Faculty of Applied Science

About Faculty of Applied Science

The Faculty of Applied Science at the University of British Columbia (UBC) is an academic faculty encompassing education and research in engineering, nursing, architecture, and landscape architecture. Established in 1915 alongside the founding of the university, the faculty operates primarily across two main campuses: the Vancouver campus in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and the Okanagan campus in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. As a core constituent unit of the University of British Columbia, the faculty provides undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs designed to meet professional licensure and accreditation standards in Canada and internationally.

The faculty is structured into several academic units, including the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, the School of Nursing, the School of Community and Regional Planning, and several engineering departments. The engineering disciplines offered at the Vancouver campus include Biomedical Engineering, Chemical and Biological Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Engineering Physics, Environmental Engineering, Geological Engineering, Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Mining Engineering. The School of Engineering at the Okanagan campus offers integrated programs in Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, and Manufacturing Engineering.

All undergraduate engineering programs within the Faculty of Applied Science are accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB), allowing graduates to pursue designation as a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) through provincial regulatory bodies such as Engineers and Geoscientists British Columbia (EGBC). The Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program is accredited by the Canadian Association of Schools of Nursing (CASN) and approved by the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives (BCCNM). The Master of Architecture program is accredited by the Canadian Architectural Certification Board (CACB), and the Master of Landscape Architecture program is accredited by the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA).

Campus facilities across both locations include specialized laboratory infrastructure, research centers, design studios, and clinical simulation spaces. Key research facilities include the Frank Forward Building, the Kaiser Hall for Electrical and Computer Engineering, the Civil Engineering Design Studio, and the Rustad Leadership Centre. The faculty also utilizes advanced testing environments, such as structural testing halls, cleanrooms, microfluidics labs, and environmental fluid mechanics laboratories. Nursing students have access to the Nursing Simulation Centre, which provides high-fidelity patient simulators for clinical skills training prior to clinical placements in regional health authorities.

Academic strengths of the faculty focus on applied research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and industry-partnered initiatives. Key areas of research concentration include clean energy technologies, sustainable infrastructure, advanced materials and manufacturing, health technologies, urban design, and water resources management. The faculty operates several specialized research centers, including the Clean Energy Research Centre (CERC), the Advanced Materials and Process Engineering Laboratory (AMPEL), and the BioProducts Institute. These centers facilitate collaborative research projects between university faculty, graduate students, government agencies, and industrial partners.

Undergraduate admission to the Faculty of Applied Science requires completion of secondary school prerequisites in mathematics, physics, and chemistry, with specific grade thresholds set by the university. Engineering students generally complete a foundational first year covering core sciences, mathematics, and introductory engineering design principles before placement into specific discipline majors for their upper years. The BSN program functions as an advanced-standing program requiring prior post-secondary coursework. Cooperative education (co-op) options are integrated into most undergraduate and graduate engineering streams, allowing students to complete paid work terms in industry as part of their degree requirements.

Graduate education within the faculty includes professional master's degrees, research-based master's degrees, and doctoral programs. Offered degrees include the Master of Applied Science (MASc), Master of Engineering (MEng), Master of Science in Nursing (MSN), Master of Health Administration (MHA), Master of Architecture (MArch), Master of Landscape Architecture (MLA), Master of Urban Design (MUD), and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Graduate students contribute to fundamental and applied research projects funded by national granting councils, including the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

The Faculty of Applied Science maintains partnerships with local, national, and international engineering firms, health organizations, municipalities, and research networks. These partnerships support tech transfer, commercialization of research, clinical nursing practica, and community-based design projects. Through its dual-campus structure, the faculty accommodates a large student body, serving thousands of undergraduate and graduate students annually, supported by full-time academic faculty, adjunct professors, technical staff, and administrative personnel across the Vancouver and Kelowna sites.