��

Overview

Our program introduces students to independent research while broadening and deepening their contact with a selected aspect of Geography. Research can be conducted in these general thematic sub-disciplines: Biogeography; Climatology; Economic Geography; Environment and Sustainability; Feminist Geography; Geographic Information Science; Geomorphology; Historical Geography; Hydrology and Glaciology Indigenous Geographies; Political Geography; Social and Cultural Geography; and Urban Geography.

$31,315

Net funding per year^*

Average years to completion

What makes the program unique?

Our PhD program is flexible, research-intensive, and student-driven. Students come to the program from a variety of backgrounds and are mentored by outstanding scholars in geographical science, human geography, and geographical computational science. They are prepared for careers in academia, government, the private sector, or non-profit organizations, based on the expertise they develop in a specific field of research.

�� Geography is one of the few geography departments in North America that has faculty with interest and expertise in the new sub-disciplinary field of carceral geography; it is to this sub-discipline that I can bring a wealth of first-hand experience and knowledge.

Kirsten McIlveen

Quick Facts

Faculty Faculty of Arts

Academic Unit Department of Geography

Specialization Geography

Mode of delivery In person at �� Vancouver

Program Components Dissertation

Tuition (First Year) Domestic: 5,626.02 | International: 9,883.98

Median Funding 50% of students receive $41,417 or more funding per year in the first 4 years, before tuition and fees

��

Research Information

Tuition & Financial Support

Tuition

Fees	Canadian Citizen / Permanent Resident / Refugee / Diplomat	International
Application Fee	$116.25	$168.25
Tuition *
Installments per year	3	3
Tuition per installment	$1,875.34	$3,294.66
Tuition per year (plus annual increase, usually 2%-5%)	$5,626.02	$9,883.98
Int. Tuition Award (ITA) per year (if eligible)		$3,200.00 (-)
Other Fees and Costs
Student Fees (yearly)	$1,144.10 (approx.)
Costs of living	Estimate your costs of living with our interactive tool in order to start developing a financial plan for your graduate studies.

* Regular, full-time tuition. For on-leave, extension, continuing or part time (if applicable) fees see .
All fees for the year are subject to adjustment and �� reserves the right to change any fees without notice at any time, including tuition and student fees. Tuition fees are reviewed annually by the �� Board of Governors. In recent years, tuition increases have been 2% for continuing domestic students and between 2% and 5% for continuing international students. New students may see higher increases in tuition. Admitted students who defer their admission are subject to the potentially higher tuition fees for incoming students effective at the later program start date. In case of a discrepancy between this webpage and the �� Calendar, the �� Calendar entry will be held to be correct.

Financial Support

Applicants to �� have access to a variety of funding options, including merit-based (i.e. based on your academic performance) and need-based (i.e. based on your financial situation) opportunities.

Program Funding Packages

The Department of Geography ensures all incoming PhD students a minimum level of $26,000 per year for a duration of four years through scholarships, teaching assistant and/or research assistant positions. However, if students are successful in their scholarship applications, their financial support will be adjusted. Students without external funding are required to apply for the Affiliated Fellowship, SSHRC or NSERC scholarships (where eligible).

Funding Statistics

Based on the criteria outlined below, 35 students within this program were included in this study because they received funding through �� in the form of teaching, research, academic assistantships or internal or external awards with a mean of $38,123 and a median of $41,417.

This results in a net balance (any funding provided to the student minus tuition and fees) mean of $29,518 and median of $31,315.

17 students received Teaching Assistantships. Median TA funding based on 17 students was $7,486.
21 students received Research Assistantships. Median RA funding based on 21 students was $5,000.
7 students received Academic Assistantships. Median AA funding based on 7 students was $3,600.
35 students received internal awards. Median internal award funding based on 35 students was $25,999.
6 students received external awards. Median external award funding based on 6 students was $35,000.

Study Period: Sep 2023 to Aug 2024 - funding for full-time PhD students enrolled in three terms per academic year in this program across years 1-4, the period covered by ��'s Minimum Funding Guarantee. Mean and median values might mask variability in sources and amounts of funding received by individual students. Beyond year 4, funding packages become even more individualized.
Review methodology

Scholarships & awards (merit-based funding)

All applicants are encouraged to review the awards listing to identify potential opportunities to fund their graduate education. The database lists merit-based scholarships and awards and allows for filtering by various criteria, such as domestic vs. international or degree level.

Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA)

Many professors are able to provide Research Assistantships (GRA) from their research grants to support full-time graduate students studying under their supervision. The duties constitute part of the student's graduate degree requirements. A Graduate Research Assistantship is considered a form of fellowship for a period of graduate study and is therefore not covered by a collective agreement. Stipends vary widely, and are dependent on the field of study and the type of research grant from which the assistantship is being funded.

Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA)

Graduate programs may have Teaching Assistantships available for registered full-time graduate students. Full teaching assistantships involve 12 hours work per week in preparation, lecturing, or laboratory instruction although many graduate programs offer partial TA appointments at less than 12 hours per week. Teaching assistantship rates are set by collective bargaining between the University and the .

Graduate Academic Assistantships (GAA)

Academic Assistantships are employment opportunities to perform work that is relevant to the university or to an individual faculty member, but not to support the student’s graduate research and thesis. Wages are considered regular earnings and when paid monthly, include vacation pay.

Financial aid (need-based funding)

Canadian and US applicants may qualify for governmental loans to finance their studies. Please review .

All students may be able to access private sector or bank loans.

Foreign government scholarships

Many foreign governments provide support to their citizens in pursuing education abroad. International applicants should check the various governmental resources in their home country, such as the Department of Education, for available scholarships.

Working while studying

The possibility to pursue work to supplement income may depend on the demands the program has on students. It should be carefully weighed if work leads to prolonged program durations or whether work placements can be meaningfully embedded into a program.

International students enrolled as full-time students with a valid study permit can work for unlimited hours and work for no more than 24 hours a week during academic sessions.

A good starting point to explore student jobs is the �� program or a .

Tax credits and RRSP withdrawals

Students with taxable income in Canada may be able to claim or tax credits.

Canadian residents with RRSP accounts may be able to use the (LLP) which allows students to withdraw amounts from their registered retirement savings plan (RRSPs) to finance full-time training or education for themselves or their partner.

Please review on the student services website for more information.

Cost Estimator

Applicants have access to the cost estimator to develop a financial plan that takes into account various income sources and expenses.

Career Outcomes

65 students graduated between 2005 and 2013: 1 graduate is seeking employment; for 6 we have no data (based on research conducted between Feb-May 2016). For the remaining 58 graduates:

RI (Research-Intensive) Faculty: typically tenure-track faculty positions (equivalent of the North American Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Professor positions) in PhD-granting institutions
TI (Teaching-Intensive) Faculty: typically full-time faculty positions in colleges or in institutions not granting PhDs, and teaching faculty at PhD-granting institutions
Term Faculty: faculty in term appointments (e.g. sessional lecturers, visiting assistant professors, etc.)

Sample Employers in Higher Education

McGill University (2)
Memorial University of Newfoundland (2)
York University (2)
University of British Columbia (2)
Northwest Indian College
University of Edinburgh
Carleton University
University of Wisconsin - Madison
University of Bologna
University of Alberta

Sample Employers Outside Higher Education

Engineered Compost Systems
Glasgow Museums
Northwest Hydraulic Consultants
International Settlement Services of British Columbia
Ontario College of Trades
Marine Protected Areas
British Council
BC Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
Airports Council International
Natural Resources Canada

Sample Job Titles Outside Higher Education

Writer
Regional Aquatic Ecologist
Architect
Director of Consulting Services
Editorial
Co-owner
Policy Analyst
River Geomorphologist
Facilitator
Climate Change Programme Manager

PhD Career Outcome Survey

You may view the full report on career outcomes of �� PhD graduates on .

Disclaimer

These data represent historical employment information and do not guarantee future employment prospects for graduates of this program. They are for informational purposes only. Data were collected through either alumni surveys or internet research.

Career Options

The majority of students who completes their PhD program continue in the world of academia to become instructors, professors and postdoctoral fellows at other educational institutions. Others are hired as professionals in government, consulting agencies, non-governmental organizations and businesses.

Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats

These statistics show data for the Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD). Data are separated for each degree program combination. You may view data for other degree options in the respective program profile.

ENROLMENT DATA

	2023	2022	2021	2020	2019
Applications	40	55	53	52	57
Offers	7	9	7	10	13
New Enrolment	6	8	7	10	12
Total Enrolment	61	67	68	73	71

Completion Rates & Times

This program has a graduation rate of 86% based on 37 students admitted between 2011 - 2014. Based on 31 graduations between 2020 - 2023 the minimum time to completion is 4.1 years and the maximum time is 10.27 years with an average of 5.94 years of study. All calculations exclude leave times.

Disclaimer

Admissions data refer to all �� Vancouver applications, offers, new enrolment for each registration year, May to April, e.g. data for 2022 refers to programs starting in 2022 Summer and 2022 Winter session, i.e. May 1, 2022 to April 30, 2023. Data on total enrolment reflects enrolment in Winter Session Term 1 and are based on snapshots taken on November 1 of each registration year. Program completion data are only provided for datasets comprised of more than 4 individuals. Graduation rates exclude students who transfer out of their programs. Rates and times of completion depend on a number of variables (e.g. curriculum requirements, student funding), some of which may have changed in recent years for some programs.

Apply Now

If you don't have a �� Campus-Wide Login (CWL) please first.

September 2026 Intake

Application Open Date15 September 2025

Canadian Applicant Deadline15 December 2025

International Applicant Deadline15 December 2025

Program Enquiries

Still have questions after reviewing this page thoroughly?
Contact the program

Supervisor Search

��

Departments/Programs may update graduate degree program details through the portal. To update contact details for application inquiries, please use this .

Doctor of Philosophy in Geography (PhD)

Overview

What makes the program unique?

Quick Facts

Admission Information & Requirements

1) Check Eligibility

Minimum Academic Requirements

English Language Test

TOEFL: Test of English as a Foreign Language - internet-based

IELTS: International English Language Testing System

Other Test Scores

Prior degree, course and other requirements

Document Requirements

2) Meet Deadlines

3) Prepare Application

Transcripts

Letters of Reference

Statement of Interest

Supervision

Instructions regarding thesis supervisor contact for this program

Citizenship Verification

4) Apply Online

Research Information

Research Focus

Facilities

Tuition & Financial Support

Tuition

Financial Support

Program Funding Packages

Funding Statistics

Scholarships & awards (merit-based funding)

Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA)

Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA)

Graduate Academic Assistantships (GAA)

Financial aid (need-based funding)

Foreign government scholarships

Working while studying

Tax credits and RRSP withdrawals

Cost Estimator

Career Outcomes

Sample Employers in Higher Education

Sample Employers Outside Higher Education

Sample Job Titles Outside Higher Education

PhD Career Outcome Survey

Disclaimer

Career Options

Alumni on Success

Anne Bjorkman

Enrolment, Duration & Other Stats

ENROLMENT DATA

Completion Rates & Times

Disclaimer

Research Supervisors

Supervision

Instructions regarding thesis supervisor contact for this program

Advice and insights from �������� Faculty on reaching out to supervisors

Sample Thesis Submissions

Related Programs

Same specialization

Further Information

Specialization

�������� Calendar

Program Website

Faculty

Academic Unit

Program Identifier

Classification

Apply Now

September 2026 Intake

Program Enquiries

Social Media Channels

Supervisor Search

Curious about �������� for grad school?

Advice and insights from �� Faculty on reaching out to supervisors

�� Calendar

Curious about �� for grad school?