the World Health Organization's classification of functioning and disability across individual, community, and societal levels. Applicants typically hold both an undergraduate degree and a thesis-based master's in rehabilitation sciences or a related field, and — as with several other UBC doctoral programs in this cluster — must have a supervisor's firm commitment before they can apply. Students have access to affiliated research centres such as the Arthritis Research Centre, the Brain Research Centre, and GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre, reflecting the program's emphasis on collaborative, clinically connected research.
Requirements
Minimum GPA:76.00 / %
Admission Requirements: Admission requires a recognized baccalaureate degree and a thesis-based master's degree in Rehabilitation Sciences or another related field, plus a minimum of three credits of research methods coursework. The Faculty's minimum standard is an overall average in the B+ range (76% at UBC), and the program may set higher requirements. Applicants from institutions where English is not the language of instruction must meet, within the past 24 months, TOEFL iBT overall 5.5 on the redesigned six-point band scale, IELTS Academic 7.5 overall with each section at 7.0, or Duolingo English Test 140 overall. The GRE is required by some applicants at their supervisor's request, with scores valid within the past two years. Every applicant must have a firm supervisor commitment before applying, and must submit three reference letters. Two intakes run: January 2027, with a Canadian deadline of October 15, 2026 and an international deadline of August 12, 2026; and September 2027, with a single deadline of January 15, 2027 for both groups.
Application Details
Start Date:January and September
Application Deadline:Domestic and international undergraduate applicants both apply through EducationPlannerBC for Winter Session 2027/28 (September 2027 entry) and Summer 2027: applications open in early October 2026 and the equal-consideration deadline is 15 January 2027, 11:59 p.m. PST, the same date for both groups; a few programs keep reviewing late applications on a space-available basis afterwards. Earlier dates apply only to entrance-award consideration -- 15 November 2026 for the International Scholars Program and 1 December 2026 for Presidential/Centennial/Beyond Tomorrow scholars. Several limited-entry programmes -- Law, Pharmacy, Dentistry, Nursing (advanced entry), Occupational/Physical Therapy, Social Work and Teacher Education -- set their own earlier deadlines from October 2026 through February 2027. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
