External reviews are an important means of promoting accountability and transparency across educational institutions. UBC not only participates in external assessments, but also conducts reviews of faculties, academic units and administrative units in order to continuously improve academic excellence.
Anticipated External Reviews
Departments, Schools, Centres, Institutes, Programs:
- School of Community and Regional Planning
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Department of Mining Engineering
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences
Departments, Schools, Centres, Institutes, Programs:
- Department of Materials Engineering
- Department of Psychology
- Indigenous Teacher Education Program
- Teacher Education Program
- Centre for Heart Lung Innovation
- Department of Forest Resources Management
- Institute for Oceans and Fisheries
- Department of Computer Science
Departments, Schools, Centres, Institutes, Programs:
- School of Nursing
- Department of Asian Studies
- School of Social Work
- BC Cancer Institute
- Centre for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management
- Department of Radiology
- Department of Statistics
Departments, Schools, Centres, Institutes, Programs:
- Department of Art History, Visual Art and Theory
- Department of English Language and Literatures
- Counselling Psychology Doctoral Program
- Master of Educational Technology Program
- Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences
- Department of Cellular and Physiological Sciences
- Department of Dermatology and Skin Science
- Department of Emergency Medicine
- Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health
- Department of Medical Genetics
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynaecology
- Department of Psychiatry
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
- Department of Mathematics
Departments, Schools, Centres, Institutes, Programs:
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
- School of Creative Writing
- Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies
- Centre for Excellence in Indigenous Health
- Department of Educational & Counselling Psychology, and Special Education
- Department of Educational Studies
- School of Kinesiology
- Department of Language and Literacy Education
- Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute
- Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
- Department of Orthopaedics
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
- Department of Physical Therapy
- School of Population and Public Health
- Department of Chemistry
- Department of Physics and Astronomy
- Department of Zoology
Completed External Reviews
Departments, Schools, Centres, Institutes, Programs:
- Department of Civil Engineering
- Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice
- School of Journalism, Writing and Media
- Department of Curriculum & Pedagogy
- English Language Institute
- Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health
- Department of Family Practice
- Centre for Health Services and Policy Research
- Department of Medicine
- Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics
- Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability
- Michael Smith Laboratories
Faculties and Major Administrative Units:
- Faculty of Applied Science
- Faculty of Science
Departments, Schools, Centres, Institutes, Programs:
- Department of Botany
- School of Community & Regional Planning
- Centre for Disease Control
- Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
- Department of French, Hispanic & Italian Studies
- School of Information
- International Collaboration on Repair Discoveries
- Life Sciences Centre
- Department of Materials Engineering
- Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy
- Vancouver Prostate Centre
Previous External Reviews of Faculties and Major Administrative Units:
| External Review of UBC Library | March 7-9, 2022 |
| External Review of UBC Information Technology | February 7-9, 2022 |
| External Review of the Faculty of Dentistry | January 10-12, 2022 |
| External Review of the UBC Learning Exchange | November 22-24, 2021 |
| External Review of the Peter Wall Institute of Advanced Studies | January 22-24, 2020 |
| External Review of the Peter A. Allard School of Law | November 21-22, 2019 |
| External Review of the Faculty of Medicine | November 4-6, 2019 |
| External Review of the Equity & Inclusion Office | October 9-11, 2019 |
| External Review of the UBC Sustainability Initiative | January 21-23, 2019 |
| External Review of UBC Vantage College | November 21-23, 2018 |
| External Review of the Faculty of Land and Food Systems | October 15-17, 2018 |
See all related appointments/reappointments here.
External Review Guidelines
A new set of External Review Guidelines has been developed to coincide with the new Senate Policy on External Reviews, which was approved by Senate in the fall of 2024. The final Guidelines will be posted here in the near future; in the meantime, the Draft Guidelines below may be used.
If you have any questions about the Draft Guidelines, please contact debbie.hart@ubc.ca. Any new external reviews initiated at UBC Vancouver in 2024/25 should follow these Guidelines.
Draft Guidelines for External Reviews of Academic Units - Faculties
Reports to Senate on External Reviews
External reviews and preliminary responses are summarized each year in a Report to Senate from the Provost's Office. View the reports below:
- 2022/23 Report to Senate
- 2021/22 Report to Senate
- 2020/21 Report to Senate
- 2019/20 Report to Senate
- 2018/19 Report to Senate
- 2017/18 Report to Senate
- 2016/17 Report to Senate
- 2015/16 Report to Senate
- 2014/15 Report to Senate
- 2013/14 Report to Senate
- 2012/13 Report to Senate
Quality Assurance Process Audit
The Quality Assurance Process Audit (QAPA) is an external review process to ensure that public post-secondary institutions periodically conduct rigorous, ongoing program and institutional quality assessment. All B.C. public institutions participate in the QAPA once every seven years. This process was developed by the Quality Assurance Audit Committee, a standing committee of the Degree Quality Assessment Board. The Committee is comprised of representatives from the public institutions and the Board.
Similar processes have been implemented across Canada, with each Province having developed its own approach.
UBC Vancouver underwent a QAPA visit in December 2018 after developing and submitting an institutional self-study report. All of those involved in the process appreciated the opportunity to reflect upon UBC’s strengths as well as the areas identified for improvement in our quality enhancement policies and processes. The Okanagan campus’ QAPA process is scheduled for 2021.
Summary reports are available for institutions with completed QAPA audits. For quick access to the report for UBC Vancouver, click here.