June 18, 2018
Today is a great day for the Faculty of Education at UBC. After extensive consultations over a four-year period with UBC faculty, staff, students and partners of the Vancouver and Okanagan Faculties of Education, a decision has been made by the UBC Board of Governors to merge the university’s two Faculties of Education, and to create a new Okanagan School of Education, effective July 1, 2018.
This merger not only creates new ways for our faculties to interact and collaborate with each other, but also introduces the new UBC Okanagan School of Education.
This new opportunity aims to optimize resources and to create stronger connections between faculties across both campuses, building on our proven excellence in educational research and program delivery.
As well, our ability to serve the educational and professional development of both the students and alumni will be strengthened, with more resources to help provide greater access for teaching candidate practicum locations province-wide, and an even wider pool of faculty to consult on programs and thesis committee membership.
The Faculty of Education would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to everyone who was involved in this collaboration and welcome the new Okanagan School of Education.
Questions and Answers
| The B.Ed. degree offered by Faculty of Education, UBC-V and the Faculty of Education, UBC-O are entirely different degrees in terms of length of program and degree requirements. This difference in the B.Ed. degrees is an asset and there is no plan to streamline the two B.Eds. into one B.Ed. degree program. |
| It is possible that the merger may provide greater access for teacher candidates in UBC-V to rural practicum locations and likewise, greater access for teacher candidates in UBC-O to urban and suburban practicum locations.Graduate programs at UBC-O will remain administratively unchanged. Masters and doctoral students on both campuses will have access to a larger pool of faculty to consult about possible program and/or thesis committee membership. |
| No. The programs will not change. Every program will proceed as unique offerings to prospective and current students. The merger of the UBC Faculty of Education Vancouver and UBC Faculty of Education Okanagan will not change the number, size, requirements or tuition fees of the programs offered either in Vancouver or in the Okanagan. |
| No. The degree-granting institution nor program you from which you will graduate will not change. |
| No. Each program will continue to operate in its current state, providing the same opportunities to students for practicum placement. |