The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies establishes the minimum admission requirements common to all applicants, usually a minimum overall average in the B+ range (76% at UBC). The graduate program that you are applying to may have additional requirements. Please review the specific requirements for applicants with credentials from institutions in:
Each program may set higher academic minimum requirements. Please review the program website carefully to understand the program requirements. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission as it is a competitive process.
Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must provide results of an English language proficiency examination as part of their application. Tests must have been taken within the last 24 months at the time of submission of your application.
Minimum requirements for the three most common English language proficiency tests to apply to this program are listed below:
Overall score requirement : 4.5
Reading
4.5
Writing
4.5
Speaking
4.0
Listening
5.0
Overall score requirement : 90
Reading
22
Writing
21
Speaking
21
Listening
22
Overall score requirement : 6.5
Reading
6.0
Writing
6.0
Speaking
Applied Animal Biology offers opportunities for advanced study and research leading to a M. Sc. degree in animal physiology, behaviour, welfare, and management of livestock, companion animals, research animals, wildlife species, aquaculture, and on the human-animal relationship.
The program is enriched through collaboration with colleagues in other UBC graduate programs such as Zoology, Population and Public Health, and with agencies such as Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service, Dairy Farmers of Canada and other livestock agencies and the British Columbia Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (BC SPCA).
On-campus teaching and research facilities are located in the MacMillan Building. Off-campus research facilities available to students include: the UBC Dairy Education and Research Centre in Agassiz; shared research facilities at Fisheries and Oceans Canada at West Vancouver; Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and the BC SPCA.
For specific program requirements, please refer to the departmental program website
UBC is uniquely equipped to offer you a rich and well-rounded graduate degree in Applied Animal Biology. After all, we have been honing our expertise for over a century: The Faculty of Agriculture (now LFS) was one of UBC’s three founding faculties back in 1915, with Animal Husbandry as one of Agriculture’s first four programs. Still today, our MSc and PhD programs benefit from state-of-the-art on-campus teaching and research facilities, as well as off-campus research facilities. The Applied Animal Biology program is also home to the UBC Animal Welfare Program, the Dairy Education and Research Centre, and a graduate certificate in Aquaculture.
The Animal Welfare Program is one of the largest and most respected programs in the world in the field of animal welfare science. Since its inception in 1997, the Program’s research has led to improvements in the lives of animals in British Columbia and around the world. The mission of the program is to improve the welfare and humane care of animals in agriculture, research, companionship and other areas through active efforts in research, education and public outreach. For additional information visit: https://awp.landfood.ubc.ca/
Isaac Qi
Graduate training at the M.Sc. level in applied animal biology requires that the student completes a body of research leading to a thesis. Students are expected to publish their research results in relevant leading international refereed journals.
Completion of the MSc program requires a thesis (12 or 18 credits) plus coursework, for a total of 30 credits. With a 12-credit thesis, students can include a maximum of 6 credits of senior undergraduate courses. With an 18-credit thesis, students can include a maximum of 3 credits of senior undergraduate courses.
Students who are planning a professional career will typically enrol in the 12-credit thesis option. The 18-credit value option requires a more intensive research experience and is more appropriate for students considering the PhD program or a research career. The thesis credit decision should be determined in consultation with the student and research advisor at the start of the program.
Additional coursework may be recommended upon consultation with the student’s supervisory committee.