General

How many people apply to the program and are accepted each year?

Application to the MHA program is highly competitive as we receive more applications than we have spots for. We accept up to 35-40 students per year and receive around 100 applications.  We welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds in healthcare.

What kind of background does an MHA applicant have?

Typically, applicants are working professionals in the health care sector who wish to extend their field knowledge and expand their understanding of health policy, business and management, and leadership. Many of our applicants have Baccalaureate degrees and work experience in the healthcare field including medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, nutrition, pharmacy, kinesiology, biology, psychology, public health and business administration. We are also looking for evidence of leadership and initiative in working with people, either in a healthcare setting or other private and public sector environments and with at minimum 3- years of professional experience in the Canadian healthcare context.

I’ve taken some previous graduate-level course work. Can I transfer any of it into my MHA degree?

No. The MHA program is a prescribed cohort-based program with all required courses for the degree.

Can I study in the MHA program on a part-time basis?

No. The MHA is a full-time program only. It follows a condensed format that requires students to attend classes approximately one weekend per month. Attendance in each class is mandatory.

Is the MHA program offered online?

The MHA courses are offered as a blend of in-person, hyflex (in person attendance with an online zoom attendance option), or online. We balance the modes of delivery with respect to the learning outcomes for each course and consider the compliment of courses in each MHA weekend according to synergies in content and relevancy.  Students attend classes in a compressed schedule format from September to June, from Friday to Sunday, approximately one weekend per month. 

GPA Calculations

How is my GPA for admission calculated (credentials from Canada & U.S.A.)?

All 300 & 400 level courses are used towards the calculation of your admission average, irrespective of the year the courses were completed. If you have completed a previous graduate degree, the cumulative grade point average for your graduate courses will be taking into consideration.

How is my GPA for admission calculated (credentials from outside of Canada & U.S.A.)?

All undergraduate courses are used to calculate your GPA. As an international student, there are specific requirements for each country, which can be found online at the UBC Graduate Studies Web site. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements for their particular country and university.

Do I have a chance of getting in the program if my GPA is under 76% (or equivalent)?

Generally speaking, if applicants don’t meet the minimum academic requirements, they are not eligible for admission to any UBC graduate program. The MHA program is competitive and the number of applicants exceeds the number of spaces for the program. However, the MHA admissions committee will consider applicants whose GPA falls below the minimum and also presents strong supporting documents including:
• additional undergraduate or graduate courses with a B+ or higher to demonstrate academic ability
• high test scores from the GRE or GMAT (above the minimum required scores for the program)
• an extensive track record of working in the healthcare sector or related field, particularly in a leadership capacity
• excellent reference letters and a focused letter of intent

I have two or more degrees, which will be used for my GPA for admission?

We will use all eligible degrees to calculate GPA for admission. For example, if an applicant has two degrees (at any level), and only one degree meets the minimum academic requirement set out by Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, the applicant is eligible for admission. If both (or all) degrees meet the minimum requirement, then the applicant is eligible for admission. If neither or none of the degrees meet the minimum academic requirement, the applicant is not eligible for admission.

Required Documents

What documents are required by the deadline?

The program receives a high volume of applications and supporting documents and the deadline (February 1 for International applicants; March 1 for domestic applicants) ensures we can make timely offers of admission. Please refer to our steps to apply for more information.

*Please note: We encourage students to apply well before the deadline. The sooner we receive your documents, the sooner we can review your application and communicate with you regarding your application status.

Do I need to have my UBC transcripts sent to the MHA?

Transcripts from courses taken at UBC are not required. Please include your complete academic history in the online application.

Quantitative Requirement and GRE

What is the quantitative requirement?

All applicants must meet the quantitative requirement to ensure adequate preparation for the statistics components in the MHA curriculum including epidemiology and biostatistics courses.

Students with Canadian or US academic credentials have two ways to meet this requirement: a final grade of B+ (76%) on an approved undergraduate university-level mathematics or statistics course taken within 10 years of the date of application, or, a minimum score in the 50th percentile or above in both the verbal and quantitative components taken within the last 5 years.

Students with International credentials must write the GRE and submit a minimum score in the 50th percentile or above in both the verbal and quantitative components taken within the last 5 years.

*Domestic applicants with math or statistics courses exceeding the ten-year timeline or applicants are strongly recommended to successfully complete the online MHA Statistics and Quantitative Analysis course HERE. Upon completion, the Certificate of Completion could be uploaded to the online application to meet the quantitative requirement by the March 01st deadline.

*For International applicants, a recent (within 2-years) and official GRE or GMAT score should be submitted with your application by the Februay 01st application deadline date.

Do I have to take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE)?

Applicants with International credentials must write the GRE and attain a minimum score in the 50th percentile or above in both the verbal and quantitative components taken within the last 5 years.

Applicants with Canadian or US academic credentials will only need to take the GRE if they have not taken an approved undergraduate math or statistics course with a min. of 76% (B+) as a final grade. The course must have been taken within 10 years of the date of application.

More information on the GRE and other standardized exams can be found on the Graduate and Postdoctoral studies website. GMAT results may be considered in place of the GRE.

How do I know if my math or statistics course is acceptable to meet the quantitative requirement?

Generally speaking, university-level math (calculus, linear algebra) or statistics courses are accepted with a min. final grade of 76% (B+) or higher. Key topics from acceptable courses include descriptive statistics, hypothesis testing and confidence intervals, bivariate analysis, two-sample t-test, analysis of variance, chi-square test, correlation and regression, and parametric and nonparametric statistics.

For courses in other programs such as psychology, nursing, biology, etc, these will be reviewed on a case by case basis. Research Methods courses that do not include these topics or focus mostly on concepts and appraisal of statistical methods are generally not acceptable. Please submit course information including the course title and name and a copy of the syllabus to the program.

For a general list of approved and not approved courses, applicants can also refer to the Master of Public Health (MPH) list.

What codes do I use to submit my GRE exam results?

GRE scores are received electronically using the following codes: Institution Code 0965, Department Code 0616.

Can I apply if I am taking the GRE exam and the results cannot be sent to the program office by the deadline?

Applicants can apply to the MHA program if they are registered to take the GRE but the program cannot guarantee the application will be reviewed with missing documents and requirements, but please indicate the date of your exam in the Comments box of the application, or write to the program to let us know: mha.program@ubc.ca  It is strongly recommended that applicants write the GRE exam before January to ensure that results are received by the program by the stated deadlines. 

Letter of Intent (LOI) and Reference Letters

How long should my Letter of Intent be and to whom do I address the letter?

To help us get a better sense of why you wish to pursue the MHA and your professional goals, please answer the following three questions in your letter of intent:
1. How have your non-academic experiences prepared you for the MHA program?
2. What new knowledge and skills are you most excited about gaining from the MHA program?
3. How do you envision your career evolving within the first two years after you complete the MHA program?

Each answer should be no more than 150 words.

Do I have to use the supplied MHA reference form or can my referee write a letter?

You do not have to use the reference form, however, the content of your referee’s letter should include the information outlined in the form.

How can I re-send the notification to my referee about e-references?

Referees now receive automatic reminders through the Graduate Studies online application system. Applicants also receive auto-generated emails about the status of their references anytime through the online  system, e.g. when the reference is submitted, a referee declines, or the referee address has failed.

Can I change my referee after the application is submitted?

You have the option to change a referee directly in the online application system. Alternatively, you can submit a request to change the referee in your application by contacting the program. Please indicate who you would like to add including their contact name, title, organization and contact information and who would you like to remove from the list.

Post-Application Questions

How do I find out the status of my application?

Applicants can check their document status by using the online application ‘checklist’, which is updated very often during the admissions season. Due to the high volume of applications, we are unable to respond to individual phone or email requests regarding the receipt of documents. All applicants will be notified formally via email by early May for your official application status.

When do I need to submit my documents once I’ve applied?

The document deadline is February 1 (applicants with International credentials) and March 1 (applicants from Canada or the US). The document deadline is the same date as the application deadline. We strongly recommend students apply before the deadline to ensure the application system can help you keep track of submitting the required documents.

When will I find out if I’ve been accepted to the program?

Official offers of admission are made by Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and are communicated by email.

Upon receipt of an offer of admission, students must accept their offer in writing and submit a $1,000 (non-refundable and non-transferable) deposit in Canadian currency. This deposit will be credited towards the program tuition fees. All instuctions would be available on the Offer Letter.

Do you have a waitlist?

The MHA program maintains a small waitlist each year. If we are unable to offer a qualified applicant a space in the program, they are considered for a waitlist based on their ranking by the admissions committee. Waitlisted applicants are notified right away if you are placed on the list and if we are able to offer you a space in the program. Typically, waitlisted applicants are contacted in late May through early August regarding updates to their application status.

I’ve been refused for admission. How can I get feedback on my application?

The MHA program is competitive and we receive more qualified applications than we have spaces for each year. Applications are thoroughly evaluated accoding to the UBC Gradate Admissions requirements.  Our applicants are high-calibre individuals with professioal leadership experience in the Canadian healthcare context, and therefore the those who not only meet the minimum admission requirements but also exceed it are ranked higher. Such individuals would have demonstrated evidence of leadership in their field through publications, conference presentations and awards. These, and other outstanding examples are used as a comparison of applicants for admission decisions. 

Successful applicants should review our guide for new students.