NOTE: Our sponsor, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, will no longer be funding our program effective April 1, 2015. As our program will be winding down we are no longer accepting applications, effective August 2014.

Bridge "Fellows": Masters and doctoral students applying to one of the 8 Bridge-affiliated academic units are welcome to apply to the Bridge Program for fellowship funding and supplementary research training linking the health, engineering and policy realms. For information about fellowship amounts, see FUNDING > Bridge Program Funding.

We accept applications from Canadian and international students who will be entering the first year of their degree programs. Students in the second and subsequent years of their degree program will not be considered. No exceptions. Students from China who are pursuing doctoral studies are eligible for the China Scholarship Council Doctoral Scholarships.

Graduate students who are not applying to be Bridge Fellows, but who would like to take the Bridge courses can become Bridge Learners. Requirements and the admissions process for Learners are described under PEOPLE > Learners.

Start Date: First day of classes, fall term (the week of Labour Day in September)

Application Process and Eligibility

The proposed thesis supervisor must be a current Bridge mentor listed on our Faculty Mentors page. It is not sufficient for the co-supervisor alone to be a current Bridge mentor. Students applying to become fellows in the Bridge Program must also apply to a thesis based graduate degree program associated with one of the 8 participating academic units. Prior to submitting an application, students should contact their proposed thesis supervisor and obtain a confirmation from him/her that they are willing to act as the thesis supervisor. Changing the thesis topic or switching to a thesis supervisor who is a non-Bridge faculty mentor, after being accepted into the Bridge Program, could lead to withdrawal of Bridge funding.

Bridge Program applicants should NOT wait to be accepted into their prospective home department to submit their Bridge applications; they are encouraged to apply to Bridge concurrently. However, they will only be admitted into the Bridge Program if they are accepted into a graduate program in one of the participating units.

January start: Some graduate programs admit students starting in January. The Bridge Program does not accept Masters students who start in January. Doctoral students starting their graduate studies in January will be considered for admission to the Bridge Program in exceptional circumstances. They should still apply to the Bridge Program for the March 1 deadline immediately following their January start, and if admitted, would start Bridge courses the following September.

Doctoral students completing a masters degree prior to entering the Bridge Program must have completed their degree requirements by August 15 to be eligible to start the Bridge Program in September. Students whose masters degree is NOT noted on their transcript must provide a copy of the title page of their thesis signed off by their supervisor, as proof that they have completed their degree requirements.

The Bridge Program Application consists of the following documents:

1. Application Form: Download a copy of the Bridge Program Application Form and please submit this as a Word Document only.
2. Letter of Intent outlining:

• Basis for interest in the program
• How the proposed thesis topic integrates public/environmental/occupational health with at least one of the other Bridge Program themes: policy and/or engineering
• Plans for integrating Bridge training into research career
• Research or professional experience
• Scholarships, fellowships, and other awards received
• Publications and other contributions to research and development

3. Curriculum Vitae

4. Transcripts: One copy of all post-secondary transcripts. Certified true copies of official transcripts sent over from the prospective UBC home department will be accepted. Students are responsible for ensuring transcripts are received by the Bridge Program office before the application deadline. We accept electronic copies directly from the UBC home department.

5. Reference Letters: One copy of each of the 3 reference letters submitted to the prospective UBC home department. Certified true copies sent from the Department will be accepted. Students are responsible for ensuring reference letters are received the Bridge Program office before the application deadline. We accept electronic copies directly from the UBC home department.

All application materials should be emailed to the Bridge Program Manager. Incomplete applications or applications received after the 4:30pm March 3rd deadline will not be considered.

Admissions Decisions

Admissions decisions are made by the Admissions and Progress Committee shortly after the application deadline. For the upcoming academic year, applicants will be notified of these decisions by April 15. Admission to the Bridge Program is based on

• academic excellence (applicants should have first class standing in their upper level undergraduate years to be eligible for major university or national scholarships, since all Bridge students must apply for external scholarships for their second and subsequent years of study),
• the candidate's letter of intent, and
• potential for integration of the Bridge themes into the student's thesis research.

The Committee attempts to ensure that there is representation of two of the core areas, one of which must be health, among entering students.

Letters of offer and program requirements: Offer letters are sent to successful applicants and their supervisors outlining expectations associated with Bridge Program funding. Bridge Program academic requirements are listed under OVERVIEW > Program Intro and Requirements . Successful applicants who accept the Bridge offer of admission are designated "Bridge CIHR Strategic Training Fellows".

For more information about the Admissions and Progress Committee, please refer to PEOPLE > Committees.