You are reading the 2024/25 Academic Calendar. The 2023/24 version remains in effect until August 31, 2024 and is available here.

Admission

Prospective applicants may address enquiries and applications for admission to the Program Assistant, School of Information. Specify the Master of Archival Studies program. The deadline for applications for the session beginning the following September are:

For September admission:
Domestic/International students: January 15
Supporting document deadline: February 1

For January admission:
Domestic/International students: June 1
Supporting document deadline: June 15

The School accepts only students whose personal and academic qualifications appear to make them suitable for successful practice in the library and archival professions.

The M.A.S. program has a limited enrolment. The number of qualified applicants exceeds the number of available places. In recent years, therefore, those accepted have shown academic ability above the minimum required standard specified below.

For admission to the M.A.S. program, a candidate must:

  1. possess a four-year bachelor's degree (or its equivalent) from a recognized university in a relevant discipline or in an area which is regarded as appropriate by the Admissions Committee for the program;
  2. have achieved a minimum overall average in the B+ range (76% at UBC) in third- and fourth-year level courses of a bachelor's degree; and
  3. show promise of superior professional performance as attested by letters of reference and the SLAIS questionnaire.

Applicants to the M.A.S. program from international institutions will be considered on a case-by-case basis for eligibility. An applicant possessing a bachelor's degree or its academic equivalent who does not meet the requirements of point two above should contact the School's Educational Services Coordinator for information regarding possible qualifying coursework.

Undergraduate Preparation

An undergraduate student considering working in the field of archives should consult the School about useful preparatory courses. An interview may be arranged at any time.

A broad cultural background is expected of the working archivist. The prospective student should therefore endeavour to become acquainted with the humanities, social sciences, and sciences during undergraduate studies. Because of the close link between archives and historical studies of all kinds, particular attention should be paid to studies in history and allied disciplines that take an historical perspective, such as anthropology, economics, geography, and sociology. The study of Canadian history is extremely useful preparation for a number of the required courses of the program; successful completion of at least 12 credits in Canadian history at the undergraduate level is desirable.

The librarian, archivist, or other information professional must often interpret documents, and/or data in searching systems, in more than one language. The study of major languages other than English at the undergraduate level is therefore strongly recommended. Efficient use of computers is essential in information professions today; it is expected that students come into the School with basic computer competence.

Language Requirement

Applicants from a university outside Canada in which English is not the primary language of instruction must present evidence of competency to pursue studies in the English language prior to being extended an offer of admission. The School of Information requires a minimum score of 600 on the paper-based TOEFL, or a score of at least 100 on the internet-based TOEFL, or a minimum overall band score of 7.5 with a minimum score of 7.0 in each component of the academic (NOT general) IELTS test.


UBC Crest The official logo of the University of British Columbia. Urgent Message An exclamation mark in a speech bubble. Caret An arrowhead indicating direction. Arrow An arrow indicating direction. Arrow in Circle An arrow indicating direction. Arrow in Circle An arrow indicating direction. Chats Two speech clouds. Facebook The logo for the Facebook social media service. Information The letter 'i' in a circle. Instagram The logo for the Instagram social media service. Linkedin The logo for the LinkedIn social media service. Location Pin A map location pin. Mail An envelope. Menu Three horizontal lines indicating a menu. Minus A minus sign. Pencil A pencil indicating that this is editable. Telephone An antique telephone. Plus A plus symbol indicating more or the ability to add. Search A magnifying glass. Twitter The logo for the Twitter social media service. Youtube The logo for the YouTube video sharing service.