The Ph.D. Program in Architecture is focused on the production of knowledge in the historical, theoretical, or technological development of architecture, landscape architecture, and historic preservation. Operating within the context of a design school in the university setting, it is a fundamentally interdisciplinary program and seeks to the explore opportunities in the wider university to reconsider the terms, methods, and futures of architectural knowledge.
To see current and recent candidates' work from the program, go to the work link above. You can also explore recent events and programs sponsored by the Graduate Group and news about the faculty and students. Faculty members of the Graduate Group are listed below with their research focus.
The Program is especially interested in the interdisciplinary scholarship that explores and rescripts the boundaries of the discipline. Projects in History or Theory often explore connections between architectural histories and theories and histories of the technology and environment; of race, class, and gender; of politics, economics, and equity; many are attuned to the role of media in the producing and understanding architectural ideas. Technological research operates on structural and environmental knowledge. While much of the required coursework for the degree takes place within the School of the Design, the curriculum allows extensive opportunities for candidates to take advantage of the rich resources of the University in their elective courses, in preparing their bibliographies and in writing their dissertations.
Requirements for the degree include twenty approved courses, the passing of the two language exams, a qualifying examination, a preliminary examination, teaching experience, a dissertation and the final defense. Coursework from previous graduate-level programs can reduce the number of required courses for the Ph.D. Candidates generally spend three to four semesters on campus in order to complete requirements and advance to the dissertation status. We encourage students to complete the degree in four to five years.
Candidates are assigned an advisor upon entering the program, and often choose their dissertation advisor within the first year. Most advisory committees are, like the work itself, interdisciplinary, and draw from the are experts within the School, the University, and the wider scholarly community.
The program Is administered by the Graduate Group, consisting of faculty in the Department of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Historic Preservation, as well as from the associated departments including History of the Art, History and Sociology of the Science, and other departments across the university. Students from the program often serve as pre-doctoral fellows in a range of University research centers, including the Penn Program in the Environmental Humanities and the Penn or Mellon Colloquium in Humanities+Urbanism+Design.
The program accepts candidates holding Master’s degrees in architecture or a related field, such as landscape architecture or historic preservation. Applications to the Ph.D. program are accepted once a year as the part of the Weitzman School’s admissions process.
Submission of the thesis, which is not to exceed 80,000 words. The thesis is examined by two examiners and includes an oral examination which is usually held at the Faculty.
Footnotes, references and text within tables are to be counted within the word limit, but captions, appendices and bibliographies are excluded. Appendices (of the no determined word length) may be permitted subject to the approval of the student's supervisor (in consultation with the Degree Committee). Appendices should be confined to such items as the catalogues, original texts, translations of texts, transcriptions of the interview, or tables. Permission to include such appendices must be requested well in the advance of the submission of the final thesis.
The PhD in Architecture is a three-year program that commences in October each year. It is also available on a five-year part-time basis. Candidates submit their dissertations at the end of their third full-time year (or part-time equivalent) and will be invited to attend an oral examination up to three months after submitting.
The program involves minimal formal teaching. Applicants will usually have their supervisors confirmed before they have begun their course in October and will typically meet for 45 minutes on a fortnightly basis during term time. A bespoke program is evolved by the candidates in conjunction with their supervisor and will include attendance at the Department’s program of research seminars and other relevant graduate courses. Attending lectures is optional but students are strongly encouraged to take the advantage of lectures offered in the Department, their college and other departments and the faculties relevant to their research topics.
As well as the research and skills training program offered by the Department of Architecture, students have the opportunity to develop their research skills by attending numerous courses, such as those related to the use of bibliographic resources and other databases, and specific computer skills. Informal opportunities to the development of research skills also exist through mentoring undergraduate students, contributing to our departmental journal, Scroope and other opportunities presented by fellow candidates and members of staff.
Students will be provided with the feedback via supervisions and their supervisor’s termly reports which are available to the them via their self-service pages on CamSIS.
Candidates undertake an annual review of their work throughout their program which is realized in different ways; for example, the production of a report or undertaking the presentation. The purpose of the reviews is to ensure that students are on track to submit the successful dissertation by the submission deadline. The first review also serves as a registration exercise, for which the students have to submit a report of 10,000 words which is orally assessed by two assessors. The purpose of this exercise Is to determine whether the student is suited to the demands of PhD research and to address any concerns if there are any.
Candidates submit a dissertation, of not more than 80,000 words (60,000 words for the MSc degree). The dissertation and the general field of knowledge within which it falls is orally examined by the two examiners. At least one of the examiners will be external to the University.
As a postgraduate researcher, you’ll have access to the dedicated Researcher Development Team who will support your professional development throughout your PhD journey and beyond.
Our Researcher Development Programme will enable you to become more aware of your developing researcher identity, equipping you with the skills you need during your PhD and preparing you to integrate into the researcher community.
At every stage of your career, you’ll receive relevant, effective and comprehensive professional development opportunities.
We offer training sessions to build your skills and confidence in writing and presenting, with specific sessions on viva preparation, thesis submission and preparing for your Review Panel.
You’ll also have access to the range of workshops, covering areas such as:
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Increasing research impact
through blog posts;
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Making the most of social
media;
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Publishing in journals;
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Applying for fellowships;
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Designing academic posters;
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Improving time and
self-management.
In addition, our Humanities training hub - gives you additional training opportunities within the University. You can choose courses in public engagement, wellbeing, language training and teaching, alongside more as specialist courses in tools and software such as Python, R and NVivo.
meanwhile, is an initiative that gives you the chance to learn from the very best in research methods expertise at Manchester and beyond. Regular talks, workshops and other methods-related events are as organized throughout the academic year, bringing in experts from across the University and externally.
Finally, taking a placement provides a great opportunity to engage in knowledge exchange and to develop professional networking opportunities for your future and career development.
We have established Postgraduate Researcher Exchange programs with a small number of institutions around the world, offering you the opportunity to visit another institution, access research resources and experience another academic culture as well as build professional networks.
Candidates can pursue the PhD architecture course in offline full-time or part-time as well as online also. Below are the modes of PhD architecture courses in detail:
A full-time PhD program is a three-year program in which students must attend regular classes. The classes are held in person, and candidates will be required to visit the college to complete them.
A part-time PhD in architecture is the doctorate program for candidates who cannot commit to regular attendance. Applicants can study according to their schedules in this way.
PhD architecture is also available as a correspondence program. This course is available through correspondence from a variety of remote learning institutes. IGNOU is the most well-known of the distance learning institutions. PhD architecture through correspondence is advantageous for those who desire to get the degree while maintaining their current employment.
There are the few private institutes offering the course to admit the candidates based on their performance in a relevant entrance test followed by the round of the Personal Interview.
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You must be well aware of the
type of questions that are frequently asked in in the benefit
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A very good score in the
entrance test will increase your chances of getting admitted to a good
college.
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