Offered by The University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, Special Education: Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) - UBCV is a doctorate in Education & Teaching programme. 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:Education & Teaching
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 5,739 / year
International tuition: CAD 10,082 / year
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
The PhD in Special Education, housed in UBC's Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education, is a dissertation-based doctorate concerned with the education of learners with exceptionalities. The field as defined at UBC spans students who are deaf or hard of hearing, students with learning disabilities, developmental disabilities or visual impairments, students with emotional or behavioural disorders, and students who are gifted. Faculty research is oriented toward practices that advance inclusion, empowerment and self-determination for people with disabilities in home, school and community settings, and doctoral candidates develop their own research programs within that agenda. The program is delivered in person at the Vancouver campus within the Faculty of Education; recent graduates have taken about 5.3 years on average to complete.
Requirements
Minimum GPA:76.00 / %
Admission Requirements: Admission is handled by UBC's Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. Applicants need a minimum overall average in the B+ range (76% at UBC) and a Bachelor's degree; the program's page notes the GRE is required by some applicants and directs candidates to confirm this on the department website. The English Language Proficiency requirement applies to anyone whose prior degree was not English-medium, tested within 24 months: IELTS Academic 6.5 overall (no band below 6.0), TOEFL iBT 4.5 overall on the 6-point scale used from January 2026 onward or 90 overall on the prior 120-point scale, or Duolingo 125 overall. Applicants submit transcripts from every post-secondary institution, three letters of reference and a statement of interest; contacting a potential supervisor beforehand is encouraged but not required. The program admits for a September intake.
Application Details
Start Date: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.
