Recap: Our first Zoom Meet and Greet featured an introduction from each of your Term 1 Professors. We also shared what it means to be an engaged student, and answered your questions about courses and MFRE/UBC.

Meeting recording: link here.

If you are interested in being a Teaching Assistant (TA) for either Term 1 or Term 2, while in the MFRE program, you can apply to TA any of courses listed below. MFRE students are limited to 85 TA hours per term.

You Should Apply for a TA Position if:

• You are a first-class student, and confident that you can take on the added responsibility and time commitment (given that the MFRE program is very intensive).
• You have taken the course (or its equivalent) in your undergraduate degree, and achieved a strong mark (eg. A- to A+).
• You are familiar with UBC, or at least the Canadian/US academic system. If you are not familiar with it, you can still apply for Term 2 courses (you should NOT apply for Term 1 courses).
• You were previously encouraged by the Program Director to apply for TA positions.

Before You Apply:

• You will need your CWL to log-in and access the TA Application Portal. If you are not familiar with CWL, scroll down below – you’ll find info under the “UBC Requirements” section.
• A secure VPN connection if you're off-campus. Click here to install VPN.

TA Application Process:

1. Review the list of courses below.
2. Apply Online - instructions below
3. Email Janelle at mfre.lfs@ubc.ca and let us know which course(s) and term(s) you applied to.
   • This will allow us to make recommendations to Course Instructors (We do not see what goes through the system, and TA applications are open to all UBC students, not just MFRE students).
   • Offers will be made between May to August.

FRE / LFS Courses:

Term 1 Courses (Sept-Dec):

• FRE 306 Introduction to Global Food Markets
• FRE 326 Introduction to Econometrics
• FRE 340 International Agricultural Development
• FRE 374 Land and Resource Economics - only for Econ students
• FRE 490 Current Issues in Food and Resource Economics
• LFS 101 Principles of Microeconomics with Applications to Land and Food Systems
• LFS 250 Land, Food and Community I: Introduction to Food Systems and Sustainability
• LFS 350 Land, Food, and Community II: Land, Food, and Community II: Principles and Practice of Community Food Security

Term 2 Courses (Jan - April):

• FRE 302 Small Business Management in Agri-food Industries
• FRE 385 Quantitative Methods for Business and Resource Management
• FRE 420 The Economics of International Trade and the Environment
• LFS 252 Quantitative Data Analysis (please indicate knowledge of R in application)
• LFS 250 Land, Food and Community I: Introduction to Food Systems and Sustainability
• LFS 350 Land, Food, and Community II: Land, Food, and Community II: Principles and Practice of Community Food Security
• LFS 450 Land, Food, and Community III: Leadership in Campus Food System Sustainability

* Course Schedules can be found here.

* Archived Course Outlines can be found here (FRE / LFS courses).

To apply for FRE or LFS courses, read the LFS TA Application Guidelines here.

When you are ready, apply here. Postings for both terms are open from March 31 to April 30, 2021. The deadline to apply is April 30, 2021 at 4:30pm PST. If you have questions, email Virginia Frankian at lfs.ta@ubc.ca.

COMMERCE / ELEC Courses:

Term 1 Courses (Sept-Dec):

• COMM 295 Managerial Economics (equiv. to ECON 301)
• ELEC/CPEN 481 Economic Analysis for Engineering Projects

Term 2 Courses (Jan - April):

• ELEC/CPEN 481 Economic Analysis for Engineering Projects

To apply for COMM 295 (Managerial Economics), send an email to Dr. Wiseman by April 30, 2021.

To apply for ELEC/CPEN 481 (Economic Analysis for Engineering Projects), send an email to Dr. Wiseman by April 30, 2021 and indicate which term you are interested in.

PPGA Courses:

Term 1 Courses (Sept-Dec) and Term 2 Courses (Jan-April):

• See PPGA course listing here

To apply for PPGA courses, apply here by May 31, 2021.

September to April: We want to stress that MFRE has been designed to be a very intensive program so that it can be completed within 12 months. Both Term 1 and Term 2 involve a full course load which will keep you busy during the week with classes and during the weekends with assignments to do and papers to write.

May to August: The Graduating Project during Term 3 is worth 6 credits and likewise involves a full-time commitment. Given the intensity of the program over the full 12 months, we strongly discourage any MFRE students from taking on part-time employment.

We realize the financial challenges of undertaking a professional masters program, but experience shows that trying to work at the same time takes away from success and engagement in the MFRE program. TA-ing can be a good way to supplement your finances and does offer flexibility as much grading is conducted online. However, be sure you realize that as a TA, your tasks in grading of assignments/exams follow the same timeline as the MFRE deadlines. Consider this as you apply.

Position: Teaching Assistant (2 positions available) for FNH 415: Business Concepts in Food, Nutrition & Health

Term: 2021/2022 W1 (September-December 2021)

Total hours for position: 135 for the whole semester (split between 2 people; exact split to be determined based on strengths/availability of successful applicants)

Job Description: The Teaching Assistant will be responsible for grading written assignments, clarifying course concepts and assignment requirements with students, and setting up Quizzes or similar tasks in Canvas. A general understanding of business concepts, and/or previous completion of FNH 415, is needed.

PLEASE NOTE: FNH 415 will be taught online this semester – on-campus attendance is not required.

If you are interested, please email Jessica.oman@sauder.ubc.ca with a resume and a brief description of your interest in, and qualifications for, this position.

Application deadline: June 1, 2021

We will put together a photos and bios booklet of your cohort that we will send to all of you, the staff members, and professors in June. This booklet is to help us get to know each other sooner.

Please email the following items to Janelle at mfre.lfs@ubc.ca by May 21, 2021:

• Your preferred name. This name can be your first name or in some cases, students want to be called by a preferred (different) name. This is a personal choice. Do not feel any pressure to use a different name. UBC is a diverse and accepting environment. Do what is comfortable for you and we will follow your decision. Your preferred name will be used for bios and name cards.
• Your Photo. Recent professional/business casual photo of yourself (preferably a headshot). Please name your image file in this format: "lastname_firstname.jpg". MFRE will take your professional photo on campus in October. Details of this will be provided upon arrival.
• Your Bio. 1 short paragraph (approx. 150 words) about yourself addressing the following points: previous studies and work experiences, reasons for joining MFRE, main areas of interest, plans after MFRE (work … for government, NGOs, financial institution, food processing company… start a business, PhD, etc.), hobbies and anything else that you want us to know about you!
  • You can see a few examples here.
  • Current MFRE student bios here.
  • Please proofread your bio for proper spelling and grammar. 
• Any Allergies and Food Restrictions. We are hopeful that at some point during the year, we can organize events, seminars or workshops that will include some food!

1. Short Survey - 1 minute
   • We are excited to have you in the program and would like to know a little more about your background and experience. Please take 1 minute to complete this pre-MFRE short survey.
2. Photo and Video Waiver - 1 minute
   • During the program, we coordinate a few photo and video sessions. Please sign the Photo and Video Waiver and Model Release Form here.
3. Program Waiver - Sign and email back by August 1, 2021.
   • Please review and sign this MFRE Program Waiver for 2021-2022. Once completed, email the completed document to mfre.lfs@ubc.ca.

Students should apply for an 18-24 month study permit. The program will end in Aug 2022, but graduation is in Nov 2022. If you get a shorter permit, do not worry – you will be able to apply for an extension from within Canada.

International students are advised to apply for a co-op work permit as soon as possible, to ensure they have the permit by the required Term 3 May 4^th, 2022 start date.

• Drop-in Advising: Drop-in during regular advising hours. Zoom advising session See hours
• Booking International Student Advising Appointment: website
• Contacting UBC International Student Advising is the best way to get accurate, updated, and personalized information for your next step. Please keep the MFRE program updated on your permit processing times

This information is provided by UBC Grad Studies - Newly Admitted Grad Student Checklist. Below is the info specifically about Medical Insurance:

You must apply for the provincial Medical Services Plan (MSP) coverage as soon as you arrive in BC. There is a required waiting period consisting of the remainder of the month of arrival plus two months.

Canadian citizens and Permanent Residents: If you are coming from another province you should make arrangements with your current provincial plan to ensure continued coverage during the waiting period.

International students will be automatically enrolled in iMED, a basic insurance plan that covers the remainder of the month of arrival plus two months. For a September start, any international student arriving before August 1 or after August 31 will have to apply for a change of the coverage dates.

A UBC international student guide is available for all UBC international students. Their Student Advisors have a wealth of knowledge in a wide range of things including permits, travel, self-isolation, housing, health, planning, etc.

MFRE Staff also reach out to the International Student Advisors on a regular basis when we have questions ourselves.

• If you would like to contact them, please email isa@students.ubc.ca (include your Student Number), to book an appointment with a representative. They will be able to work with you individually to address your concern/s.

• Campus-Wide Login (CWL): Your CWL acts like a username, and is designed to give you access to UBC's online applications such as Student Information System, Course Registration, the Library, access to course content, etc.
• UBC email address (FASmail): Your UBC email (called FAS email) will be the email address we will use to communicate many course and program-related announcements with you.
• UBC Student card: Your UBC student card will be your official student identification card, and also your library card. It is issued at the UBC bookstore when you arrive on campus.

For example: For a student named Cassandra Alarcon:

• CWL: calarcon
• UBC email: calarcon01@mail.ubc.ca
• Student card:
  

In order to register for courses, and to login to any UBC websites, you will need a Campus-Wide Login (CWL). To create it, please follow the instructions here.

Registration for graduate courses will open on June 22, 2021. 

• Register for courses here
• Sign in with your CWL
• Select “UBC Vancouver” Campus
• Select “2021 Winter” Session

Register to the following Term 1 courses before June 30, 2021: 

• FRE 501 (3): Strategic Economic Analysis of Agri-Food Markets
• FRE 502 (3): Food Market Analysis
• FRE 516 (3): Financial and Marketing Management in Agri-food Industries
• FRE 528 (3): Applied Econometrics
• FRE 521C (2): Topics in Food and Resource Economics

Please also register for the corresponding labs for the courses listed above. Email us (mfre.lfs@ubc.ca) if you are not able to register for the courses, and include the error that you receive.

Do not register for Term 2 courses at that time. We will discuss the registration for Term 2 in November.

Your UBC email address (called FAS email) will be the address we will use to communicate all course and program-related announcements. It is also the email we will use during your Graduating Projects with industry professionals.

Your FASmail email address will be automatically created approximately 48 hours after you have registered for your Term 1 courses. To activate it, please visit CWL myAccount 48 hours after you registered for your MFRE courses and change your CWL password. After roughly half an hour, your FAS mail should be working. Your FAS email can be accessed at mail.ubc.ca.

Once completed, please Janelle at mfre.lfs@ubc.ca to let us know what your UBC email address is.

The Student Service Centre (SSC) is a webpage where you can access your final grades, pay student fees, view educational receipts, and much more. You may access it here. Simply login using your CWL to access your information.

This year, UBC will be offering both digital and physical versions of your UBCcard, and both are free. Please review the UBC Card Website for instructions on when and how you can apply for your UBC Card.

A valid UBC Card is essential so you can access building entrances and other services on campus. If you have questions, please contact them via email (ubc.card@ubc.ca).

The U-Pass BC program provides students with universal, accessible and affordable access to public transit across the Metro Vancouver Region.

Please follow the steps in the U-Pass BC Website to read about the program, how to obtain a Compass Card, or how to renew it every month.

• Scroll down mid-page to the title "What is the U-Pass Program?" then follow the steps from there.
• Important: Please note that you will not have a U-Pass for the month of August. You will have to load your Compass Card here.

The MFRE Math and Stats Online Review provides a set of questions covering key concepts. These concepts are ones you must understand and be able to utilize to be successful in the MFRE program. MFRE courses will build upon and extensively use these concepts and thus completion of this review is mandatory. This review is meant to refresh your knowledge.

PART 1: Math and Stats Review Material: Self-Guided Online Practice: On Canvas

Work through each section and complete all questions on your own. If any concept is unfamiliar, use the provided additional resources to obtain an explanation of that concept. Answers will not be assessed or graded.

• Mathematics for MFRE Courses: See Canvas module MATH for MFRE Courses
• Statistics for MFRE Courses: See Canvas module STATISTICS for MFRE Courses

Canvas is UBC's online Learning Management System. You will need your CWL to log-in.

PART 2: Online Quizzes: On Canvas

After completing Part 1, you must complete five mandatory online quizzes. See Quizzes on Canvas.

• Each quiz consists of 4-6 questions. The questions are similar to the self-guided practice questions.
• Once you begin the quiz online, you will have 1h 45min to complete each quiz. The quizzes must be completed by the dates and times mentioned below.  You can submit the quizzes only once.
  • Quiz 1: Due August 1, at 6pm PST
  • Quiz 2: Due August 2, at 6pm PST
  • Quiz 3: Due August 3, at 6pm PST
  • Quiz 4: Due August 4, at 6pm PST
  • Quiz 5: Due August 5, at 6pm PST
• Make sure that you complete the quizzes on your own, as the purpose of those quizzes is to ensure that students have sufficient knowledge to start the MFRE program.

Canvas is UBC's online Learning Management System. You will need your CWL to log-in.

PART 3: Math Stats Workshop: Prep & Applications (Mandatory): In-Person as part of the Summer Program

These workshops will provide you with the opportunity to apply the concepts from Part 1 and 2 Math and Stats  to solve basic and intermediate food and resource based problems. In addition, R and Stata software be incorporated into the workshop giving you practice in combining software tools and math/stats concepts. See Summer Program schedule.

PART 4: Review (if needed): By Invitation In-Person at the end of the Summer Program

The results of the Part 2 quizzes will be used by MFRE Team to identify students that require extra help to catch up with these concepts. Students will be emailed and asked to join additional review sessions held at the end of August (see Summer Program schedule). Students who do not take the quizzes (or submit them late) will also be asked to attend those additional sessions.

The MFRE Summer Program is comprised of three main components:

(1) an intensive microeconomic theory course;
(2) an orientation program, including some field trips (basis status of BC Public Health and COVID-19 restrictions)* ; and
(3) an intensive MFRE Software Tools and Applications bootcamp.

The Summer Program is mandatory for all incoming MFRE students unless they have received an exemption from the MFRE Academic Director.

Please See Summer Program Schedule for details. Please allow full-time commitment for the Summer Program.

We are still planning to hold the Summer Program in-person, on-campus, following all UBC and BC Health Protocols.

*Due to the ongoing pandemic, there will not be any field trips this year.

Centre for Accessibility: Is the Centre for Accessibility for you?

• Do you have an ongoing medical condition or disability that impacts your access to campus activities?
• Did you receive academic or other disability-related accommodations at another educational institution?
• The Centre for Accessibility facilitates disability-related accommodations and programming initiatives designed to remove barriers for students with disabilities and ongoing medical conditions.

The Government of Canada website includes the latest travel advisories on traveling within and to/from Canada: https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid/travel-restrictions/provinces

Please review the BC CDC Website for the most up-to-date travel advisories on traveling within Canada: http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/prevention-risks/travel

The UBC International Student Guide contains relevant, up-to-date information for all International Students joining UBC. It includes resources on travel, quarantine, housing, meals, study and work permits, finance, healthcare, and others.

They have a team of Student Advisors who are well-equipped to answer 1-1 questions about students' specific situations. We ourselves reach out to them for guidance on these areas!

Visit the UBC International Student Guide Website here.

Please review the latest travel advisories and make sure you are up-to-date on the latest Government of Canada requirements: https://travel.gc.ca/travel-covid

Don't forget to bring your MFRE Essential Travel Letter along with your travels. It was an email attachment sent to you in March 2021.

If you are unable to self-quarantine in your own accommodations you have access to UBC’s on-campus self-isolation packages. Incoming students can apply for a discount rate for self-isolation housing based on need at $45/day.

Consider reserving soon as the accommodation will fill up as the summer gets closer.

In March 2021, you would have been sent an email from Dr. Wiseman with an attached Essential Travel Letter (PDF). Please bring this letter with you when you travel, to support your travel for the MFRE Program.

UBC Quarantine Bursary

The UBC Quarantine Bursary is a one-time needs-based bursary to support UBC students who do not meet current federal exemptions for mandatory quarantine upon arrival in Canada. If you are required to quarantine upon entry into Canada to begin or continue your studies, you may be eligible for financial assistance. The bursary intended to help alleviate financial hardship and may not cover the entire cost of your stay. To apply and for more Information, please visit this website.

The UBC International Student Guide contains relevant, up-to-date information for all International Students joining UBC. They have a team of Student Advisors who are well-equipped to answer 1-1 questions about a student's specific situation.

Visit the UBC International Student Guide - Study Permit section for detailed and useful information.

• If you are extending your study permit OR applying for an initial study permit, make sure you complete applications correctly to avoid delays. UBC has developed a series of online tutorials available here.
• You can also book an appointment with an advisor every Mon-Fri 9:30am to 4:00pm PST, by emailing them at isa@students.ubc.ca . Include the following information in your email:
  • Your student number in the subject line
  • Your name
  • Your citizenship(s)
  • All permit and visa expiration dates (if applicable)
  • Currently in Canada (YES or NO)
  • If you request specific assistance, please provide detailed information including applicable documents, such as a rejection letter

NOTE: If you have a valid study permit from last year, and received a new Offer of Admissions this year, please contact International Student Advisors to make sure you can use that study permit for travel this year.

Tips on communicating with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC):
https://students.ubc.ca/international-student-guide/immigration/tips-communicating-immigration-refugees-citizenship-canada-ircc

The Graduating Project (Term 3, May - August 2022) requires students to have a valid work permit before starting their graduating project.

The UBC International Student Guide - Co-op Work Permit section has resources to help you with this.

• Note that even if the MFRE Term 3 Graduating Project is not a co-op program, the work permit is called a co-op work permit.
• You may use the Essential Travel Letter (PDF), that was sent to you by Dr. Wiseman in March 2021, to support your work permit application.