Master of Education in Arts-Based Educational Research (ABER)
World-class teaching and hybrid learning designed for working professionals
The Master of Education in Arts-Based Educational Research (ABER) is a unique program blending art, research, and teaching to meet contemporary educational needs. Develop expertise in the theories, methodologies, and practices of visual, literary, performative, and digital arts within educational research.
Collaborate with World-Class Faculty
Engage with leading faculty and scholars who use artistic practices in collecting, analyzing, and mobilizing creative research processes, practice and findings. This program’s hybrid delivery model combines in-person summer intensives, including studio-based courses, with a variety of online options throughout the academic year, fostering a dynamic community of practice and participatory learning.
Explore Diverse and Relevant Topics in Arts-Based Educational Research
Students will delve into topics such as a/r/tography, arts-based educational research, visual art practice, poetic and narrative inquiry, performative inquiry and digital media. These research areas promote equity and diversity through creative practices in K-12 education, teacher education, community education, and higher education.
This program is offered by the Department of Curriculum & Pedagogy.
Start Date: September 2025
Length: 2.5 Years | Part-Time
Format: 90% Online | 10% Face-to-Face
Location: UBC Vancouver Campus
Domestic Tuition: $17,051.02
International Tuition: $20,102.53
Application Deadline: April 8, 2025
Upcoming Info Sessions
There are currently no info sessions scheduled for this program.
Program Details
About
This program invites students to:
- Nurture a research community and build international connections dedicated to ABER theory, methodology, and practice.
- Critically analyze visual, literary, digital, and performative theories and discourses in learning, teaching, and research inquiry.
- Address historical contexts that inform ABER methods and practices.
- Assess how ABER practices are applied rigorously across various disciplines, including Education, Fine Arts, Arts and Humanities, and Health Sciences.
- Demonstrate the integration of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization (EDID) principles in ABER.
- Apply ABER inquiry in professional practice across institutional, community, and personal settings.
Schedule
2025-2027 Cohort Schedule
Students will take either 30 credits of coursework OR 27 credits of coursework and 3 credits graduating paper, which will be developed from original research conducted by the student. While you may complete 90% of this program entirely online, you may also take electives at UBC-Vancouver or Okanagan campus. Courses are offered across 3 terms, starting in September. Note that approved electives may be taken at other universities, subject to the terms of the Western Deans’ Agreement.
There are wide variety of on-campus (UBC-Vancouver or Okanagan) and on-line course which are acceptable as electives and vary in the offering from year to year.
Below is the proposed schedule of required courses – it may be subject to change.
| Date | Course Title | Course Description | Course Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall '25 WT1 | Artwork Scholarship | Surveys artwork scholarship and the turn to art as research. | EDCP 585 - Online |
| Winter '26 WT2 | Perspectives, Practices, and Curriculum Issues in Contemporary Art Education | This course examines major perspectives, theoretical issues and curriculum practices underpinning the expansive field of art education, such as: critical visual culture, decolonizing narratives, community-based practices, social justice, disability studies, and identity. | EDCP 520 - Online |
| Spring '26 | A/R/Tography | As artists-researchers-teacher, this course explores concepts and practices through geographies in relation, inquiry culminates in activities with critical, experimental, speculative, non-representational openings. | EDCP 514 - Online |
| Summer -July 2026 | STUDIO – Arts-Based Inquiry | Summer intensive – UBC Vancouver campus (1.5 week) | EDCP 581 In Person |
| Winter - Spring or Summer | Elective | Select a 400/500-level course supportive of your discipline specialization. | Elective A or B |
This is the proposed schedule and is subject to change.
| Date | Course Title | Course Description | Course Code |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall '26 WT1 | Curriculum Issues and Theories | Curriculum theories and issues are explored through a review of literature (historical and contemporary) and critical reflection on existing practices. Provides a basis for examining knowledge claims, beliefs and assumptions underpinning contemporary understandings and practices of curriculum | EDCP 562 - Online |
| Winter ’27 WT2 | Indigenous Visual Expression as Pedagogy | Pedagogical implications of Indigenous art making and visual expression both for Indigenous peoples and for non-Indigenous viewers and consumers through the lenses of misrepresentation, self-representation, and auto-pedagogical potential and practice. | EDCP 546 - Online |
| Spring ’27 | Research Methodologies in Education | This course provides an introduction to educational research methods, methodologies and philosophies; it familiarizes with reading and writing research, analyzing paradigmatic orientations to inquiry, and it addresses challenges and regulation of research ethics and law. | EDUC 500 - Online |
| Summer-Fall ‘27 | 400/500 Level Course | Select a 400/500-level course supportive of your discipline specialization.
Important note: A maximum of 6cr can be at 400 level. Choosing a third elective ‘C’ is for the 30 credits of coursework MEd (without the graduating paper). |
Elective A and/or B and/or C |
| May to December ‘27 | CAPSTONE PROJECT – Graduating paper | The MEd Graduating Project may take a number of forms:
Projects may be multi-media based, in person or online, customised to student needs, and in consultation with advisors. |
EDCP 590 - Online |
This is the proposed schedule and is subject to change.
Application Requirements
All students must meet the admission and application requirements of both the Faculty of Graduate Studies and the program, which include:
- A four-year Bachelor’s degree in Education with at least a 76% average on a senior-level credits.
- In special circumstances teacher education may be waived for those applicants who have a university degree with sufficient standing and experience related to their proposed field of study.
- Normally 18 credits of senior course work or a professional concentration in ABER.
- Normally two years’ teaching experience or other relevant professional experience within schools, communities, business, government, non-governmental organizations, or other education-oriented environments.
- Three letters of recommendation from educators, supervisors, colleagues, or clients that speak to your abilities to complete a graduate degree and interest in ABER.
- Resume/CV
- A 600-word statement of intent of your ABER experience, professional goals, and the anticipated benefit of involvement in the program.
Fees
Tuition Fees
| Type | Per Installment | Total Tuition |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic | $2,435.86 | $17,051.02 |
| International | $2,871.79 | $20,102.53 |
Tuition fees are reviewed annually by the UBC Board of Governors and may be adjusted without prior notice. For the most accurate and up-to-date information on tuition and fees, visit the official UBC Calendar. In case of a discrepancy between this webpage and the UBC Calendar, the UBC Calendar entry will be held to be correct.
Graduate tuition is assessed as an annual program fee, which is divided into three equal installments due at the beginning of academic terms starting in September, January and May. Students in this program will pay a minimum of 7 installments.
Student Fees
Student fees include fees established and authorized by the UBC Board of Governors and fees established and authorized by students societies. These fees are in addition to tuition fees. Please see the UBC Calendar for details on student fees.
Funding Eligibility
As this program is part-time, it is not eligible for student loans or other types of funding.
How to Apply
Application Status: Closed
Application Deadline: April 8, 2025
Document Deadline: April 15, 2025
ONLINE APPLICATION
- Navigate to grad.ubc.ca/apply/online.
- When you are ready to apply, click “Apply Online”.
- Read the instructions, and either log in with your CWL or create a CWL if you have never attended UBC.
- Once logged in, on the “Degree Program Selection,” type “Professional Cohort” into the “Program Keyword” field.
- IMPORTANT: The program name should be Art Education - Professional Cohort M.Ed. Please ensure you are applying to the correct program – this part-time Professional Cohort is different than the regular on-campus program.
- Select the program.
- Click the “Apply” button.
- Fill out the application as indicated.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS
Please have these ready to upload when you apply:
Transcripts, degree certificates (if applicable), English language assessment report (if applicable), statement of intent, and an up-to-date resume must be uploaded to your application.
In cases where referees are unable to submit an electronic reference, sealed and endorsed reference letters may be sent by mail. Your reference will receive a link to a reference form that they should complete and send back to us.
You can also find the Grad Reference Form here.
Important: Please ask your references to include the 4-character cohort designation ABR1 when they submit their reference. All references must arrive in sealed envelopes with the reference’s signature on the seal.
Please send mailed documents to:
Kelvin Mok
ABR1 Graduate Cohort
Faculty of Education, Office of Professional Learning
University of British Columbia
1304-2125 Main Mall
Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4
APPLICATION TIMELINE
After your application is submitted, all documents are uploaded, and references have been received, your application file is considered complete.
Once the application deadline for the program has passed, all completed application files are submitted to the Department for review. Applications recommended by the Department for admission are then confirmed against Graduate & Post-Doctoral Studies requirements, and accepted applicants are notified. Any special case admissions require an additional review by Graduate and Post-Doctoral Studies.
The entire process generally takes 8 to 12 weeks.
ASSISTANCE
If you require any assistance with the application process, please contact:
Kelvin Mok
Senior Program Assistant
604-827-5662
pdce.educ@ubc.ca
Info Sessions
Have questions? We’ve got answers!
Meet the Program Advisor and Senior Program Assistant, and learn more about this program and about applying to become a UBC graduate student.
There are currently no info sessions scheduled for this program.
Did you miss one of our info sessions?
Watch the program overview video with Dr. Anita Sinner and Dr. Marie-France Berard:
Contacts
For program content questions:
Dr. Anita Sinner
Cohort Advisor
Professor
anita.sinner@ubc.ca
Dr. Marie-France Berard
Cohort Advisor
Lecturer & Art Education Program Coordinator
mfberard@mail.ubc.ca
For application questions or assistance:
Kelvin Mok
Senior Program Assistant
604-827-5662
pdce.educ@ubc.ca