The MASc blends advanced coursework with personalized faculty mentorship, preparing graduates for engineering careers and PhD pathways while tackling real-world problems.
Why study the Master of Applied Science at UBC Okanagan?
Personalized Research with Faculty Experts
The MASc is a thesis-based program designed to develop advanced engineering research and analytical skills and essentials soft skills such as communication, leadership and collaboration under the supervision of expert faculty.
Diverse Research Areas
Students can pursue cutting-edge research in areas such as health technology, materials and manufacturing, urban infrastructure, clean tech and environmental and advanced systems communications.
Interdisciplinary Opportunities
Collaborate across disciplines and participate in research that addresses complex global challenges—supported by UBC’s strong emphasis on innovation.
Located in Kelowna, British Columbia, the UBC Okanagan campus offers a close-knit, supportive community with strong connections to local, national and international research and innovation networks.
Research Interests: Synthesis of Multifunctional Conductive and Magnetic Nanomaterials; Polymer Processing and Forming; Multifunctional Polymer Nanocomposites; Gas Sensors; 3D Printed Polymer Nanocomposites; Circular Economy and Plastic Recycling
Research Interests: Optics; sensors; wearables; immersive tech; tech entrepreneurship; higher ed change
Qian Chen | Assistant Professor | Civil, School of Engineering | qian.chen@ubc.ca | 250.807.8629 | EME3281
Graduate student supervisor
Research Interests: • Digital and Robotic Fabrication
• Building Information Modeling
• Supply Chain Integration
• Platform and System Design
• Circular Economy
Student opportunities:
Dr. Chen is looking to recruit PhD students in the field of digital construction engineering and construction circular economy. Interested candidates can email Dr. Chen, providing their motivation letter and CV.
Research Interests: Bio-photonics and bio-optics; Digital microfluidics; Hyperspectral imaging; Lab-on-a-chip systems; Microfluidics for agriculture and food; Optofluidic elements; Terahertz spectroscopy
Research Interests: Wastewater and Sludge Treatment; Pretreatment Technologies for Enhanced Biomethane and Biohydrogen Production from Organic Waste; Side-stream Nutrient Removal; Fate and Transformation of Micropollutants during Biological Treatment Processes; Modeling, Simulation and Optimization of Biological Wastewater/Sludge Treatment Processes; Waste Minimization and Resource Recovery
Research Interests: Travel demand forecasting; Transportation and land use interaction; Travel behaviour analysis; Smart and shared mobility; Urban system microsimulation, Activity-based modelling; Transportation and residential emissions and energy modelling; Econometric modelling; Agent-based microsimulation, Survey design and methods
Chen Feng | Associate Professor | Electrical, School of Engineering | chen.feng@ubc.ca | 250-807-8286 | EME4285
Graduate student supervisor
Research Interests: Information and Coding Theory;
Blockchain Technology
Research Interests: Lifecycle thinking in engineering; Circular economy; Smart Energy, Sustainability analysis in infrastructure projects; Construction productivity and safety; Construction process optimization
Research Interests: Applications of machine learning and digital twins in 6G, Federated learning over wireless networks, Holographic MIMO, and Non-terrestrial networks (NTN)
Research Interests: Developing technologies made from DNA; Low-cost liquid computers that perform early-stage diagnostics of hard-to-detect diseases, to sorting extremely dense and stable information for archival applications
Research Interests: Systems Ecology; Big Data Science; Microbial Metabolic Interactions; Natural and Engineered Microbial Ecosystem; Multi-omics (DNA, RNA and protein sequencing).
Sunny Li | Professor | Applied Science, Mechanical, School of Engineering | sunny.li@ubc.ca | 250.807.9578 | EME3235
Graduate student supervisor
Research Interests: Enhanced Heat Transfer; Multiphase Flows; Aerosol (Airborne) Transmission; Electronics Cooling; Thermal-fluidics in Sustainable Energy Systems
Research Interests: Intelligent sensing, measurement, and instrumentation; Diagnostics, prognostics, and health management; Predictive maintenance; Digital twin; Computational intelligence and data/information fusion; Non-destructive testing & Evaluation; Machine/computer vision; Data analytics and machine learning.
Graduate student supervisor. Only considering applications with exceptional academic record.
Research Interests: Textile Composites/Biocomposites; Materials Constitutive Relations; Finite Element Modelling; Robust Inverse Methods; Material Selection for End-of-Life Design Strategies; Multiple Criteria Decision Making; Design and Analysis of Computer & Physical Experiments; Surrogate Models for Process Optimization; Industry 5.0
Research Interests: Major: Prosthetic Heart Valves!
Mechanical Engineering:
Linear and Nonlinear Mechanical Vibrations
Linear and Nonlinear Finite Element Methods
Biomedical Engineering:
Cardiovascular Engineering and Technology
Atherosclerosis
Articular Cartilage Mechanobiology and Osteoarthritis
Cellular and Molecular Biomechanics
Mechanical Vibrations on Human Performance
Research Interests: Engineering the human microbiome; Advanced statistical methods for analysis of big data (health sciences); Biology of built environment
Research Interests: Evaluation of drinking water treatment processes; Source water quality assessment; Integrated data analysis and machine learning pertaining to water quality
Ahmad Rteil | Assistant Professor (Tenure) | Civil, School of Engineering | ahmad.rteil@ubc.ca | 250.807.9626 | EME 3237
Graduate student supervisor
Research Interests: Study the effect of concrete deterioration and steel corrosion on the behaviour of concrete structures; Repair and strengthening existing structures using composite materials (FRP, FRCM, TRM); Study post-consumer waste products in concrete
Research Interests: Water Supply Systems; Infrastructure Management; Environmental Risk Analysis; Lifecycle Thinking; Water-Energy Nexus of Built Environment.
Graduate student supervisor. Enrollment of new graduate students is currently on hold.
Research Interests: Stress analysis in metal castings, components, and joints; Solidification, phase evolution and transformation; Lightweight alloy development for automotive and aerospace industries; Phase and structural transformation in metals; Material properties - ferrous and lightweight alloys and metal matrix composites; Ferrous and non-ferrous alloys: casting, heat treatment, and forming technologies; Thermal dynamics, heat transfer in metallurgical engineering.
Research Interests: Mechatronics for automobiles; sensor less control of piezoelectric actuators, machine tool process control; optimisation of carbon nanotube reinforced composite materials
Research Interests: Data-driven and learning control; system identification; control of robotics and mechatronic systems; emerging applications in agriculture and health care
Research Interests: Cloud security; network functions virtualization (NFV) security; network security; software security; security metrics; privacy
Student opportunities: Dr. Wang is looking to recruit MASc and PhD students to work on industry-sponsored cloud/5G security projects. Interested candidates should email Dr. Wang their CV and transcripts.
Research Interests: State of the art sensors focusing on microwave resonators; High-speed and low-power analog circuit design; Analog-to-digital converters for a variety of applications
Facilities and Labs
Please consult our list of facilities and labs here.
For official tuition and fee information, refer to the Standard Master Degree Program details on the UBC Okanagan Academic Calendar.
UBC students are also required to pay other fees (including by not limited to student fees, application and administrative fees, etc.) Please consult the Academic Calendar for more details on fees.
UBC Funding Opportunities
Teaching Assistantship (TA)
Providing financial support, TAs allow graduate students to develop skills in teaching, supervision, facilitation and student assessment. TAs may lead seminars, help teach undergraduate courses, or assist in student evaluations and marking. TAs are mentored both from their supervisor and via the Centre for Teaching and Learning.
The list of offered courses and the number of positions available are contingent on the School of Engineering budget and the number of registered students. Teaching assistant appointments fall under the BCGEU Collective Agreement. Salary is based on the current BCGEU Collective Agreement.
As a research assistant, RA students assist their supervisor or other researchers in conducting high-level research, which often contributes to the student’s thesis. RAs are typically funded by the supervisor’s external grants, contracts or other sources of funding. Please consult with your prospective supervisor regarding the possibility of a Research Assistantship.
Student & Alumni Job Board
The Student & Alumni Job Board hosts hundreds of employment and volunteer opportunities both on- and off-campus, available for students and alumni with a variety of experience levels and career aspirations.
Students admitted to the MASc degree will normally possess a bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related area, with a minimum GPA of B+.Applicants must also meet minimum English language requirements.
A successful MASc application also requires the recommendation of a professor who is willing to supervise them. Interested individuals should contact a professor whose research area is of interest to them to discuss the possibility of admission.
Transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended – including records from in progress, courses-only, or uncompleted programs
Two letters of reference
English proficiency exam scores (if required)
Curriculum Vitae/Resume
Statement of Intent/Statement of Purpose
Proof of citizenship: You may be asked to upload documents to prove your status in Canada (citizen, permanent resident) or your country of citizenship.
At UBC Okanagan, you gain all the benefits of attending a globally ranked, top 5%
university while studying in a close-knit learning community. 50% of graduates,
from all across the globe, choose to stay in the region.
A diverse natural region with sandy beaches, beautiful farms, vineyards,
orchards and
snow-capped mountains, the
Okanagan is an inspirational landscape perfect for those seeking leisure or
outdoor
adventure.
UBC's Okanagan campus borders the dynamic city of Kelowna, a hub of economic
development with a population of
more than 150,000 people— the fourth fastest-growing population in
Canada.
