UBC admissions blog

Whether you dream of helping reduce the demands on our climate systems, or are driven to solve the world’s food sustainability crisis, you’ll find a program for you at UBC. As a member of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems – known for being one of UBC’s friendliest Faculties – you’ll study alongside other students who are dedicated to using science to meet society’s urgent needs, and passionately exploring how humans interact with the natural world.

Explore your program options

Bachelor of Science in Applied Biology

Applied Animal Biology

If you want to study or work with animals, UBC Vancouver’s Applied Animal Biology program will be a great fit for you. The program gives you a broad background in the fundamentals of animal behavior and physiology as they apply to farm, companion, and other animals. You’ll learn about the role of animals in human society, and examine the ethical, environmental, and other issues that arise from our connection with them. As part of your program, you’ll spend time doing hands-on field work and research on farms, as well as in laboratories, animal shelters, and wildlife rehabilitation centres, preparing you for a career in the field. This program also allows you to complete the necessary prerequisites for veterinary medicine.

The student scoop

Meet Bryna, who initially chose Applied Animal Biology to fulfil her goal of becoming a vet, and discovered along the way that she could explore animal welfare, food security and sustainable agriculture, and coordinating events for her community.

Sustainable Agriculture and Environment

In the Sustainable Agriculture and Environment program, you’ll tackle a range of environmental challenges while tailoring your studies to your particular interests – from agricultural production to soil and water resources management to climate change. You’ll learn how to produce food in a way that protects our soils, water, and air; how to manage biodiversity and habitats for the organisms we rely on to help us grow our food; and which agricultural practices are best for urban environments. You’ll have access to a living laboratory for experiential learning at the Centre for Sustainable Food Systems, located at the UBC Farm on UBC’s Vancouver campus. As a graduate of this program, you’ll be primed for a professional career focused on shaping a more sustainable, food-secure future.

Bachelor of Science in Food, Nutrition, and Health

Dietetics

Dietetics is an in-demand profession that’s growing fast across Canada and the world. UBC Vancouver’s Dietetics program – the only Dietetics program in BC – will teach you how to improve and promote health through optimized food and nutrition, and to fill a variety of roles in nutrition care, management, or population and public health. You’ll graduate from this professional program as a registered dietitian with a strong understanding of human nutrition and how to manage sustainable food systems.

“My learning experience in LFS as being very collaborative and hands on. We have opportunities in class in which we work in small groups and build connections with community partners to create real change.”

– Melanie Liu, Dietetics

Food Science

Calling all foodies! Take your passion for food to the next level in UBC Vancouver’s Food Science program, where you’ll discover the chemistry and microbiology of food, its nutritional and sensory properties, and how it’s engineered and processed. You’ll explore scientific topics such as the concepts and controversies in nutrition and how to prevent food-borne illnesses, and you’ll also gain hands-on experience through food-specific lab courses and community-based learning in sustainability. When you graduate, you’ll be ready for a number of careers in the food industry – an exciting field that’s undergoing rapid change.

The student scoop

Meet Peter Higgins, a UBC Food Science grad who became one of the top chocolate scientists at Purdys.

Food, Nutrition, and Health

The Food, Nutrition, and Health program gives you the flexibility to pursue your interests while gaining a deeper knowledge of issues related to food production, food security, and the role of nutrition in disease prevention. You’ll get to choose from a large variety of electives, and you’ll study a curriculum of your own design that will prep you for a career in the food and health sectors. Food, Nutrition, and Health students can apply to dual degrees with Bachelor of Education or Master of Management, or one of six minors to complement their program.

“Being in the Land and Food Systems Faculty has taught me and challenged me to employ systems-thinking when discussing topics that I care deeply for, such as food security, public health and sustainability.”

– Rachel Ma, Food, Nutrition, and Health

 

Nutritional Sciences

In Nutritional Sciences, you’ll delve into the science of the human digestive system, and discover how our bodies actually metabolize and use nutrients. You’ll also learn more about the function of nutrients in health and disease, and study nutritional requirements and recommendations in depth. As part of the program, you’ll find out about the methods of how we produce and distribute food, and what impact that has on food availability – helping you to solve some real-world challenges.

Food and Nutritional Sciences

The Food and Nutritional Sciences program is a double major which combines the Food Science and the Nutritional Sciences programs. As part of the degree, you’ll discover the chemistry and microbiology of food, its nutritional and sensory properties, and how it’s created and processed. You’ll also work on understanding the function of nutrients in health and disease, and people’s nutritional requirements. At the end of the program, you’ll graduate ready for a career in the food and nutrition industries or grad studies in health sciences.

“The hands-on learning experiences available through the LFS program provided me with the opportunity to apply that knowledge, which in turn helped set me up for success in my career.” 

– Lauren Rappaport, Food and Nutritional Sciences alumni

Are you interested in how engineering, medicine, life sciences, computer science, and mathematics work together to solve health problems? Do you want to help transform people’s lives? Biomedical Engineering at UBC could be the right program for you.

What is Biomedical Engineering? 

Biomedical engineers work where biology, mathematics, computer science, and chemistry meet to solve the challenges of human health and healthcare. Using the engineering principals of design thinking and problem solving, they develop new technologies that enable doctors, therapists, biotech companies, and researchers to improve human health.

Biomedical Engineering innovations touch every aspect of our lives. Regenerative cellular therapies, ultrasound images that give us the first glimpse of our children, time-release drugs that allow us to sleep through the night, lifesaving cardiac stents, high-performance robotic surgery, and devices that improve access and mobility for everyone are just some of the transformational developments to come out of the Biomedical Engineering field.

What will you learn?

As a Biomedical Engineering student at UBC, you’ll take specialized courses to help you build a unique foundation in engineering, biology, math, chemistry, anatomy, physiology, design, and the healthcare system. In your third year, you’ll have the chance to customize your degree based on your interests. You can choose from four different streams:

• Biomechanics and biomaterials teaches you about applying classical mechanics, and how to solve biological problems by viewing the body as an engineered structure.
• Cellular and molecular bioengineering lets you apply engineering principles to cellular and molecular biology. You’ll focus on developing cell-based therapeutics in regenerative medicine and drug delivery.
• Biomedical systems and signals helps you learn about the processes that produce and transform signals in biological systems, and the way that these signals are translated by the body.
• Biomedical informatics and systems biology lets you explore genomes and patient healthcare information using math and data systems such as machine learning.

Through traditional classroom instruction, hands-on studio time, co-op opportunities, and lab work, you’ll graduate with a deep knowledge of biology, human anatomy, and physiology, and understand how to combine it with engineering design. After finishing your studies, you’ll be ready to work across a range of life science-related jobs, such as designing biomedical devices or pharmaceuticals, or working in fields like medical diagnostics or clinical engineering. These opportunities range from academia to hospitals or working within Canada’s world-leading Biomedical Engineering industry.

The student scoop

Meet Nadine, who is learning how to design treatments at a molecular level to help cure patients’ illnesses.

What makes the program unique?

1. Learn in-demand skills. Vancouver is home to over 300 life sciences companies – many of which are ranked in the top 100 technology companies in Canada. Globally, too, there is an increasing call for engineers with biomedical training, with the US Department of Labour Statistics estimating that the number of jobs for Biomedical Engineers will increase by 27 percent over the next three years.

2. Discover each topic in depth. Although UBC’s Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering programs both offer an introduction to biomedical engineering as a specialization, the Biomedical Engineering degree provides a much deeper level of knowledge, suitable for entering the industry or academia. When you graduate, you’ll be accredited as a Biomedical Engineer by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board (CEAB).

3. Prepare for a fulfilling career.Many Biomedical Engineering graduates go on to medical school, research or advanced degrees, or start their own businesses. For those who choose employment, you’ll be ready for a job in biotechnology companies, biomedical device companies, diagnostic companies, e-health companies, hospitals, government research facilities, or in areas outside life sciences. You’ll work on exciting projects like developing cellular therapies, artificial organs, prosthesis, diagnostics, biomedical devices, instruments, and new safety devices.

4. Gain work experience while you study. Co-op Education provides the opportunity for you to gain paid, full-time experience in a variety of work settings, test out possible career options, and begin building a professional network – all before graduation. You’ll benefit from a variety of support workshops, one-on-one coaching, and work experience relevant to your future career goals.

5. Work on a real-life project. One of the program’s final courses is a real-world design project, which will challenge you to apply the skills you’ve learned to an open-ended problem in biomedical engineering. You’ll work in small teams under the supervision of a faculty advisor or a practicing professional engineer from the industry, and be tasked with designing a new device or technology to solve some of today’s toughest medical problems.