Interdisciplinary Oncology: Master of Science (MSc) - UBCV is a master's degree in Natural Sciences & Mathematics programme offered by 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:Master's Degree
Field:Natural Sciences & Mathematics
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 Interdisciplinary Oncology Program (IOP) at UBC's Faculty of Medicine has been training cancer researchers since 2001 and deliberately recruits from varied scientific backgrounds. The MSc is a thesis degree with coursework: two required courses give every student a cross-disciplinary view of oncology in a form accessible regardless of prior training, after which electives allow intensive study in the student's own research area or in neighbouring fields with potential synergy. An optional rotation course places students in specialty laboratories for hands-on experience, and students can design a training plan that includes research rotations through other IOP labs. Research fields span molecular and cellular biology, tumour microenvironment and immunology, molecular pathology, biophysics, metastasis, genetics, bioinformatics, pharmaceutical and radiological sciences, sociobehavioural studies, epidemiology and health economics. Most supervisors work away from the main campus, in hospital-based research buildings such as Vancouver General Hospital's Prostate Centre and the BC Cancer Research Institute; others are on the Vancouver campus or at BC Cancer sites in Prince George and Victoria. Applicants must secure a supervisor before they can be admitted, and intakes are offered in January and May.
Requirements
Minimum GPA:76.00 / %
Admission Requirements: Admission to the Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Oncology requires a bachelor's degree as the minimum prior credential, together with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies' general minimum academic average, the B+ range (76% at UBC); the program notes individual programs may set higher standards. All applicants need a firm commitment from a supervisor before applying. International applicants whose prior education was not delivered in English must meet UBC's graduate English requirement, tested within 24 months of submission: IELTS Academic overall 7.0 across all components; TOEFL overall 5.0 with Reading, Writing and Listening at 5.0 and Speaking at 4.5; or Duolingo English Test overall 135. The application requires a CV, official transcripts, three letters of reference and, where required, official English exam scores. For the January 2027 intake, deadlines are October 15, 2026 for Canadian applicants and August 15, 2026 for international applicants; for the May 2027 intake, deadlines are January 15, 2027 for Canadian applicants and December 15, 2026 for international applicants.
Application Details
Start Date:January and May
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.
