Transfer Policy

Occasionally, SPPH students may wish to transfer to an alternative program within the School, typically to better align their program with their personal and professional goals. This policy has been developed to provide guidance to SPPH students, their supervisors, and program directors. It is intended to supplement UBC Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Policies and Procedures, which provide the rules and regulations relating to graduate study for students, faculty members, and staff.

All students who wish to transfer programs within SPPH MUST FORMALLY APPLY TO THE NEW PROGRAM through the standard admissions process and be chosen as an eligible candidate by the relevant Admissions Committee (i.e. all prerequisites for the new program must be met and students will be ranked in relation to the full pool of new applicants).

As outlined in UBC Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies policies and procedures, two major categories of transfer exist within SPPH:

  1. transfers between Masters programs; and
  2. transfers between Masters and PhD programs.

Transfers within any of the SPPH Masters programs (MHA, MHSc, MPH, MSc) are relatively straightforward and are governed by UBC Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies policy Transfer Between Closely-Related Masters Programs.

Requirements
Typically requests for transfer are considered in light of successful completion of the first term in the student’s original program. Students are encouraged to discuss their interest in transferring to an alternative Masters program with their Graduate Program Advisor (Program Director) or Research Supervisor.

In addition to successfully competing for admission to the new program, transfer is permitted with:

  • a written justification outlining the appropriateness of the transfer
  • a written letter of agreement from the Advisor (Program Director) or Supervisor
  • written permission from both Advisors (Program Directors) involved in the transfer (i.e. the program the student wishes to leave, and the program the student wishes to join)
  • meeting any specific requests for information from these two Program Directors.

Review and Approval
All requests for transfer must come to the Chair of the Student Admissions and Progress Committee for final approval.

Transfer of credits
Students who are approved for transfer to a new program may be eligible to receive credit for some courses taken in the original program. Transfer of credits will be considered on a case by case basis, depending on the circumstances of transfer.

Two forms of transfer between SPPH Masters and PhD programs are possible, both of which are governed by UBC Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies policy Masters-PhD Transfers.

Transfer from Masters to Doctoral Program

Masters students who have demonstrated an exceptional level of performance and clear ability to excel at the doctoral level may request transfer from a Masters to a Doctoral program without completing the full Masters program requirements. See Transfer from Masters to Doctoral Programs without Completing Masters Requirements for the UBC Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies policy that governs these cases.

Requirements
In addition to successfully competing for admission to the PhD program, Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies policies require that students must have completed one year of study in the Masters program with a minimum 80% average in twelve credits. Of these, at least nine credits must be at the 500 level or above, and at least nine credits must be at 80% average or above. In addition, students must show clear evidence of independent research ability. The transfer must be clearly justified by the student’s supervisor and Graduate Program Advisor in a memorandum to Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies recommending the transfer.

Process
Transfer should be accomplished after the first year of study and will not be permitted after the completion of a second year in a masters program. No retroactive transfers will be considered.

Review and approval
All requests for transfer must come to the Chair of the Student Admissions and Progress Committee for approval before the application is made to Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.

Transfer of credits
Students who are approved for transfer to the PhD program may be eligible to receive credit for some courses taken in the original program. Transfer of credits will be considered on a case by case basis, depending on the circumstance of transfer.

Timing issues
If a student transfers from a masters to a doctoral program without completing the masters degree, the commencement of the doctoral program will be recorded as the date of the first registration in the masters program.

Transfer from Doctoral to Masters Program

A less common request from students relates to transfer from a Doctoral program to a Masters program (see Transfer from Doctoral to Masters Programs for the UBC Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies policy which governs these cases and is outlined below).

Requirements
Students may wish to apply to transfer from doctoral to masters programs for personal or professional reasons. Such transfers are not intended to be used as a means of responding to failing performance and may only be approved if they, in addition to successfully competing for admission to the Masters program, they meet specific condition:

  1. the student must not have been registered in the doctoral program for longer than three years
  2. the request for transfer must be justified on the grounds of appropriateness to the students personal or professional goals
  3. a written letter of agreement from the Advisor or Supervisor
  4. the transfer must be approved by the relevant Program Director(s)

Review and approval
All requests for transfer must come to the Chair of the Student Admissions and Progress Committee for final approval.