is there phd in architecture

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Ph.D. in Architecture

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The PHD in Architecture addresses the development of modern architectural form and ideas as they have been affected by social, economic, and technological change. In broad terms, it encompasses the relations between the profession, practice, civil institutions, and the society at large.

As a doctoral program, it is oriented toward the training of scholars in the field of architectural history and theory. Its structure reflects a dual understanding of the scholar’s role in the discipline at large: as a teacher and as a researcher making an original contribution to the field, with an emphasis on expanding and reinterpreting disciplinary knowledge in a broad intellectual arena. Course requirements are therefore designed to give entering students a solid foundation in historical knowledge and theoretical discourse, with sufficient flexibility to spark and support individual research agendas. The program’s focus is on the history and theory of modern and contemporary architecture and urbanism in an international and cross-cultural context, from the mid-eighteenth century to the present. Within this, a wide range of research is supported through the varied expertise of the faculty and through strong relationships with other departments throughout the university and beyond.

The Ph.D. in Architecture is a program within the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation (GSAPP) while the actual degree is granted by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS).

Admission for 2024

• The application deadline for 2024 admissions was January 4, 2024 and is now closed.
• For additional information on the application process and requirements, please see the GSAS website.

Lucia Allais Barry Bergdoll (Art History) Ateya Khorakiwala Reinhold Martin Mary McLeod Felicity Scott Mark Wigley Mabel Wilson

Affiliated Faculty

Zeynep Celik Alexander Anooradha Iyer Siddiqi

All students entering the PhD program in Architecture receive two Residence Units of Advanced Standing, having entered with a master’s degree in architecture, architectural history, or a related field. As such, students must complete the M.Phil. degree within three years from initial registration and the Ph.D. within eight years from initial registration.

Year 1: Students begin required coursework, including language proficiencies Year 2: Students complete required coursework and language proficiencies; begin required teaching apprenticeship Year 3: Students complete required teaching apprenticeship; complete M.Phil. Examination (by mid-February); and defend the Dissertation Prospectus (by early May) Year 4+: Students research, write, and defend the doctoral dissertation

At least once each semester, students should meet individually with the director of the program or with their program or dissertation adviser. Students are assigned a program advisor in the first year, the duties of which are assumed by their dissertation advisor in the third year. Students must have acquired a dissertation advisor by the seventh week of their sixth semester. Students are allowed to change both their program and dissertation advisers during the course of their studies.

All students are expected to meet the requirements of Satisfactory Academic Progress as stipulated by the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. Renewal of student funding packages each year is dependent upon their maintaining good academic and administrative standing .

Students are required to spend four semesters in residence during which time they are expected to take thirteen courses (39 credit points), of which at least eight must be taken for a letter grade. The remaining five courses can be taken for R credit. The required academic course work breaks down into the four sections described below. In addition to the doctoral colloquia and doctoral seminars, five further classes should be seminars (not lecture courses). At least six of the thirteen courses should be taken with faculty from the Ph.D. in Architecture committee. It is assumed that these thirteen courses will be spread out approximately evenly over the first four semesters of study, although students can complete a larger number of courses in the first year to accommodate teaching requirements in the second year.

For any course in which a student receives an incomplete, the student must complete all outstanding coursework before the beginning of the next academic year. To remain in good standing with the program, students cannot hold more than one incomplete at any time. Students must complete all incomplete coursework prior to taking their M.Phil. examination.

Section 1: Doctoral Colloquia All students are required to take two doctoral colloquia in the fall semester and at least two doctoral seminars in the spring semester over the four-semester sequence. Three of these must be taken for a letter grade.

Section 2: Architectural History/Theory To complete distribution requirements, students will be required to take graduate-level courses from the following areas of study:

• One pre-1750 (Western or non-Western)
• Two courses either in Eighteenth-Century Architecture and Theory or Nineteenth-Century Architecture and Theory

At least half of the syllabus must address these time frames for a course to satisfy the requirement. At the discretion of the program director, these requirements may be modified for students who have had previous, relevant graduate-level courses.

Section 3: Social and Critical Studies Students should take at least one course outside of Architecture and Art History. Representative departments in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences with an emphasis on comparative historical and critical studies include: African American and African Diaspora Studies, Anthropology, East Asian Languages and Cultures, English and Comparative Literature, Germanic Language and Literature, History, Latin American and Iberian Cultures, Middle Eastern, South Asian and African Studies, Philosophy, and Political Science, or within relevant University Centers and Institutes. The specific topic and the choice of faculty will be decided in consultation with the student’s program adviser or the director of the program.

Section 4: Electives Remaining coursework is completed through elective courses in students’ areas of interest, the selection of which should be decided in consultation with the student’s program adviser or the director of the program.

The four-semester program has been designed to give doctoral candidates sufficient training for the M.Phil. examination, with a special emphasis on the ability to teach classes in modern architectural and urban development and its relationship to parallel developments in material history and contemporary thought. Students must complete their M.Phil. (generals) examination no later than their sixth semester in the program.

The M.Phil. qualifying examination is divided into three interrelated sections:

Three revised coursework papers, chosen to reflect the student’s research interests and abilities

Two essays written in response to specific questions formulated by the examining committee, one essay pertaining to the major field and one to the minor field. Students will receive two questions pertaining to the major field but only answer one of them.

The oral examination

The qualifying exam will be divided into major and minor fields. These fields are to be determined in consultation with the program faculty supervising the exam. The major field should be fairly broad and involve cross-cultural comparisons and/or cover at least a century in time. The minor field should focus on another topic, historical or theoretical in character, distinct from the major field. Students must consult the relevant supervising faculty in deciding on their major and minor fields.

The examining committee will be comprised of three members, two covering the major field and one covering the minor field. At least two members of the examining committee should be drawn from the Ph.D. committee or from the program’s associated faculty. Each student prepares the two bibliographies in consultation with these faculty and distributes final versions of the bibliographies one month prior to the oral examination. Each member of the committee will be responsible for one question, which the student receives a week after submitting the bibliographies. The papers are to be completed in a two-week period and submitted at least one week prior to the oral examination. The oral exam consists of discussion of the submitted essays, the coursework papers, and the bibliographies.

To receive the degree of M.Phil. students must complete the required coursework, the M.Phil. exam, the required four semesters of teacher training, and must have demonstrated proficiency in two languages other than English.

After successfully completing the qualifying examination, each student defends his or her dissertation proposal before a faculty committee, composed of the student’s dissertation adviser, who must be on the list of approved Architecture Doctoral Dissertation Advisors , and two other readers, at least one of whom should be from the list of Architecture dissertation advisors or associated faculty. Defense of the dissertation prospectus must take place before the end of the sixth semester.

The student will then be free to pursue the research topic independently, in ongoing consultation with the dissertation adviser. It is expected that the dissertation be completed approximately two to three years after approval of the topic. Since all students come into the program with Advanced Standing, students must complete the dissertation within eight years of entering the program, approved Leaves of Absence notwithstanding.

The dissertation must be submitted four weeks before the dissertation defense. A copy is to be provided for each member of the examining committee. This committee consists of five people, at least three of whom are approved as a dissertation advisor in Architecture or the associated faculty. At least one member of the committee must be from outside GSAPP. The student is granted the Ph.D. upon defending the dissertation successfully and depositing the final copy in accordance with University regulations.

For more information on the Ph.D. dissertation, refer to the GSAS Dissertation Toolkit .

• For information on Ph.D. student employee compensation and benefits, click here .
• For information on available resources for parents, click here .
• For more information on the GSAPP PhD Travel, Conference, and Exhibition Participation Support program, click here .

Fall 2024 Courses

Related Events

Other architecture programs at gsapp.

How to get a PhD in Architecture

Whether you’re at a crossroad in your professional career as an architect or in the middle of your BArch or MArch with some doubts on whether you want to practice architecture, pursuing a doctoral program in architecture might be an opportunity to still be involved with the world of architecture albeit not by practicing professionally. Pursuing a PhD in Architecture can easily be seen as a career shift since the point of getting a degree in architecture is to become an architect, however, there is another side to architecture that is less concerned with creating buildings and more on research, a route that can be as important and fulfilling. Nowadays, this can come in different forms of non-professional degrees, one of which is a Doctor of Philosophy in Architecture. In this article, I hope to provide some insight to those who are interested in doing research work in architecture.

A Doctor of Philosophy in Architecture is a relatively new addition to doctoral studies when put next to other fields in the humanities and sciences. At least in the United States, PhD’s in Architecture didn’t emerge until the 1970s. For example, Taubman College in Michigan , one of the first to offer a Doctor of Architecture, only started offering the degree in 1969 while Harvard did not introduce its degree until 1987. This delay shouldn’t come as a surprise since practicing architects have always been able to work in academia with a professional degree alone, leading to a discussion of whether the field of architecture even needed to have this degree. In fact, even the first generation who pursued these degrees continued to practice throughout their time in school. The PhD, however, did allow for architects and designers to more directly involve themselves in academia and have an impact there.

Ultimately, offering a non-professional degree in Architecture as high as a PhD birthed other non-professional degrees that we see today in schools. Alongside the MArch and BArch degrees, there are the MS degrees which are non-accredited degrees that provide studies on a specific research topic. For example, several schools around the United States, including USC , UPenn , and GSAPP , offer master's in historic conservation degrees that focus on historic architecture conservation research. Other concentrations include sustainable design, urban design, architectural history, and even real estate development. Although not required for accreditation, it’s a great opportunity for individuals who are passionate about a specific subject in architecture.

A prerequisite to start your PhD is to have a Master of Arts. This is typically already built into the PhD program itself and could take up to two years to complete. The Master of Arts degree is seen as a preparation for a PhD degree. Although built-in, you may still need to apply to enter the PhD degree once completed. Once you do enter, your years pursuing a PhD will depend on your chosen research. In architecture specifically, this can last between four to seven years. A second language (some institutions even require a third) is often a requirement while pursuing a PhD to be able to understand historical documents on a deeper level. The language depends on your chosen research, but typically they must fall within the modern languages.

The Application

Just like applying to your previous degrees, you’ll want to consider location since you’re expecting to be in school for several years. Most importantly, however, it’s vital to really dive into the school, the department where your PhD lies, and the faculty that is part of that department. In this level of academia within architecture, schools can define their architecture differently. Some schools don’t have a sole architecture department but rather, are integrated within another department such as arts and urban planning. Schools that do have an independent architecture department will also typically present specific tracks for studies. MIT for example has a History and Theory of Architecture track along with a History and Theory of Art. At UC Berkeley , they provide a PhD track of Building, Science, Technology, and Sustainability as a collective, also known as BSTS, and a track of History, Theory, and Society as a collective, also known as an HTS.

Furthermore, looking into faculty who are working on the same interest and passion as you are will be an important consideration as they essentially serve as advisors throughout your research. On top of these, you will have to take the GRE (a good amount of schools are waiving this even for PhD applications), an essay talking about what you're interested in researching and why, and recommendations from previous employers, faculty and so forth. PhD applications are typically due by the end of the year, but each school will vary in its specific dates.

Compared to paying a tuition fee in a professional degree such as BArch and MArch, pursuing a PhD relies on funding from grants and scholarship as research work can be seen as work in itself. The initial funding and conditions will vary from each school. The common thread, however, is that becoming a TA or even teaching a full course at the institution is a way to receive money while doing your research. Because PhD’s are primarily seen as a route towards academia (not always exclusively), this will serve as a great opportunity for those who are interested in practicing their skills in teaching. Just like any degree, outside scholarships and grants are opportunities for more funding and typically, this is seen as a way to avoid doing teaching jobs to focus on doing your research and writing a dissertation.

The Dissertation

If you have a BArch or MArch, you might already be familiar with the idea of a thesis. The dissertation is essentially going to be your thesis that you’ll be working on pretty much your whole time in your PhD. A dissertation is the main requirement for you to obtain your Doctor of Philosophy degree, typically a book-length research project which you would defend to a committee. Schools will go about this differently but nonetheless, expect to do a lot of reading and writing within your PhD degree to cultivate your research work.

Job Prospects

A Doctor in Philosophy is the main way to get into academia. There is still a lot of debate on what kind of professionals should be teaching studios and seminars in architecture schools, nonetheless, you will find an array of schools that provide some sort of architectural study to students, lying in different places within the spectrum of the built work and the historical theory work. Another route to consider would be a job at a research institution focusing on the arts and culture such as museums as they can also provide openings due to architecture falling within the humanities. Ultimately, the point of a PhD is to be able to have the space and time for an individual to research a topic which that individual feels passionate about and believes to be an important topic. This specificity can lead towards a more specialized workforce, whether that is in academia, the arts, or even urban planning.

Because architecture is mainly a practicing profession, doing research work can be an anomaly. However, this is not to say that the work cannot have value in the world of architecture. Architecture can live through different mediums — from living in the built environment to existing in a piece of writing. Regardless of which medium you resonate the most with, it’s important to remember that executing your interests and passions can spark and inspire ideas, and architecture should continue cultivating a diverse set of thoughts. So if you have a passion for a certain topic, find ways to cultivate it. Whether it be by building something or writing about it.

Similar articles on Archinect that may interest you...

About the Author

Lance Arevalo

22 Comments

APRIL 6, 2021 | 3:00PM ET / 12:00PM PT

"Expanding the View into Post-Professional Degree Programs"

https://www.acsa-arch.org/webi...

great and awesome idea !

   I see more unplayable student loans in someone future.    Focus on helping current professionals make more money.  Creating more elite intellectuals does not help. 

thisisnotmyname

"Typical funding for the doctoral degree includes four years of full funding (tuition fellowship, benefits, and stipend based on a Graduate Student Instructorship or a Graduate Student Research Assistantship) and two additional years of tuition only fellowship (TOF) with benefits, if required. "

I knew a few PHDs from UMich, they didn't have to pay anything. You might be projecting. 

phd programs are almost always 100% funded, with a stipend on top.

now, is a phd in architecture a necessary degree? still debatable- i wasn't aware how new this type of degree is in architecture.

It's a jumping off point to get deep into research or academia. People aren't doing this to go do the same thing as all the MArchs and BArchs. With that in mind, I would say it's a great approach if that is your intent.

Nam Henderson

i'm speaking more about the broader philosophical debate about the nature of the degree.. i think prior to the 70's, what was common was an art history phd with a focus in architecture, which i think there is plenty of argument in it being sufficient enough.

A PhD in architecture is great, but only if there are available teaching slots open. Though it goes back to the larger point where architecture expertise should be valued more in media, government, etc. Biden's about to pass a 3 trillion dollar infrastructure bill with no apparent design vision -- just a lot of economist BS. Meanwhile there are no popular critics left, and the few venues left are keen to pretend like the McMansion lady has something interesting to say.

JJArchitect

PhD acronym 'piled high and deep'

DesignGnome

One of the offices I worked at has an office in Honolulu, many of my co-workers there have PHDs in arch 

Context is key. University of Hawaii has a professional DArch degree. It is very different than the other Arch PHDs as far as I understand.

Yea, don't do this unless you want to struggle to find a middling academic job. Even if the doctorate is heavily subsidized, this is a complete waste and will no way help you in your architectural business. On top of it, they put the most bizarre, out of touch professors in this sector - or you are learning on you're own / in thesis mode - which you could do without being a PHD student.

Just a reminder to those in college thinking about pursuing this degree path - a PhD in Architecture - if you bypass getting licensed (per NCARB and State Board requirements) to obtain your PhD and take a career path in academia, it is illegal to call yourself an 'Architect' in the U.S. Please don't confuse the two.

I mean, if you just don't get licensed regardless of what you do in academia technically it's illegal... Unless you work in IT ;D Anyway, the two things are entirely unrelated, you can get a PHD and conceivably still get licensed, you could get a MArch and not get licensed. I know there are a lot more unlicensed MArchs out there calling themselves Architects than PHDs calling themselves architects. This seems like a rather non-problem. 

My comment was directed more to those in the age bracket I often mentor (high school students and college students) looking to become licensed Architects. Many of them are always looking for the least path of resistance to become licensed Architects - merely providing clarity the article did not address. Designers/people misrepresenting themselves as or doing work as 'Architects' is an issue - Google how state Architecture boards are cracking down on people misrepresenting themselves as 'Architects'. One of the states I'm licensed in issues rulings and legal cases each month the State brought against designers/people working as or misrepresenting themselves as 'Architects'. The cases often end in hefty fines and/or in extreme cases more punitive legal ramifications for the individuals.

Am curious as to how the profession protects the term 'Architect' but doesn't really work to heighten the terms standing in the world. Most clients are happy with a designer, developer, planner or interest to do most of the work, perhaps getting an architect to stamp when necessary. All of this does little for the 'Architect' as it was understood by Frank Lloyd Wright or anyone else.

J D J... That's fair. Getting a doctorate is definitely not least path of resistance though. As for the legal actions. I also see that in the state I am licenced in, but it's almost exclusively for people who have represented themselves as architects for the purpose of performing architectural services. Which, is of course illegal and the main point. However, I have also know hundreds of recent grads and young professionals who refer to themselves as "architectural designers" or something like that, which is illegal and they technically know it.

My favorite is the Honorary Doctorate. 

Dr. Sean "P. Diddy" Combs

Dr. Aiec Baldwin

Dr. Robert DeNiro

Dr. Conan O'Brien

Dr. Usain Bolt

Dr. L.L. Cool J

Dr. William Shatner

Odd, nothing in the alphabet letter salad following J Daniels Jenkins name above indicates that he is an architect. 

wrong- aia indicates licensure vs assoc aia.

By the way, Harvard began its Ph.D. in Architecture program in the 1900s. 

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School of Architecture

College of design.

Ph.D. in Architecture

Doctoral studies in architecture train students for careers conducting research in academic settings, in scientific laboratories, and now increasingly in private firms as well. The aim of research is to create new knowledge that can help us build well and create responsible and responsive physical environments. Such a knowledge necessarily engages with the full complexity and messiness of human life. It includes understanding of social, physical, historical and cultural impact of design decisions and practices, as well as the development of technical methods and computational tools to improve decision-making in design.

Specializing in architectural research, therefore, requires mastering aspects of at least one cognate discipline—history, cultural studies, psychology, sociology, cognitive sciences, engineering, computation—and quite often of more than one of these. Not surprisingly, the study needed to do this is demanding. But those students who bring with them a deeply held curiosity about the built world, an ability to work independently, and an openness to learning new skills and ideas will find the work deeply satisfying and tremendously rewarding.  

Our Program

Established in 1982, the Doctor of Philosophy in Architecture Program at Georgia Tech is one of the largest and most expansive programs of its kind in the United States, with approximately thirty students in residence pursuing their Ph.D. coursework or completing their dissertation research. A diverse faculty of scholars and researchers advise students in one of the following four areas of specialization.

Architecture, Culture, and Behavior

Building Design Technology

Design Computation

History, Theory, Criticism

Our Ph.D. Process

Students devote most of their time in close individual work with a faculty advisor in one of these areas of specialization. The course of studies allows students considerable room to define their own course work, which can be taken both within the school as well as in other departments. Once the course work is completed, studies become practice oriented—most of the student time is spent in actual research, either on their own topic, or contributing to faculty-led research projects. The students’ progress towards the degree is charted through a series of qualifying milestones.

After identifying a topic of research within their area of specialization, students develop a preliminary research paper to demonstrate the ability to frame and describe a scholarly topic, pass a comprehensive exam that tests their mastery of both depth and breadth of knowledge in their field of study, and, finally, produce and orally defend a dissertation that makes a demonstrable original contribution to their area of study. Along the way, they are expected to produce scholarly publications and make presentations of their work to fellow researchers and scholars. A distinctive feature of our program is the availability of opportunities to teach, both as preceptors and assistants, but also as independent instructors.

Your Prospects

Ph.D. studies are a natural springboard for academic positions. The majority of the graduates from our programs have gone on to academic careers both in the US and internationally, often making quick promotion to leadership positions. The training to do independent work, to think abstractly, and to handle technical literature has also provided a strong general foundation for some graduates to find work in areas beyond architecture. Career pathways of our graduates are shaped to some extent on their areas of concentration. About 90% of graduates who specialized in History, Theory, and Criticism and Architecture, Culture, and Behavior areas of concentration in the last five years have teaching and research positions in institutes of higher education both in the Unites States and abroad; others have found positions as research leaders in industry, in firms involved with architecture and construction, product manufacturing, and cultural resource management. Students who specialized in Design Computing and Building Technology streams were split more evenly between academia and industry, with about 40% of the graduates in these areas in the last five years finding jobs in industry and in leading national research laboratories.

It is in the nature of research in any field to be at the cutting-edge of disciplinary development. The graduates of a research program should, therefore, expect come away not just with competence in a subject matter and ability to solve problems, but also the knowledge and ability to think of ways to advance ideas, techniques, and methods in their discipline. This is a remarkably fortuitous time to those who seeks to do just this in architecture. Recent developments in computational technology, in our ability to collect vast amount of behavioral and user data, in techniques of machine learning and data analysis, and in our ability to design and build highly complex forms using automated algorithmic processes, are not only creating an unprecedented appetite for research within architecture, but they are also erasing traditional sub-disciplinary boundaries between different areas of work. Beyond career opportunities, therefore, ambitious graduates of the program will also find themselves well positioned to make foundational contributions to a discipline that is in an excitingly formative stage.

Student Support

Our program is able to offer a limited number of research and teaching assistantships to students as a way to support their studies. Graduate teaching assistantships (GRAs) offer a stipend and cover the tuition for the semesters for which they are awarded; the stipend is given at either 1/3 time (15 hrs per week) or at ½ time (20 hrs per week) depending upon the requirements of the course to which they are assigned. Determination of the positions and selection is made every Spring by the school administration with recommendations from the faculty teaching the courses for which assistantships are available and from the students’ advisors. The selection criteria include academic performance, possession of knowledge and skills required to fulfill the tutoring, mentoring, or grading duties required for the assistantship, and evidence that the student can handle their duties responsibly.

Opportunities for Graduate Research Assistantships arise from sponsored research projects undertaken by the faculty. They may be also offered at either 1/3 time (15 hrs per week) or at ½ time (20 hrs per week) according to the needs of the faculty member offering the award. The selection for GRA positions is made by the individual faculty members according to their requirements. There is no formal common procedure to apply for these positions.

Each year the program offers the Presidents’ Fellowship to one selected student who has been offered a GRA or a GTA. The fellowship includes a stipend given over and above the tuition and stipend that come with the assistantship. There is no application for this award; selection is made on merit by the school administration on the recommendation of the PhD advising faculty. The fellowship is restricted to US citizens or permanent residents.

Each year the School of Architecture hosts approximately 60 Design and Planning firms at a joint career fair with the School of City and Regional Planning. This fair is open to all students from freshmen level undergraduate students, Masters students and PhD students. Many students receive summer internships, full year internships as well as permanent positions as a result of their participating in the fair. This provides the students with a direct line for employment opportunities all around the US, with participating firms.

About 70 % of the current students have GTA support, and the remaining are self-funded or received support for external sources.

Additional information about Graduate Assistantships, fellowships, loans, and off-campus employment options is available on the Office of Graduate Studies site . For more information on demographics, admissions, and time-to-degree for doctoral students in our program, go to Doctoral Student Statistics . Enter ‘Architecture’ as a term in the search criteria box.”

Meet our Ph.D. Students

Doctoral students in the School of Architecture develop knowledge and technologies that enhance design imagination and the design process. Learn more about our current Ph.D. students here.

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PhD in Architecture

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History, Theory, and Society

The PhD in architecture is a research degree appropriate for those seeking careers in teaching and scholarship in architecture and its related areas, or in roles in government or professional consultation that require depth in specialization and experience in research.

About the Program

Berkeley’s PhD program in architecture is interdisciplinary in outlook, reaching into the various disciplines related to architecture and incorporating substantial knowledge from outside fields. Students admitted to this program carry out a program of advanced study and research, both on the basis of formal class work and of individual investigation. Work centers on three related fields of study, the major field (the basis for the dissertation), and one-to-two minor fields, at least one of which must be from a discipline outside architecture.

Fields of Study

The PhD in Architecture emphasizes coursework and supervised independent research in one of the following:

• Building Science, Technology and Sustainability (BSTS)
• History, Theory and Society (HTS)

Major fields outside these fields or combinations thereof may also be proposed at the time of admission. Coursework is individually developed through consultation with an academic adviser. Outside fields of study may take advantage of the University’s varied resources. Recent graduates have completed outside fields in anthropology, art history, business administration, city and regional planning, computer science, various engineering fields, psychology, women’s studies, geography and sociology.

The following are members of the PhD faculty, broken into one of two offered areas of study. Please also review the current list of all faculty in the Architecture Department for other faculty and specialities. A sampling of faculty research is described on the faculty research projects page.

Building Science, Technology and Sustainability

Requirements

The Ph.D. program in architecture is governed by the regulations of the University Graduate Division and administered by the departmental Ph.D. committee. Specific degree requirements include:

• A minimum of two years in residence.
• Completion of a one-semester course in research methods.
• Satisfaction of a foreign language requirement for those in the History, Theory and Society.
• Completion of one-to-two outside fields of study.
• A written qualifying examination, followed by an oral qualifying examination.
• A dissertation.

Course requirements for the degree include:

Designated Emphases

Global Studies The concurrent MA program in Global Studies is designed to complement the graduate degree programs in architecture. It is intended to produce graduate students who combine advanced professional training with a detailed knowledge of contemporary international issues or particular world areas or countries. The content of each MA program will be shaped in consultation with the departmental adviser to meet the specific needs and interests of the individual student.

New Media The designated emphasis (DE) in new media comprises a set of courses with content in the history, theory, and practice of computationally based representation, and communication and interpretation of information.

BSTS Master of Science and PhD Handbook for 2023-2024 and 2024-2025

For previous years' handbooks, please contact graduate advising .

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Introduction

Past dissertations, forms and resources.

The doctoral program in Architecture currently offers two tracks of study: History and Theory of Architecture, and Ecosystems in Architectural Sciences. Both tracks aim to educate teachers capable of effectively instructing future architects in their own field and its manifold connections with the culture at large. The program forges a unique combination of professional knowledge with a historical and analytical grasp of architecture, deepening awareness of the field’s current state and the critical issues it faces.

The History and Theory track provides sound training in historical study and historiography, and cultivates understanding of intellectual trends that inform the reception and role of architecture in the world at large. It prepares candidates for careers in university teaching, cultural advocacy and administration, museum curatorship, and publishing, among others. Students draw on a wide range of disciplines including, but not limited to, the history of science and technology, social and political history, media theory, as well as the fine arts, literature, and popular culture.

The Ecosystems in Architectural Sciences track provides preparation in interdisciplinary scientific inquiry, qualifying students to incorporate scientific methods into experimental design frameworks in order to research and develop novel material and informational ecosystems. Students in this track engage in research related to the behaviors of living ecosystems, emphasizing their interconnection with the built environment.

Joan Ockman, Director of Doctoral Studies

Current Candidates and Students

Ateya khorakiwala granularities: concrete and the “gray architecture” of grain storage in 1960s and 70s india, albena yaneva the craft of architectural archiving, eeva-liisa pelkonen in conversation with nicola suthor untimely moderns: how 20th century architecture reimagined the past, publications by current and graduated phd students.

Echo’s Chambers: Architecture and the Idea of Acoustic Space

University of pittsburgh press.

Avant-Garde as Method: Vkhutemas and the Pedagogy of Space, 1920-1930

Babel’s Present

Standpunkte dokumente.

Perspecta 46

Aaron Tobey and Jia Weng win 2023 Carter Manny Awards for writing and research

Cea phd student phoebe mankiewicz wins lafargeholcim award for indoor plant module, tim altenhof (ph.d. ‘18) wins theron rockwell field prize for his dissertation “breathing space: the architecture of pneumatic beings”, david turturo.

Caryatid: Architecture and the Framing of Bodies (2022). View dissertation.

Theodossios Issaias

Architectures of the Humanitarian Front, 1915-1930: The American Red Cross and the Refugee Settlement Commission of the League of Nations (2021). View dissertation.

A Theory of Common Form in Aesthetic Perception (2019). Abstract.

Skender Luarasi

Where Do You Stop? A Critical Inquiry into Style, Geometry, and Parametricism in History (2018). Abstract.

Tim Altenhof

Breathing Space: The Architecture of Pneumatic Beings (2018). Abstract.

Teaching Architecture to the Masses: Vkhutemas and the Pedagogy of Space, 1920-1930 (2017). Abstract

Surry Schlabs

Waiting for Architecture: John Dewey and the Limits of Modern Art (2017). Abstract.

Kyle Dugdale

Architecture After the Death of God: Uriel Birnbaum’s Der Kaiser und derArchitekt (2015). Abstract.

Joseph Clarke

The Architectural Discourse of Reverberation, 1750-1900 (2014). Abstract.

• Request to Take Course at Architecture School ((Non-YSoA Grad & Professional Students))
• Graduate School Forms

Graduate Research Assistant and Teaching Fellow Experience

Master’s degree, required courses, history and theory track.

551a, Ph.D. Seminar I 1 credit. (Required in, and limited to, Ph.D. first year, fall term.) This seminar centers on a thorough examination of fundamental ideas of historiography, centering on Rome and exploring aspects of geology, culture, mapping, site development, the establishment of institutions, and the construction of buildings across several millennia, as well as a study of literature on the urbs and its worldwide impact. Faculty

552b, Ph.D. Seminar II 1 credit. (Required in, and limited to, Ph.D. first year, spring term.) This seminar centers on concepts of history and their application to architecture from Jacob Burckhardt to the present and a close reading of historiographic theories, including ethnography, modernity, and the emergence of the profession of architecture in the light of present-day critique. Faculty

553a, Ph.D. Seminar III 1 credit. (Required in, and limited to, Ph.D. second year, fall term.) Seminar content to be announced. Faculty

554b, Ph.D. Dissertation Preparation 1 credit. (Required in, and limited to, Ph.D. second year, spring term.) Ph.D. tutoring in preparation for oral examinations and formulation of a thesis topic. Faculty

Required Courses, Ecosystems in Architectural Sciences Track

558a, Ph.D. Seminar: Ecosystems in Architecture I 1 credit. (Required in, and limited to, Ph.D. first year, fall term.)

559b, Ph.D. Seminar: Ecosystems in Architecture II 1 credit. (Required in, and limited to, Ph.D. first year, spring term.)

568a, Ph.D. Seminar: Ecosystems in Architecture III 1 credit. (Required in, and limited to, Ph.D. second year, fall term.)

569b, Ph.D. Seminar: Ecosystems in Architecture IV 1 credit. (Required in, and limited to, Ph.D. second year, spring term.)

Design and Visualization 1

Technology and practice 2, history and theory 5, urbanism and landscape 4.

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Architecture, Ph.D.

Ph.D. in Architecture (+Dual Ph.D.)

TODO FIXME : DRAFT : WORK IN PROGRESS

Contemporary. transdisciplinary. rethink and redefine the architectural fields..

The doctoral program in architecture is a research-based degree concentrating on a number of areas of inquiry. Hone the degree via research clusters, program focus, or dual-title options.

Program Application Deadline

The deadline for applications for AY 2024–25 is Jan. 15, 2024.

To be assured full consideration, please review all details on program and admission requirements, and ensure that you apply by this deadline.

Earn a Ph.D. in Architecture at Penn State

Penn State’s Ph.D. in Architecture program trains individuals for independent research that will produce knowledge that is new, original, and valuable, and prepares them for independent thinking and leadership in the field. The program’s transdisciplinary nature encourages new exchanges that rethink and redefine the architectural fields. Its distinguishing quality is its broad-based research core, grounded in contemporary theory and methods.

The architecture program faculty include scholars with expertise in architectural theory, building construction and technology, cultural and environmental behavior, the design process, digital design and fabrication, housing, sustainability, landscape architecture, and urban design. Visiting scholars further enhance the program and course offerings. Doctoral candidates are encouraged to draw upon the enormous resources of other Penn State graduate programs for electives that will enrich and broaden their scholarship.

Prospective students must be prepared to articulate their area of proposed specialization and research and their intended research theme and topic. The program accepts applicants holding a post-professional master’s degree in architecture, landscape architecture, or a related field.

All applicants must hold either (1) a professionally accredited baccalaureate degree in architecture or landscape architecture from a regionally accredited U.S. institution and a master’s degree in architecture or landscape architecture or related field or (2) a tertiary (postsecondary) degree that is deemed comparable to a professionally accredited bachelor’s degree in architecture or landscape architecture from a regionally accredited U.S. institution and a master’s degree in architecture or landscape architecture or related field; both degrees must be from an officially recognized degree-granting institution in the country in which they operate. Alternatively, the applicant can hold (3) a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution plus a professionally accredited master’s degree in architecture or landscape architecture or (4) a tertiary (postsecondary) degree that is deemed comparable to a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution plus a professionally accredited master’s degree in architecture or landscape architecture; these degrees must be from officially recognized degree-granting institutions in the country in which they operate. Outstanding candidates who do not hold a professional architecture or landscape architecture degree but who satisfy all other entrance requirements may be admitted at the discretion of the program.

An overall minimum grade-point average of 3.20 for graduate and undergraduate degrees is required for admission. Exceptions to the minimum 3.20 grade-point average may be made for students with special backgrounds, abilities, and interests at the discretion of the program.

All applicants for admission to the Ph.D. degree program must submit the following:

• a completed Graduate School application and payment of the application fee
• official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended
• names of three faculty members or professionals acquainted with the applicant’s academic history who can be contacted and invited to provide reference letters
• a Ph.D. Essay that (1) articulates the reasons for pursuing graduate training; (2) demonstrates that the Ph.D. program has been carefully considered and a relevant faculty member has been identified; (3) presents a clear research focus; and (4) highlights how previous education, academic background, and/or professional experience provide a foundation for pursuing graduate training in this research field
• a Curriculum Vitae

https://bulletins.psu.edu

Graduate courses carry numbers from 500 to 699 and 800 to 899. Advanced undergraduate courses numbered between 400 and 499 may be used to meet some graduate degree requirements when taken by graduate students. Courses below the 400 level may not. A graduate student may register for or audit these courses in order to make up deficiencies or to fill in gaps in previous education but not to meet requirements for an advanced degree.

Architecture (ARCH) Course List

Graduate assistantships available to students in this program and other forms of student aid are described in the Tuition & Funding section of The Graduate School’s website. Students on graduate assistantships must adhere to the course load limits set by The Graduate School.

All applicants who are accepted are considered for departmental financial aid.

Contact the Program Administrator

Nina Bumgarner

• Stuckeman School Graduate Programs Staff Assistant
• Administrative Contact, Graphic Design

[email protected]

814-865-0991

Research Clusters

The Ph.D. program offers concentrated inquiry, research, study and pedagogy in the following major areas of focus:

Culture, Society, Space (CSS) - Penn State Architecture

The Culture, Society, Space (CSS) research cluster examines how built spaces – from the artifact to the urban – affect those who interact with them and, conversely, how cultural, societal and disciplinary values shape the spaces we create.

Design Computing (DC) - Penn State Architecture

The Design Computing (DC) research cluster offers students critical knowledge and advanced skills in the use of digital technologies in architecture and related design fields, especially in the areas of visualization, generative systems, and fabrication.

Material Matters (MM) - Penn State Architecture

The Material Matters (MM) research cluster provides students with opportunities to delve into the interaction of materials and processes.

Sustainability (SUS) - Penn State Architecture

The Sustainability (SUS) research cluster investigates architecture’s potential to improve the quality of life for current and future societies around the globe, addressing issues of natural resource consumption, pollution prevention, and organizational dependencies.

Degree Options

In addition to the integrated research concentrations, the Ph.D. in Architecture degree can be further oriented to your scholarship and research. The Ph.D can be undertaken with a focus in Landscape Architecture, or as a dual-title Ph.D. in Architecture and Transdisciplinary Research on Environment and Society degree.

The Department of Architecture and the College of Health and Human Development offer a dual-title graduate degree program in Architecture and Transdisciplinary Research on Environment and Society (TREES), both at the M.S. and Ph.D. levels. The TREES program is a transdisciplinary, intercollege program at the intersection of natural resources and societal challenges, which exposes students to issues including, but not limited to global climate change; sustainable energy, food, and fiber supplies; threats to biodiversity; water pollution and availability; genetic modification; and sustainable design.

The purpose of this dual-title degree is to provide architecture graduate students with the skills and knowledge necessary to conduct architecture research in relationship to socio-environmental challenges that revolve around managing ecosystems and natural resources in ways that continue to promote human well-being.

Once admitted in the Ph.D. in Architecture degree program, a student can apply for admission to TREES. Admission process and requirements can be found here . Doctoral students must be admitted into the dual-title degree program in TREES no later than the end of the fourth semester (not counting summer semesters) of entry into the graduate major program.

The Qualifying Examination, Dissertation Committee formation, coursework selection, Comprehensive Examination, Dissertation, and Final Oral Examination (dissertation defense) must be carefully planned to satisfy the requirements of the dual-title degree in Architecture and TREES. To complete the dual-title degree, students must satisfy the minimum requirements of the Ph.D. in Architecture degree program and, in addition, the minimum requirements of the dual-title intercollege degree program .

More information

• University Policy on Dual-Title Graduate Degree Programs GCAC-208
• College of Health and Human Development TREES
• Graduate Bulletin TREES
• Graduate Bulletin Dual-Title Ph.D. in Architecture + TREES

This Ph.D. focuses on the opportunities afforded by interdisciplinary collaboration through the Stuckeman School’s Departments of Architecture and Landscape Architecture. The curriculum is highly individualized: students first must complete the requirements of the M.S. in Landscape Architecture (or equivalent); then they undertake one year of required resident coursework, after which they complete dissertation research as required.

This curriculum benefits from potential alliance with award-winning faculty University-wide. Opportunities include our Hamer Center for Community Design, the Stuckeman Center for Design Computing, and E+D: Ecology plus Design, which merges ecology and design in ways that improve the ecological function of the designed world. Students may also pursue a dual-title degree Ph.D. in Architecture with a focus in Landscape Architecture + Transdisciplinary Research on Environment and Society (TREES).

Ph.D. Students

Students currently enrolled in the Ph.D. in Architecture program.

Dima Abu-Aridah Research Focus: Refugee camps and socio-spatial dimensions Research Clusters: Culture, Society, Space and Design Computing Academic Adviser: Rebecca Henn [email protected]

Adam Ackerman [email protected]

Mahsa Adib Landscape Architecture Focus Research Focus: Community engagement for green stormwater infrastructure development Research Cluster: Sustainability Academic Adviser: Hong Wu [email protected]

Sana Ahrar Research Focus: Mixed-income informal settlements in the global south Research Cluster: Culture, Society, Space Academic Adviser: Alexandra Staub [email protected]

Maryam Aman Research Focus: Energy-efficient building design Research Cluster: Sustainability Research Affiliation: Stuckeman Center for Design Computing Academic Advisers: Ute Poerschke and José Pinto Duarte [email protected]

Ali Baghi Research Focus: Digital fabrication, concrete printing Research Cluster: Design Computing Academic Adviser: José Duarte [email protected]

Azza Dhahri [email protected]

Yuxiang Dong Research Focus: Landscape Architecture Research Cluster: Hong Wu [email protected]

Paniz Farrokhsiar Research Focus: Computational design, the role of making in the design process Research Cluster: Design Computing Research Affiliation: Stuckeman Center for Design Computing Academic Adviser: Benay Gürsoy Personal website | [email protected]

Lara Garcia Research Focus: The role of human spatial and thermal perception in extreme heat events and urban heat island effect adaptation Research Cluster: Sustainability Research Affiliation: Stuckeman Center for Design Computing Academic Advisers: Travis Flohr and Stephen Mainzer [email protected]

Amir Ghasemi Research Focus: Digital fabrication Research Cluster: Design Computing Academic Adviser: José Duarte [email protected]

Elnaz Ghasemi Research Focus: Urban energy use, carbon emissions Research Cluster: Sustainability Academic Adviser: Rahman Azari [email protected]

Keerthana Govindarazan Research Focus: Virtual reality, spatial cognition and perception, performance art Research Cluster: Design Computing Research Affiliation: Stuckeman Center for Design Computing Academic Advisers: Yasmine Abbas and José Pinto Duarte [email protected]

Ankita Karmakar Landscape Architecture Focus Research Focus: Globalization and neo-liberalization, women and culture, global feminism, right to the city, everyday city, peri-urban cultural-resilience across global south, gender equity, current practice of design, planning and policy framework Research Cluster: Culture, Society, Space Academic Adviser: Mallika Bose [email protected]

Tariq Kennanah [email protected]

Tiffanie Leung Research Focus: Earthbag construction Research Cluster: Material Matters Academic Adviser: Marcus Shaffer [email protected]

Jie Li Research Focus: How to close the performance gap in sustainable buildings Research Cluster: Sustainability Academic Adviser: Lisa Iulo [email protected]

Zia Mohajerzadeh Research Focus: Dynamic façade configurations for reduced energy consumption and improved thermal comfort and indoor air quality Research Cluster: Sustainability Academic Adviser: Rahman Azari [email protected]

Alale Mohseni Research Cluster: Design Computing Research Affiliation: Stuckeman Center for Design Computing [email protected]

Mahan Motalebi Research Focus: Material aging Research Cluster: Material Matters Academic Adviser: Marcus Shaffer [email protected]

Michael Nowak Research Focus: Security in architectural space Research Cluster: Culture, Society, Space Academic Adviser: Ute Poerschke Personal website | [email protected]

Hanin Othman Research Focus: Monitoring indoor environment quality and controlling building façade operations using assistive robots Research Cluster: Sustainability Academic Adviser: Rahman Azari [email protected]

Mohammad Rezvan [email protected]

Houman Riazi Jorshari Research Focus: Visual Culture, Ideologies and Politics, Iranian Studies Research Cluster: Culture, Society, Space Academic Adviser: Pep Avíles Personal website | [email protected]

Krista Schneider Research Focus: Land grant university and place-based economic development Research Cluster: Culture, Society, Space Academic Adviser: Mallika Bose [email protected]

Nusrat Tabassum Research Focus: Additive manufacturing with concrete in extreme climatic conditions Research Cluster: Material Matters Research Affiliation: Stuckeman Center for Design Computing Academic Adviser: José Pinto Duarte [email protected]

Tasneem Tariq Research Focus: Thermal environment, urban heat island, green infrastructures, thermal comfort, sustainable cities Research Cluster: Sustainability Academic Advisers: Ute Poerschke and Lisa Domenica Iulo [email protected]

Nicolás Verdejo Bravo Research Focus: Architecture education, 20th Century authoritarianisms, politics Research Cluster: Culture, Society, Space Academic Adviser: Denise Costanzo [email protected]

Mingxuan Wan [email protected]

Nan Yang Landscape Architecture Focus Research Focus: Social-spatial dimension of the garment industry in China Research Cluster: Culture, Society, Space Academic Adviser: Mallika Bose [email protected]

Salma Zerkaoui [email protected]

Jingshi Zhang Research Focus: Artificial leaf-based cladding system performance evaluation Research Cluster: Sustainability Academic Adviser: Rahman Azari [email protected]

Yuhan Zhou Research Focus: Landscape Architecture Academic Adviser: Hong Wu [email protected]

Guides and Resources

• Graduate Handbook in Architecture
• The Graduate School at Penn State

Ph.D. Student Awards

• Dima Abu-Aridah: Penn State Alumni Association Dissertation Award
• Sana Ahrar: Third Place, Graduate Exhibition
• Farzad Hashemi: Architectural Research Centers Consortium Dissertation Award
• Dima Abu-Aridah: Graduate Student International Research Award
• Ali Ghazvinian: Alumni Association Dissertation Award , College of Arts and Architecture Sustainability Graduate Student Award
• Tasneem Tariq: Harold F. Martin Graduate Assistant Outstanding Teaching Award
• Rui Wang: Alumni Association Dissertation Award
• Elena Vazquez: Architectural Research Centers Consortium Dissertation Award
• Sana Ahrar: Penn State Graduate Exhibition, Third Place
• Özgüç Bertuğ Çapunaman: Penn State Graduate Exhibition, Third Place
• Ali Ghazvinian: College of Arts and Architecture Sustainability Teaching Fellow
• Farzad Hashemi: Harold F. Martin Graduate Assistant Outstanding Teaching Award
• Jie Li: Penn State Graduate Exhibition, Second Place
• Farzaneh Oghazian: Penn State Graduate Exhibition, First Place
• Nastaran Tebyanian: Journal of Digital Landscape Architecture Scientific Excellence Award
• Elena Vazquez: Penn State Graduate Exhibition, First Place
• Dima Abu-Aridah: Engineering for Change Research Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers
• Sana Ahrar: Architectural Research Centers Consortium King Student Medal
• Ali Ghazvinian: Engineering for Change Research Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers
• Naveen Kumar Muthamanickam: Thomas and June Beaver Fund Award
• Michael Nowak: Penn State Graduate Exhibition, First Place
• Elizabeth Andrzejewski: Penn State Graduate Exhibition, Third Place
• Julio Diarte: Engineering for Change Research Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers
• Eric Mainzer: Harold F. Martin Graduate Assistant Outstanding Teaching Award
• Debora Verniz: Alumni Association Dissertation Award
• Negar Ashrafi: Thomas and June Beaver Fund Award
• Sohrab Rahimi: Alumni Association Dissertation Award
• Clarissa Ferreira: Architectural Rearch Centers Consortium Dissertation Award Honorable Mention
• Stephen Mainzer: Architectural Research Centers Consortium Dissertation Award
• Mahyar Hadighi: Penn State Graduate Exhibition, First Place
• Irem Öz: Penn State Graduate Exhibition, Third Place
• Stephen Mainzer: Alumni Association Dissertation Award
• Julio Diarte: Penn State Graduate Exhibition, First Place
• Meher Bhagia: University Graduate Fellowship
• Irem Öz: University Graduate Fellowship

Legal Statements

• Non-Discrimination
• Equal Opportunity
• Accessibility
• The Pennsylvania State University © 2024

Ph.D. in Architecture

The PhD in Architecture (PhD-Arch) program at Carnegie Mellon advances interpretive, critical and contextual perspectives on the built environment and spatial design. The program offers students an interdisciplinary platform to investigate built environment cultures, practices and politics across a range of historical and geographical contexts.

Nida Rehman

Assistant Professor & PhD-Arch Track Chair

Program Overview

The PhD in Architecture (PhD-Arch) program at Carnegie Mellon advances interpretive, critical and contextual perspectives on the built environment and spatial design. Bringing together methods in history of architecture, urban studies, critical spatial practices, environmental humanities, digital humanities, environmental justice and community-oriented research, the program offers students an interdisciplinary platform to investigate built environment cultures, practices and politics across a range of historical and geographical contexts.

The intellectual foundation of the program is informed by Carnegie Mellon Architecture’s commitments to racial and spatial justice in architectural epistemology, pedagogy and practice. The program builds on and extends the foundational work in the school in the area of community-oriented urban design and research and is supported by the wide-ranging expertise and resources in the school and across the university, particularly in the arts and humanities.

Admission Information

Learn more about the PhD-Arch curriculum below.

PhD-Arch Curriculum

Program Faculty

For more information about the PhD-Arch program, please contact track chair Nida Rehman .

William J. Bates

Adjunct Faculty

Erica Cochran Hameen

Associate Professor, DEI Director & DDes Track Chair

Stefan Gruber

Associate Professor, MUD Track Chair & RCI Director

Kai Gutschow

Associate Professor & Associate Head for Design Ethics

Kristen Kurland

Teaching Professor

Francesca Torello

Special Faculty

Admissions Resources

Are you a current student looking for resources? Handbooks, procedures and other information can be found on the Student Resources page .

MA & PhD in Architecture

Ucla architecture and urban design offers two academic graduate degrees: the master of arts in architecture (ma) and doctor of philosophy in architecture (phd)..

The programs produce students whose scholarship aims to provoke and operate within architecture’s public, professional, and scholarly constituencies. Both programs are supported by the Standing Committee, made up of six faculty members: Michael Osman (MA/PhD program director), Cristóbal Amunátegui , Dana Cuff , Samaa Elimam , Salmaan Craig , and Ayala Levin . A number of visiting faculty teach courses to expand the range of offerings.

Applications for the MA/PhD program (Fall 2025 matriculation) are completed via the UCLA Application for Graduate Admission , and are due January 6, 2025. Candidates will be notified of decisions in March 2025; admitted candidates who wish to accept the offer of matriculation must submit their Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) by April 15, 2025.

All MA and PhD students are required to enroll in a two-year colloquium focused on methods for writing, teaching, and researching in the field of architecture. The six courses that constitute the colloquium train students in the apparatus of academic scholarship. Over the two-year sequence, students produce original research projects and develop skills in long-format writing.

Research Opportunities

The intellectual life of the students in the MA and PhD programs are reinforced by the increasing number of opportunities afforded to students through specialized faculty-led research projects. These include cityLAB-UCLA and the Urban Humanities Institute .

MA in Architecture

This program prepares students to work in a variety of intellectual and programmatic milieus including historical research, cultural studies, and interdisciplinary studies with particular emphasis on connections with geography, design, art history, history of science and literary studies, as well as studio and design based research.

Beyond the core colloquium, MA students take a series of approved courses both at UCLA AUD and across campus. The MA program is a two-year degree, culminating in a thesis. The thesis is developed from a paper written by the student in their coursework and developed in consultation with the primary advisor and the standing committee. In addition to courses and individual research, students often participate in collective, project-based activities, including publications, symposia and exhibitions.

The program is distinguished by its engagement with contemporary design and historical techniques as well by the unusual balance it offers: fostering great independence and freedom in the students’ courses of study while providing fundamental training in architectural scholarship.

Recent MA Theses

• Jacqueline Meyer, “Crafting Utopia: Paolo Soleri and the Building of Arcosanti.”
• Joseph Maguid, “The Architecture of the Videogame: Architecture as the Link Between Representational and Participatory Immersion.”
• Meltem Al, “The Agency of Words and Images in the Transformation of Istanbul: The Case of Ayazma.”
• Courtney Coffman, “Addressing Architecture and Fashion: On Simulacrum, Time and Poché.”
• Joseph Ebert, “Prolegomena to a Poiesis of Architectural Phenomenology.”
• Jamie Aron, “Women Images: From the Bauhaus Weaving Workshop to the Knoll Textile Division.”
• Gustave Heully, “Moldy Assumptions.”
• Brigid McManama, “Interventions on Pacoima Wash: Repurposing Linear Infrastructure into Park Spaces.”

MA Typical Study Program

PhD in Architecture

This program prepares students to enter the academic professions, either in architectural history, architectural design, or other allied fields. PhD students are trained to teach courses in the history and theory of architecture while also engaging in studio pedagogy and curatorial work. In addition to the colloquium, PhD students take a series of approved courses both at UCLA Architecture and Urban Design and across campus. They select these courses in relation to their own research interests and in consultation with their primary advisor. The priorities for selection are breadth of knowledge and interdisciplinary experience that retains a focused area of expertise. To this end, the students identify Major and Minor Fields of study. The Minor Field is generally fulfilled by satisfactorily completing three courses given by another department and the Major Field by five courses offered by UCLA Architecture and Urban Design.

Once coursework is completed, PhD students move to the Comprehensive Exam, Qualifying Exam, and the writing of a dissertation, and final defense, if deemed appropriate by the doctoral committee. In the transition from coursework to exams, PhD students work on one paper beyond its original submission as coursework. The paper begins in the context of a departmental seminar, but often continues either in the context of an independent study, summer mentorship, or a second seminar with faculty consent. Upon the research paper’s acceptance, students begin preparing for their comprehensive exam. Before their third year, students must also satisfactorily complete three quarters of language study or its equivalent according to University standards. The particular language will be determined in consultation with the Standing Committee. The Comprehensive Exam is administered by at least two members of the Standing Committee and at most one faculty member from another Department at UCLA, also a member of the Academic Senate.

The Comprehensive Exam tests two fields: the first covers a breadth of historical knowledge—300 years at minimum—and the second focuses on in-depth knowledge of a specialization that is historically and thematically circumscribed. Students submit an abstract on each of these fields, provide a substantial bibliography, and prepare additional documentation requested by their primary advisor. These materials are submitted to the committee no less than two weeks before the exam, which occurs as early as the end of the second year. Students are encouraged to complete the Comprehensive Exam no later than the end of their third year of study.

The Comprehensive Exam itself consists of two parts: an oral component that takes place first, and then a written component. The oral component is comprised of questions posed by the committee based on the student’s submitted materials. The goal of the exam is for students to demonstrate their comprehensive knowledge of their chosen field. The written component of the exam (which may or may not be waived by the committee) consists of a written response to a choice of questions posed by the committee. The goal of this portion of the exam is for students to demonstrate their research skills, their ability to develop and substantiate an argument, and to show promise of original contribution to the field. Students have two weeks to write the exam. After the committee has read the exam, the advisor notifies the student of the committee’s decision. Upon the student’s successful completion of the Comprehensive Exam, they continue to the Qualifying Exam.

Students are expected to take the Qualifying Exam before the beginning of the fourth year. The exam focuses on a dissertation prospectus that a student develops with their primary advisor and in consultation with their PhD committee. Each student’s PhD committee consists of at least two members of the Standing Committee and one outside member from another department at the University (and a member of the Faculty Senate). Committees can also include faculty from another institution. All committees are comprised of at least three members of UCLA Academic Senate. The prospectus includes an argument with broad implications, demonstrates that the dissertation will make a contribution of knowledge and ideas to the field, demonstrates mastery of existing literature and discourses, and includes a plan and schedule for completion.

The PhD dissertation is written after the student passes the qualifying exam, at which point the student has entered PhD candidacy. The dissertation is defended around the sixth year of study. Students graduating from the program have taken posts in a wide range of universities, both in the United States and internationally.

Recent PhD Dissertations

• Marko Icev, "Building Solidarity: Architecture After Disaster and The Skopje 1963 Post-Earthquake Reconstruction." ( Read )
• Anas Alomaim, "Nation Building in Kuwait, 1961-1991."
• Tulay Atak, “Byzantine Modern: Displacements of Modernism in Istanbul.”
• Ewan Branda, “Virtual Machines: Culture, telematique, and the architecture of information at Centre Beaubourg, 1968–1977.”
• Aaron Cayer, "Design and Profit: Architectural Practice in the Age of Accumulation"
• Per-Johan Dahl, “Code Manipulation, Architecture In-Between Universal and Specific Urban Spaces.”
• Penelope Dean, “Delivery without Discipline: Architecture in the Age of Design.”
• Miriam Engler, “Gordon Cullen and the ‘Cut-and-Paste’ Urban Landscape.”
• Dora Epstein-Jones, “Architecture on the Move: Modernism and Mobility in the Postwar.”
• Sergio Figueiredo, “The Nai Effect: Museological Institutions and the Construction of Architectural Discourse.”
• Jose Gamez, “Contested Terrains: Space, Place, and Identity in Postcolonial Los Angeles.”
• Todd Gannon, “Dissipations, Accumulations, and Intermediations: Architecture, Media and the Archigrams, 1961–1974.”
• Whitney Moon, "The Architectural Happening: Diller and Scofidio, 1979-89"
• Eran Neuman, “Oblique Discourses: Claude Parent and Paul Virilio’s Oblique Function Theory and Postwar Architectural Modernity.”
• Alexander Ortenberg, “Drawing Practices: The Art and Craft of Architectural Representation.”
• Brian Sahotsky, "The Roman Construction Process: Building the Basilica of Maxentius"
• Marie Saldana, “A Procedural Reconstruction of the Urban Topography of Magnesia on The Maeander.”
• David Salomon, “One Thing or Another: The World Trade Center and the Implosion of Modernism.”
• Ari Seligmann, “Architectural Publicity in the Age of Globalization.”
• Zheng Tan, “Conditions of The Hong Kong Section: Spatial History and Regulatory Environment of Vertically Integrated Developments.”
• Jon Yoder, “Sight Design: The Immersive Visuality of John Lautner.”

A Sampling of PhD Alumni and Their Pedagogy

Iman Ansari , Assistant Professor of Architecture, the Knowlton School, Ohio State University

Tulay Atak , Adjunct Associate Professor, Pratt School of Architecture

Shannon Starkey , Associate Professor of Architecture, University of San Diego

Ece Okay , Affiliate Research, Université De Pau Et Des Pays De L'adour

Zheng Tan , Department of Architecture, Tongji University

Pelin Yoncaci , Assistant Professor, Department Of Architecture, Middle East Technical University

José L.S. Gámez , Interim Dean, College of Arts + Architecture, UNC Charlotte

Eran Neuman , Professor, School of Architecture, Tel Aviv University

Marie Saldana , Assistant Professor, School of Interior Architecture, University of Tennessee - Knoxville

Sergio M. Figueiredo , Assistant Professor, Eindhoven University of Technology

Rebecca Choi , Assistant Professor of Architecture History, School of Architecture, Tulane University

Will Davis , Lecturer in History, Theory and Criticism, Department of Architecture, National University of Singapore

Maura Lucking , Faculty, School of Architecture & Urban Planning, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

Kyle Stover , Assistant Professor, School of Architecture, Montana State University

Alex Maymind , Assistant Professor of Architecture and Director of Undergraduate Studies in Architecture, University of Minnesota

Gary Riichirō Fox , visiting faculty member at Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-Arc) and lecturer at USC School of Architecture

Randy Nakamura , Adjunct Professor, College of Arts and Sciences, University of San Francisco

Aaron Cayer , Assistant Professor of Architecture History, School of Architecture + Planning, University of New Mexico

Whitney Moon , Associate Professor of Architecture, School of Architecture & Urban Planning, University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

Todd Gannon , Professor of Architecture, the Knowlton School, Ohio State University

Dora Epstein Jones , Professor of Practice, School of Architecture, the University of Texas at Austin

Sarah Hearne , Assistant Professor, College of Architecture and Planning, University of Colorado Denver

PhD Typical Study Program

*The choice of language to fulfill this requirement must be discussed with the Ph.D. Standing Committee

Our Current PhD Cohort

AUD's cohort of PhD candidates are leaders in their fields of study, deepening their scholarship at AUD and at UCLA while sharing their knowledge with the community.

Adam Boggs is a sixth year Ph.D candidate and interdisciplinary artist, scholar, educator and Urban Humanist. His research and teaching interests include the tension between creativity and automation, craft-based epistemologies, and the social and material history of architecture at the U.S.-Mexico border. He holds a BFA in Sculpture Cum Laude from the Ohio State University, and an MFA in Visual Art from the State University of New York at Purchase College. Prior to joining the doctoral program at UCLA he participated in courses in Architecture (studio and history) at Princeton University and Cornell University. His dissertation analyzes the history of indigenous labor during the Mexican baroque period to form a comparative analysis with the 20th century Spanish revival architecture movement in Southern California and how the implementation of the style along the U.S.-Mexico border might function as a Lefebvrian “thirdspace” that disrupts binary thinking. In Spring 2024 he will teach an undergraduate seminar course at AUD on the history of architecture at the U.S.-Mexico border as part of the CUTF program.

Hanyu Chen is a second-year doctoral student at UCLA AUD. Her research focuses on the intersection between (sub)urban studies, heritage conservation, and the genders of the space. Specifically, it concerns the dynamics of genders in (sub)urban areas and how these dynamics are conserved as heritage. Born and raised in China for her first 18 years, Hanyu chose the conservation of comfort stations in China as her master's thesis at the University of Southern California, where she earned her master’s degree in Heritage Conservation and officially started her journey in architecture. Her thesis discusses the fluidity and genders of comfort stations and how they survive in contemporary China’s heritage conservation policies.

Hanyu also holds a Bachelor of Science degree in AMS (Applied Mathematics and Statistics) and Art History from Stony Brook University.

Yixuan Chen

Yixuan Chen is an architectural designer and a first-year doctoral student in the Department of Architecture and Urban Design at UCLA. Driven by an impulse to demystify both the grand promises and trivial familiarities of architecture, her research embarks on the notion of everydayness to elucidate the power dynamics it reveals. She investigates the conflicts between these two ends and focuses on modernization across different times and places.

Prior to joining UCLA AUD, she was trained as an architect and graduated from the University of Nottingham's China Campus with a first-class honors degree. Her graduation project “Local Culture Preservation Centre,” which questioned the validity of monumental architecture in the climate crisis, was nominated for the RIBA President's Medal in 2016.

She also holds a Master of Arts degree with distinction in Architectural History from the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College London. Her dissertation, “Shijing, on the Debris of Shijing,” explores the vanishing shijing places, or urban villages, where rural migrant workers negotiate their urban identity in Chinese cities, revealing shifting power relations. Additionally, she authored an article in Prospectives Journal titled "Architectural Authorship in ‘the Last Mile,’" advocating for a change to relational architectural authorship in response to the digital revolution in architecture.

Pritam Dey is an urban designer and second-year doctoral student at UCLA AUD. His research interest lies at the intersection of colonial urbanism, sensorial history, and somatic inquiries. His architecture thesis investigated the crematorium and temple as sensorial infrastructure, and was presented at World Architecture Congress at Seoul in 2017. Previously Dey worked in the domain of urban design, specifically informal markets, as a shaper of urbanism in Indian cities. Prior to joining the AUD doctoral program, his past research focused on investigating the role of informal and wholesale markets in shaping up urbanity in the Indian city cores and co-mentored workshops on Urbanity of Chitpur Road, Kolkata with ENSAPLV, Paris which was both exhibited at Kolkata and Paris. He also co-mentored the documentation of the retrospective landscape of Hampi with the support of ENSAPLV and French Embassy. His investigations on the slums of Dharavi title ‘The tabooed city’ was published in the McGill University GLSA Research series 2021 under the theme: the city an object or subject of law?

An urban designer and architect, Pritam Dey pursued his post graduation from School of planning and Architecture, Delhi. During his academic tenure at SPA, he was the recipient of 2018 Design Innovation Center Fellowship for Habitat design allowing him to work on the social infrastructure for less catered communities in the Sub Himalayan Villages. In 2022 He mentored a series of exhibitions on the theme of Water, Mountains and Bodies at Ahmadabad.

He was the 2022-23 Urban Humanities Initiatives Fellow at UCLA and recipient of 2023 UCLA Center for India and South Asia fellowship for his summer research.

Carrie Gammell

Carrie Gammell is a doctoral candidate working at the intersection of architectural history, property law, and political economy. Her research focuses on claims, investments, and intermediary organizations in the United States, from the Homestead Act of 1862 to the Housing Act of 1934.

Carrie is also a Senior Research Associate at cityLAB UCLA, where she studies state appropriations for California community college student housing. In the past, she contributed to Education Workforce Housing in California: Developing the 21st Century Campus, a report and companion handbook that provides a comprehensive overview of the potential for land owned by school districts to be designed and developed for teachers and other employees.

Prior to joining AUD, Carrie worked as an architectural designer in Colombia and the United States, where she built a portfolio of affordable housing, multi-family residential, and single-family residential projects as well as civic and cultural renovations and additions. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Rice University and a Master in Design Studies (Critical Conservation) from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Anirudh Gurumoorthy

Anirudh Gurumoorthy is a PhD candidate at UCLA AUD. His dissertation, tentatively titled (Un)Certain Tropics and the Architecture of Certain Commodities, 1803-1926, focuses on the spatial and environmental histories of natural history/sciences in the long-nineteenth century as it related to the political economy of empire within South Asia. He is interested in the ways the materiality of commodity extraction and production contends with how, where, and why certain ‘tropical’ animals, vegetables, and minerals are attributed with a metropolitan sense of ‘value’. Moving from the United States to Britain (and back) through various parts of the Indian Ocean world as markets for singular forms of ice, rubber, and cattle form, peak, and collapse, the dissertation ultimately aims to reveal interconnected spatial settings of knowledge, control, regulation, display, and labor where knowledge systems, technical limits, human and nonhuman action/inaction, differentiated senses of environments and value continually contend with each other to uphold the fetishes of the world market. Gurumoorthy holds a B.Arch. from R.V. College of Architecture, Bangalore, and an M.Des in the History and Philosophy of Design and Media from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Chi-Chia Hou

Chi-Chia Hou is a doctoral candidate in his sixth year at UCLA AUD. His working dissertation, “New Frontier: Architecture and Service 1893-1960,” explores his interest in architecture and wealth, changing ideas of profit and management, and social scientific discourses for measuring work and worker, self and others, and values of landed property.

His research locates moments of theorizing methodologies to manage income-generating properties in schools of agriculture, home economics, and hotel studies. The schools taught their students theories, while instilling the imminence of faithful direction of oneself, of self-as-property. The pedagogies, existing beyond the purview of Architecture, were of immense architectural consideration.

Chi-Chia Hou took a break from school in the previous academic year to learn from his daughter and has now returned to school to learn from his brilliant cohorts.

Adam Lubitz

Adam Lubitz is an urban planner, heritage conservationist, and doctoral student. His research engages the intersection of critical heritage studies and migration studies, with an emphasis on how archival information can inform reparations. His community-based research has been most recently supported by the Columbia GSAPP Incubator Prize as well as the Ziman Center for Real Estate and Leve Center for Jewish Studies at UCLA.

Prior to joining AUD, Adam worked at World Monuments Fund within their Jewish Heritage Program, and taught GIS coursework at Barnard College. His master's thesis applied field research with experimental mapping techniques in the old town of a municipality in Palestine. Adam holds MS degrees in Historic Preservation and Urban Planning from Columbia University and a BA in Urban Studies from New College of Florida.

José Monge is a PhD candidate in the Department of Architecture and Urban Design. His dissertation, titled Maritime Labor, Candles, and the Architecture of the Enlightenment (1750-1872) , focuses on the role that whale-originated illuminants, specifically spermaceti candles and oil, played in the American Enlightenment as an intellectual project and the U.S. as a country. By unravelling the tension between binaries such as intellectual and manual labor–the consumers that bought these commodities and the producers that were not able to afford them–the project understands architecture as a history of activities that moved from sea to land and land to sea, challenging assumptions about the static “nature” of architecture.

Kurt Pelzer

Kurt Pelzer is a fourth-year PhD candidate at UCLA AUD. Their research explores the relational histories, material flows, and politics of land in and beyond California in the long nineteenth century during the United States parks, public lands, and conservation movements.

Their current scholarship traces the settler possession and exhibitionary display of a Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) in the 1850s; an act that contested the ways Miwok peoples ancestral to California's Sierra Nevada knew and related to life and land. Their broader interests include histories of colonialism and capitalism in the Americas, environmental history, and Blackness and Indigeneity as a methodological analytic for political solidarities and possibilities.

Prior to arriving at UCLA, Pelzer worked at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in the Architecture and Design Curatorial Department participating in exhibitions, programming, and collections work. Pelzer completed a Master of Advanced Architectural Design in the History, Theory, and Experiments program from California College of the Arts in San Francisco, and earned their Bachelor's degree in Landscape Architecture from the College of Design at Iowa State University.

Shota Vashakmadze

Email Shota Vashakmadze

Shota Vashakmadze is a sixth-year PhD candidate at UCLA AUD. His dissertation traces the conjoined histories of architectural computing, environmental design, and professional practice in the late 20th century, adopting critical approaches to architecture’s technical substrates—the algorithms, softwares, and user protocols of computation—to examine their social and political dispositions. In his scholarship and pedagogy, he aims to situate forms of architectural labor within the profession’s ongoing acculturation to environmental crisis. Most recently, he has been leading the development of the interdisciplinary “Building Climates” cluster, a year-long course sequence at UCLA, and co-organizing an initiative dedicated to fostering discourse on climate change and architecture, including a two-day conference entitled “Architecture After a Green New Deal.”

His research has been supported by the Canadian Centre for Architecture and appeared in journals including Architectural Theory Review , The Avery Review, and Pidgin Magazine. He is currently completing a contribution to a collection on landscape representation and a chapter for an edited volume on architecture, labor, and political economy.

Shota holds an MArch from Princeton University and has a professional background in architecture, landscape, and software development. Before coming to UCLA, he researched methods for designing with point cloud data and wrote Bison, a software plugin for landscape modeling.

Alexa Vaughn

Alexa Vaughn (ASLA, FAAR) is a first year PhD student in Architecture + Urban Design and a Eugene V. Cota-Robles Fellow , from Long Beach, California. She is a Deaf landscape designer, accessibility specialist, consultant, and recent Fellow of the American Academy in Rome (2022-23). She is a visionary speaker, thought leader, prolific writer and researcher, and the author of “ DeafScape : Applying DeafSpace to Landscape,” which has been featured in numerous publications.

Her professional work is centered upon designing public landscapes with and for the Deaf and disabled communities, applying legal standards and Universal Design principles alongside lived experience and direct participation in the design process. She is an expert in designing landscapes for the Deaf community (DeafScape) and in facilitation of disabled community engagement. Prior to joining the A+UD program, Alexa worked for several landscape architecture firms over the course of six years, including OLIN and MIG, Inc.

Through a disability justice lens, her dissertation will seek to formally explore the historical exclusionary and inaccessible design of American urban landscapes and public spaces, as well as the response (activism, policy, and design) to this history through the present and speculative future. She will also actively take part in activist- and practice-based research with cityLAB and the Urban Humanities Institute .

Alexa holds both a BA in Landscape Architecture (with a minor in Conservation and Resource Studies) and a Master’s degree in Landscape Architecture (MLA) from the University of California, Berkeley, with specialization in accessible and inclusive design. Much of her work can be found at www.designwithdisabledpeoplenow.com and on Instagram: @DeafScape.

Yashada Wagle

Yashada Wagle is a third year PhD student in Critical Studies at UCLA AUD, and a recipient of the department's Moss Scholarship. Her research focuses on imperial environmental-legislative regimes in British colonial India in the late nineteenth century. She is interested in exploring questions around the histories of spaces of extraction and production as they network between the metropole and the colony, and their relationship with the conceptions of laboring bodies therein. Her master's thesis focused on the Indian Forest Act of 1865, and elucidated the conceptualization of the space of the ‘forest’ through the lenses of its literary, legislative, and biopolitical trajectories, highlighting how these have informed its contemporary lived materiality.

Wagle holds a Bachelor in Architecture (BArch) from the Savitribai Phule Pune University in India, and a Master in Design Studies (History and Philosophy of Design and Media) from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. She was previously a Research Fellow at the Kamla Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute for Architecture and Environmental Studies (KRVIA) in Mumbai, India.

In her spare time, Wagle enjoys illustrating and writing poetry, some of which can be found here .

Dexter Walcott

Dexter Walcott is a registered architect currently in his fifth year with the Critical Studies of Architecture program at UCLA. His research focuses on the Latrobe family and early nineteenth century builders in the Mississippi and Ohio river valleys. He is interested in the role of the built environment in histories of labor, capitalism, steam-power, and industry.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Joy is a fifth-year PhD student in architecture history. Her research explores geology as antiquity from early 19th – 20th century British colonial Hong Kong and China. She holds a B.A. in Comparative Literature with a focus in German from Middlebury College in 2017, and is a graduate of The New Normal program at Strelka Institute, Moscow in 2018. Previously, she has taught in the Department of Architecture at University of Hong Kong, as well as the Department of Design at Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

After working as a curatorial assistant at Tai Kwun Contemporary in 2019, she has continued the practice of art writing and translation, collaborating with many local Hong Kong artists as well as international curators such as Raimundas Malašauskas. In her spare time, she practices long-distance open water swimming. In 2022, she completed a 30km course at the South of Lantau Island, Hong Kong.

The MA and PhD programs welcome and accept applications from students with a diverse range of backgrounds. These programs are designed to help those interested in academic work in architecture develop those skills, so we strongly encourage that you become familiar with fundamental, celebrated works in the history and theory of architecture before entering the program.

Applicants to the academic graduate programs must hold a Bachelor’s degree, or the foreign equivalent. All new students must enter in the fall quarter. The program is full-time and does not accept part-time students.

Applications for the MA and PhD programs (Fall 2024 matriculation) will be available in Fall 2023, with application deadline of January 6, 2024; please revisit this page for updates. Accepted candidates who wish to enroll must file an online Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) by April 15, 2024.

How to Apply

Applying to the MA and PhD programs is an online process via the UCLA Application for Graduate Admission (AGA).

Completing the requirements will take some time, so we strongly recommend logging in to the AGA in advance to familiarize yourself with the site and downloading the documents and forms you will need to complete your application.

You can also download this checklist to make sure you have prepared and submitted all the relevant documents to complete your application.

Your Statement of Purpose is a critical part of your application to the MA and PhD programs. It is your opportunity to introduce yourself and tell us about your specific academic background, interests, achievements, and goals. Our selection committee use it to evaluate your aptitude for study, as well as consideration for merit-based financial support.

Your statement can be up to 1500 words in length. Below are some questions you might want to consider. You don’t need to answer every question; just focus on the elements that are most relevant to you.

• What is your purpose in applying to the MA or PhD program? Describe your area(s) of research interest, including any areas of concentration and specialization.
• What experiences have prepared you for this program? What relevant skills have you gained from these experiences? Have your experiences led to specific or tangible outcomes that would support your potential to contribute to this field (e.g. performances, publications, presentations, awards or recognitions)?
• What other information about your past experience might help the selection committee in evaluating your suitability for this program? E.g. research, employment, teaching, service, artistic or international experiences through which you have developed skills in leadership, communication, project management, teamwork, or other areas.
• Why is UCLA Architecture and Urban Design the best place for you to pursue your academic goals?
• What are your plans for your career after earning this degree?

Your Personal Statement is your opportunity to provide additional information to help the selection committee evaluate your aptitude for study. It will also be used to consider candidates for UCLA Graduate Division fellowships related to diversity. You can read more about the University of California Diversity Statement here .

Your statement can be up to 500 words in length. Below are some questions you might want to consider. You don’t need to answer every question; just focus on the elements that are most relevant to you.

• Are there educational, personal, cultural, economic, or social experiences, not described in your Statement of Purpose, that have shaped your academic journey? If so, how? Have any of these experiences provided unique perspective(s) that you would contribute to your program, field or profession?
• Describe challenge(s) or barriers that you have faced in your pursuit of higher education. What motivated you to persist, and how did you overcome them? What is the evidence of your persistence, progress or success?
• How have your life experiences and educational background informed your understanding of the barriers facing groups that are underrepresented in higher education?
• How have you been actively engaged (e.g., through participation, employment, service, teaching or other activities) in programs or activities focused on increasing participation by groups that have been historically underrepresented in higher education?
• How do you intend to engage in scholarly discourse, research, teaching, creative efforts, and/or community engagement during your graduate program that have the potential to advance diversity and equal opportunity in higher education?
• How do you see yourself contributing to diversity in your profession after you complete your academic degree at UCLA Architecture and Urban Design?

A Curriculum Vitae (résumé of your academic and professional experience) is recommended but not required.

Applicants must upload a scanned copy of the official transcripts from each college or university you have attended both in the U.S. and abroad. If you are accepted into the program you will be required to submit hard copies. These can either be sent directly from each institution or hand-delivered as long as they remain in the official, signed, sealed envelopes from your college or university. As a general rule, UCLA Graduate Division sets a minimum required overall grade-point average of 3.0 (B), or the foreign equivalent.

As of this Fall 2023 cycle, the GRE is NOT required as part of your application to UCLA AUD. No preference will be given to those who choose to submit GRE scores as part of their application.

However, if you do take the GRE exam and wish to include it as part of your application: More information on this standardized exam can be found at www.ets.org/gre . In addition to uploading your GRE scores, please direct ETS to send us your official score sheets. Our ETS codes for the GRE are below:

UCLA Architecture and Urban Design Institution Code: 4837 Department Code: 4401

We recommend you take the exam at least three weeks before the application deadline as it usually takes 2-3 weeks for ETS to send us the test scores.

If you have received a Bachelor’s degree in a country where the official language of instruction and primary spoken language of daily life is not English, you must submit either a Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or an International English Language Testing System (IELTS). Exempt countries include Australia, Barbados, Canada, Ireland, Jamaica, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. This is a requirement that is regardless of your visa or citizenship status in the United States.

To be considered for admission to the M.Arch. program, international students must score at least a 92 on the TOEFL or a 7 on the IELTS exam. Because processing, sending, and receiving TOEFL and IELTS scores can take several weeks, international students must schedule their exam no later than October 31 in order to meet UCLA deadlines. TOEFL scores must be sent to us directly and uploaded as part of the online submission. Our ETS codes for the TOEFL are below:

UCLA Architecture and Urban Design Institution Code: 4837 Department Code: 12

If your score is less than 100 on the TOEFL or 7.5 on the IELTS, you are also required to take the English as a Second Language Placement Examination (ESLPE) on arrival at UCLA. The results of this test will determine any English as a Second Language (ESL) courses you need to take in your first term of residence. These courses cannot be applied towards your minimum course requirements. As such, you should expect to have a higher course load than students not required to take ESL courses.

If you have earned a degree or completed two years of full-time college-level coursework in the following countries, your TOEFL / IELTS and ESLPE requirements will be waived: U.S., U.K., Canada (other than Quebec), Australia, and New Zealand. Please provide official transcripts to demonstrate course completion. Unfortunately, we cannot accept any other documentation to demonstrate language proficiency.

Three (3) letters of recommendation are required. These letters should be from individuals who are familiar with your academic and professional experiences and can evaluate your capacity to successfully undertake graduate studies at UCLA. If you do not have an architecture background please note that we are looking for letters that evaluate your potential as a graduate student, not necessarily your architecture experience.

Letters of recommendation must be sent electronically directly to UCLA by the recommender. When logged in, you can enter the name and email address of each of your recommenders. They will be contacted by email with a request to submit a letter on your behalf. You can track which letters have and have not been received. You can also send reminders to your recommenders to send their letters.

Writing samples should illustrate an applicant’s capacities for research, analytical writing and scholarly citation. Texts may include seminar papers, theses, and/or professional writing.

Please complete and submit the Department Supplement Form to confirm your intention to apply to the MA or PhD program.

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Degree Requirements  |  Required Courses  | Sample Curriculum Outline  | PhD Handbook

Degree Overview

Building upon more than 40 years of excellence in environmental design teaching and research at the UO, the PhD program in architecture focuses on sustainable architecture and integrated design. Home to professional education in architecture and related environmental design fields since 1914, the program is an advanced research degree that engages students in multidisciplinary investigations that create new knowledge in compelling and time-sensitive research topics.

With this exclusive focus, the program addresses the needs of the profession as society faces the environmental impact of buildings and cities. Students examine research topics that typically encompass an array of spatial, environmental, historical, social, political, technical, and economic factors. In addition to the rigorous understanding of building performance, aspects of sustainable community development, and broader social processes and policies, each student is also expected to demonstrate an understanding of the literature, theory, and research in a related focus area. Learn more about what our faculty members are researching by reading their  profiles  or browsing the  Guide to Research + Creative Practice .

The PhD program prepares students for careers at universities, and at other entities engaged in research related to sustainable design such as national research laboratories, industries, public agencies, and non-government organizations. Students admitted to this program will carry out a program of advanced study and research in sustainable design.

The PhD in Architecture is a STEM-designated degree .

PhD students join a community of inquiring architects, engineers, and designers who are committed to solving multifaceted problems and furthering knowledge by researching issues and processes that give form to the environment. We seek candidates with keen interests, career goals, and a clear capacity for research that are interested in topics that may include:

• sustainable cities and livable communities design and policy
• design for climate change and adaptation
• cultural, social and economic sustainability
• net-zero buildings and eco-districts design
• resource forecasting and simulation of place and building performance
• energy-efficient, adaptive re-use of existing buildings
• indoor environmental quality and occupants’ health
• high-performance envelopes and green technologies
• life-cycle analysis design and modeling

Graduate funding information can be found on the SAE Graduate Funding website and the SAE Graduate Employee (GE) website.

Degree Requirements (84 Credits)

• Research and Investigation : 12 credits
• Primary (Inside) Focus Area : 16 credits
• Secondary (Outside) Focus Area : 26 credits
• Other Core: 12 credits
• Dissertation: 18 credits

The usual program for the PhD consists of a minimum of 66 credits, including at least 50 graduate-level credits in the Department of Architecture, through a four- to six-year course of study. The PhD program in architecture is governed by the regulations of the University of Oregon Graduate School and administered by the Department of Architecture’s PhD program committee. Specific degree requirements include:

• the first year of study needs to be at the Eugene campus
• a minimum of two years in residence
• completion of three terms of courses in research methodology
• completion of two courses in research methods
• completion of two focus areas (one within and one outside the Department)
• completion of a written qualifying examination, followed by an oral qualifying examination
• completion of a dissertation

For additional reference, see the  PhD Handbook .

Required Courses

Category 1:  research and investigation requirements (minimum 12 credits).

ARCH 620 Sustainable Design: Research Methods I

ARCH 678 Advanced Research Methods in Sustainable Design

ARCH 695 Proposal Development

Category 2:  Primary (Inside) Focus Area Requirements (minimum 16 credits)

Students will select courses that are aligned with their research interests. Students may focus on sustainable building design, preservation and sustainability, sustainable communities, or other related areas.

All students will be required to take the following two courses:

ARCH 500-/600-Level Advanced Electives

Category 3:  Secondary (Outside) Focus Area Requirements (minimum 26 credits)

These courses will be selected in consultation with the faculty advisor to provide sufficient depth in the student’s area of research. The courses are typically taken outside of architecture and are intended to develop knowledge of a second discipline that supports the student’s research.

500-/600-level coursework in other departments

Other Core:  12 credits

Category 1 and 2 courses, e.g. ARCH 601 Research, ARCH 603 Dissertation, ARCH 605 Special Problems. 

Architecture PhD students may choose to add one of the following optional Specializations or Graduate Certificates to their degree:

• Architectural Technology (Eugene campus only)
• Housing (Eugene campus only)
• Interior Architecture (Eugene campus only)
• Historic Preservation (Portland campus only)
• Urban Architecture and Urban Design (Portland campus only)
• Ecological Design Certificate
• Technical Teaching Certificate

Further details on completing these specializations and certificates are available with the departmental academic advisor.

Sample Curriculum Outline

ARCH 620 Research Methods in Sustainable Design – Category 1

ARCH elective, Inside Focus Area – Category 2

ARCH 601 Research – Other

WINTER TERM

Spring term.

ARCH 678 Advanced Research in Sustainable Design – Category 1

ARCH 695 Advanced Dissertation Proposal Development – Category 1

Elective, Outside Focus Area – Category 3

3 Credits 

ARCH 605 Special Problems (prospectus and comprehensive preparation) – Other

ARCH 605 Special Problems (comprehensive exams) – Other

ARCH 603 Dissertation (as required) Proposal Due

ARCH 603 Dissertation (as required)

ARCH 603: Dissertation (as required)

PhD in Architecture Degree Requirements

PhD Handbook

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Phd / ms in architecture.

The research community is harnessing the symbiotic properties of plants and fungi roots (left). Their living architectural system involves a 3D-printed brick (center) that encases mycorrhizal fungi and alfalfa to promote plant growth while also sequestering carbon and potential soil and air toxins, generating a flexible and beneficial building materials (right).

Welcome to the PENN Ph.D. and MS Programs in Architecture. Our graduate group faculty, candidates, students, and alumni welcome you to our website, eager to share with you their commitment to advanced research in architecture. Each in their own way seeks to cultivate knowledge, awareness, and invention in one of the oldest academic disciplines. Dedicated to thinking and making, as well as to critical questions and inventive solutions, the PENN Ph.D. and MS Architecture community invites you to join us. 

Read a letter from the Chair and program description

Degree Programs

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Architecture

Why study architecture.

University of Cincinnati’s Ph.D. Program in Architecture is a post-professional degree program of advanced theoretical studies in architecture with a focus on the acquisition of critical skills related to architectural production, both built and theoretical. It is intended primarily for students already in possession of a graduate degree in architecture or a related field such as interior design, planning, or landscape architecture. The Ph.D. program is an outgrowth of the university’s longstanding MS Program in Architecture, whose focus has traditionally been on architectural history, theories, and criticism as they relate to architectural practice. The program exposes students to a range of concepts in the field and fosters the ability to question and assess the built environment and the documents that relate to it.

In addition to a common core consisting of coursework in architectural theories and research methods, students complete courses in a minor field, demonstrate mastery of a major with the qualifying exam, and successfully defend a dissertation proposal in the third year, qualifying for candidacy and achieving ABD (“all but dissertation”) status. Students research, write and defend the dissertation in the final years of the program. With faculty members with technical expertise in human and environmental factors, computation, parametric design, and robotics in addition to the program’s traditional strengths in history, theory, and criticism,  the program can accommodate a range of student interests. The major exam is a multi-day written examination based on a reading list agreed upon among the committee members.

To fulfill the minor requirement, students may propose an individual course of study, supervised by a professor other than the dissertation chair, or they may choose from among a number of approved graduate certificates offered by the university. Popular options include Historic Preservation; Urban Design; Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; and Data Analytics. 

Admission Requirements

Students applying to the Ph.D. Program in Architecture should have completed a Master's degree in architecture or a related field prior to matriculation. Students with an undergraduate degree or with an unrelated graduate degree must instead apply for the MS Program in Architecture. Some students enter the Ph.D. program directly from the MS program. These students retain their credits from their MS studies and enter the Ph.D. program at an advanced phase commensurate with their completed studies.

Unofficial transcript(s) from all colleges/universities attended are required. Official transcripts are not required during the admissions process, and only unofficial transcripts are required for the application. Applicants should not send official transcripts until they are offered admission and confirm enrollment to the university. For complete transcript requirements, please view the Transcript Submission Policy webpage.

A portfolio of design, art, or other graphic work is optional. The portfolio is an opportunity to demonstrate your design abilities, artistic talents, or other information you deem pertinent to your application. The content does not have to be architectural if your background is in another discipline. Written project statements to accompany visual work are helpful. Portfolios are submitted online.  We do not accept hard copies of portfolios.

Three letters of recommendation from persons who are in a position to evaluate your abilities and your potential for success as a graduate student are required. There is no standard form to fill out; instead, based on the information you provide in your application, recommenders will be emailed instructions on the process for submitting letters of recommendation. 

A summary of your academic and professional experiences is required.

A two-page statement of your interest in graduate study in architecture is required. This should be a concise, articulate presentation of your academic and career goals, and any specific interests you have in architectural topics for graduate research and design. It should reflect your prior intellectual and professional engagement with these issues, and may also provide some additional perspective on the work illustrated in the portfolio.

Students applying to the Ph.D. program must submit one or two writing samples demonstrating the ability to conduct scholarly research and examine theoretical concepts. The essays can expand on the areas of research interest or on any topic.

Applicants to the Ph.D. Program in Architecture must demonstrate a commitment to the critical study of architecture and related design fields, including interior design, urban design, and landscape architecture. Prior education or working experience in architecture or a related field is desirable. Excellent writing skills and an interest in theoretical research are essential. Students whose English writing or speaking skills are not adequate for the demands of the curriculum must enroll in advanced, graduate-level English as a Second Language coursework prior to, and sometimes in tandem, with program coursework.

The Ph.D. Program in Architecture prepares researchers, educators, and practitioners for advanced scholarly, pedagogic, and professional work in architecture and related fields. Most graduates of the program become full-time professors or practitioners of architecture. Other career opportunities include historic preservation, public policy, curating, journalism, and institutional administration.

Because UC’s Ph.D. Program in Architecture has a small number of students, we are able to facilitate one-on-one student and faculty advising and collaboration. Students work with their faculty to develop their research and writing skills and they publish and present their work in national and international venues. While the program does not have separate tracks for students pursuing technical research, program faculty members assist students in identifying coursework and campus resources to develop the necessary competencies. All entering students have the opportunity to consult with multiple members of the Ph.D. Program faculty and with the program coordinator to determine appropriate elective coursework and dissertation committee composition.

• The city of Cincinnati, once called the "Queen City of the West" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, provides an excellent array of cultural resources for students who intend to pursue a degree in the visual arts. It offers the energy and assets of a larger city, along with quiet neighborhoods steeped in rich traditions. Cincinnati offers live music venues that range from top-notch symphony and opera companies to a growing pop and rock community. Home to the Cincinnati Art Museum, the Taft Museum and the Contemporary Arts Center, the city also enjoys the presence of numerous art galleries and a strong support system among practicing artists. Cincinnati is situated within driving distance of Chicago, Pittsburgh, Atlanta and New York City, allowing DAAP students to take advantage of the rich cultural resources of these cities as well.
• UC's College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) is one of the most comprehensive colleges of its type in the country. A collection of nationally respected design and art programs is housed in a unique and educationally stimulating architectural setting. Architecture students have opportunities to enroll in courses in a range of related disciplines and to participate in interdisciplinary studios or special projects.
• UC’s emphasis on interdisciplinary studies facilitates interaction with counterparts in other schools of the College of Design, Art, Architecture, and Planning as well as other colleges such as the Engineering, Arts and Sciences, Medicine, and the College Conservatory of Music. Such interdisciplinary studies should be planned in consultation with PhD Program faculty members and approved by the Ph.D. Program coordinator.
• Eligible students accepted to the Ph.D. Program in Architecture may compete for a limited number of scholarships and assistantships. All students are required to participate in a teaching practicum as part of the program, and many are chosen for paid teaching assistantships in the latter years of the program. Students are also eligible to work in campus jobs for up to 20 hours per week when classes are in session and 40 hours during vacations.
• The DAAP college library has an outstanding collection of books, periodicals and visual resources supporting architecture, planning, design, art history and related subjects. Access to library holdings is provided by an automated online catalog, UCLID, which provides access to the University of Cincinnati Library information database, and through OhioLINK, the holdings of other academic libraries throughout Ohio.
• The Computer Graphics Center is a state-of-the-art university facility with hardware that includes PCs, Macs, and peripherals such as scanners, plotters and digital video-editing suites. Students have access to sophisticated graphics equipment and receive hands-on instruction to augment the use of laptops in the classroom.
• The college supports a Rapid Prototyping Center, which is the home of state-of-the-art equipment that allows students to create communication aids for their work. Using CAD (computer-aided design) models, students are able to create physical models using three basic methods: 3-D printing, large format laser-cutting and CNC (computer numeric control) devices.

For applicants whose native language is not English, a TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score of at least 100 iBT (600 paper) or an IELTS score of at least 7.0 is common and is typically our minimum. The university requires minimum scores of 80 on the TOEFL and 6.5 on the IELTS. Applicants with scores below the campus minimums will not reach the Ph.D. in Architecture admissions committee for review. Students whose scores are above the campus minimum but below the Ph.D. in Architecture Program standards, or students whose English writing or speaking ability does not meet program expectations, will be considered on a case-by-case basis, however, they must agree to take graduate-level ELS coursework and possibly other courses as a condition of acceptance.

• Guide: Ph.D 2019
• Guide: Ph.D 2018
• Guide: Ph.D 2017

Application Deadlines

Early Admission

General Admission

ALL applicants must apply by January 10th . 

The application process begins with an online UC Graduate Application . Supplemental materials are to be submitted online through the application process.

New students are admitted for the fall semester. We will notify successful candidates by April 15. An offer of admission may be withdrawn if a candidate does not accept within six weeks of our offer.

In general, the program offers neither deferrals nor admission in semesters other than fall, however individual requests for admission deferrals and for spring semester admission may be considered on a case-by-case basis depending on the specific nature of the request and the ability of the program administration to accommodate it.

The architecture program of the University of Cincinnati has been accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) continuously since 1948, and its courses satisfy requirements maintained by various state architectural registration boards.

In the United States, most state registration boards require a degree from an accredited professional degree program as a prerequisite for licensure. The NAAB, which is the sole agency authorized to accredit U.S. professional degree programs in architecture, recognizes three types of degrees: the bachelor of architecture, the master of architecture, and the doctor of architecture. A program may be granted a 8-year, 3-year, or 2-year term of accreditation, depending on the extent of its conformance with established educational standards. University of Cincinnati’s Ph.D. program in Architecture is not an accredited professional degree.

Contact Information

Find related programs in the following interest areas:.

• Architecture, Construction and Building Trade

Program Code: 23DOC-ARCH-PHD

Doctoral Programs

Doctoral programs at the Harvard Graduate School of Design are non-studio degree programs that allow in-depth studies of topical areas that span the traditional design disciplines.

To apply to the PhD program in Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, please visit the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS) admissions page .

Doctoral Programs Harvard University Graduate School of Design 40 Kirkland Street, Room 1-A Cambridge, MA 02138 (617) 495-2337

Margaret Moore de Chicojay Program Administrator [email protected]

Liz Thorstenson Program Coordinator [email protected]

Melissa Hulett Executive Coordinator [email protected]

Architecture (Ph.D.)

The Doctor of Philosophy with a Major in Architecture advances knowledge and research in areas such as design computation; evidence-based design; building technology, history and culture; and organizational and cognitive performance.