Events & Workshops

Upcoming Events

The College of Graduate Studies offers a number of events, workshops, seminars and other activities that complement your academic graduate program, and equip you with skills applicable during and after Graduate Studies.

See more UBC Okanagan Events

Signature Events

Graduate Orientation plays an important role in helping you start your studies off strong. Although orientation may look a little different this year, the focus remains the same – providing you with the information you need to succeed and opportunities to connect with your peers.

Orientation is open to all graduate students who will be starting their programs in September 2020 and all graduate students who began their programs in January 2020 and May 2020.

In response to social distancing measures, this year’s Graduate Student Orientation will be hosted online. There are two main components for this year’s orientation; UBC 501 and Graduate Student Orientation Week.

UBC 501

UBC 501 is a self-guided, online orientation designed to help prepare you for your arrival at UBC Okanagan. The modules cover topics such as graduate student expectations, working with your supervisor, familiarizing yourself with Kelowna and the Okanagan, history and traditions of UBC Okanagan, and important on-campus resources to help you along the way.
The modules will be available in early August. You will receive an email notification once UBC 501 is live.

Graduate Student Orientation Week

Graduate Student Orientation Week will run from August 31 to September 4, 2020. ZOOM workshops will be held throughout the week to provide you with the critical information and skills needed to be successful in graduate school.
Workshop topics include:

  • Working with Your Supervisor
  • Graduate Student Yoga Flow
  • The History of First Nations in BC
  • Research Ethics
  • Inclusivity
  • Working from Home
  • Graduate Student Panel Discussion
  • Graduate Student Social
  • Time Management
  • Resiliency During Graduate School
  • and more!

Registration and a detailed schedule of events will be available later this month via email.

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is an academic competition developed by The University of Queensland (UQ), Australia and is now held in twelve countries around the world.

Graduate students participate in the 3MT competition with the aim of presenting their research to a non-specialized audience in just three minutes. Participants can use only one slide, and are not allowed to use props or aids. The judges look for clear language, a well-structured presentation that engages the audience, and a slide that is designed to support the speaker’s points.

UBC’s Vancouver campus was one of the first universities in North America to host a 3MT competition, when it held its’ first 3MT competition in 2011.

The competition continues to grow with the first Universitas 21 (U21) 3MT competition held in 2013, allowing winners from several universities from around the world to compete in a virtual competition.

In 2014, the inaugural Canadian national virtual competition was hosted by the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies.

3MT at UBC Okanagan is now held annually and the competition continues to expand to universities across Canada.