An expansion of Canada’s top-ranked economics department will create the Vancouver School of Economics at the University of British Columbia, a new global centre for research and learning on the world’s most pressing economic issues.
“UBC’s Vancouver School of Economics will expand UBC’s place as a global leader in economic policy,” says Prof. Michael Devereux, the school’s inaugural director and a research fellow of the Bank of Canada. “This new centre will educate the next generation of global policy leaders – both those in Canada and other countries – and help to inform policy solutions for our challenging global economy.”
With the expansion, UBC will add roughly 10 top global scholars, 328 economics student spaces and a unique new undergraduate degree. The four-year Bachelor of International Economics (BIE) will prepare students for leadership positions in the field of international economics. UBC’s Sauder School of Business will be a supporting partner for the BIE.
The program, which pairs international and domestic students together in small classes, will meet labour market demand for undergraduate level graduates with an in-depth understanding of global economics and commerce, and applied experience through research projects, exchange programs, internships and co-op placements.
The new faculty and students will join the school’s 700 undergraduate and graduate students and more than 50 faculty focused on a wide range of topics, including banking policy, taxation effects, global macroeconomics, labour market and skills development and gender and environmental economics.
The BIE program is expected to begin in September 2013, conditional on approval by the BC Ministry of Advanced Education. Learn more about economics at UBC: www.econ.ubc.ca, and the BIE at www.bie.econ.ubc.ca.
Backgrounder
Annual tuition for the BIE program will be $7,672 for domestic students and $27,731 for international students. Tuition rates were developed in consultation with students, reflect the program’s quality and uniqueness, consider affordability and access for students, and compare with major global economics programs.
“This bold initiative will help us offer globally oriented training, build deeper relationships with alumni, provide great new research experiences for faculty and students, and expand UBC’s contribution to policy debates, locally, nationally and internationally,” says Gage Averill, Dean of UBC’s Faculty of Arts.
In a recent EconPhD.net ranking, based on research publications, UBC’s Dept. of Economics was ranked number 20 worldwide, and number one in Canada.
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