HDLC Graduate Programs - Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education

The Human Development, Learning, and Culture (HDLC) program at UBC advances research and practice in education through the application of theoretical models and concepts to real world educational issues. Investigations of learning and developing, including the unique contributions of culture to these processes, are applied widely to classroom, afterschool, work, and digital contexts. This work is interpreted through a variety of theoretical lenses (e.g., sociocultural, social and emotional, cognitive). Coursework emphasizes three primary areas: a) learning and developing, b) culture and diversity, and c) research methods. HDLC graduates have found careers in a variety of settings including university teaching and research, social policy analysis, curriculum and program evaluation, schools and community organizations, and corporate learning communities.

Mission and Vision

In HDLC, we are committed to diverse ways of being, thinking, feeling, and knowing not just because we are inclusive, but because it makes us more innovative, responsive, and future-oriented. We care about transformational engagements, communicating across differences, and working in respectful and reciprocal relationships with the people we partner with: students, staff, faculty, and local and global communities.

We are particularly committed to Indigenous-led scholarship that matters, as well as creating places of sincere dialogue; listening to perspectives that challenge our own biases and beliefs; imagining futures with others for a pluralistic society; questioning and envisioning the human condition as malleable, empathic, reflective. In our scholarship, we seek to promote human rights locally and globally, and social and ecological justice movements in education and beyond.

HDLC Offers Three Degree Programs

M.Ed. program

The M.Ed. program is appropriate for students with an undergraduate degree in an area related to HDLC. The M.Ed. program is a course-based 30-credit program that is normally completed over two years. It is usually a terminal degree appropriate for those with an interest in advancing their knowledge in the area of HDLC, but who are not interested in conducting research. A teaching certificate is not a requirement. There is no thesis requirement.

M.A. program

The M.A. program is appropriate for students with an undergraduate degree in an area related to HDLC. The M.A. program is a 30-credit program that involves completion of coursework and a research-based thesis, and is normally completed over two to three years. The program is appropriate for those with an interest in research and the possibility of continuing on to advanced work in a doctoral program. A teaching certificate is not a requirement. A thesis is required.

Ph.D. program

The Ph.D. program is appropriate for students who already hold a Masters degree in HDLC or a related area, and have completed a thesis. The Ph.D. program is normally completed over four to five years and involves the completion of coursework, a comprehensive exam, and a research-based dissertation. The program is of interest to students who want to obtain an advanced degree in their subject area. A teaching certificate is not a requirement.