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The Cambridge Department of Architecture has been ranked top by the Times Higher Educational Supplement in the UK’s Research Excellence Framework for research quality in a joint submission with Land Economy, one of four Cambridge University disciplines to have achieved first place in their respective Units of Assessment.

A doctoral degree at the Department of Architecture offers the opportunity for independent research under the supervision of a departmental member of staff.  Unless the candidate is part of a research group, the research is undertaken entirely by the candidate on their own, with regular supervision on progress with their supervisor.

The Department welcomes applications from postgraduates to undertake research towards a PhD in most areas, including Urban Studies, History and Theory of Architecture and Urbanism, Digital Media Design and Communication, Design, Technology and Natural Materials, Planning and Environment, but is unable to accept candidates for whom no supervisor is available.  The Department does not offer a taught PhD programme. Instead, it admits those applicants who meet the academic admissions criteria and whose research interests match those of an available member of the academic staff who is willing to act as the student's supervisor.

As well as the research and skills training programme and undergraduate teaching opportunities offered by the Department of Architecture, candidates have the opportunity to attend numerous training and personal development courses offered by the university.

The examination constitutes the oral examination of a thesis not exceeding 80,000 words for the PhD on a subject approved by the Degree Committee for the Faculty. 

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the programme, candidates will have acquired excellent skills, experience and knowledge to undertake postdoctoral work (research and teaching) or another related profession.

To continue to read for the PhD following an appropriate Master's degree, students must achieve a pass in the MPhil by Research or an overall total score of at least 70% in the MPhil by Advanced Study course. Continuation is also subject to the approval of the research proposal, and the availability of an appropriate supervisor.

The Postgraduate Virtual Open Day usually takes place at the end of October. It’s a great opportunity to ask questions to admissions staff and academics, explore the Colleges virtually, and to find out more about courses, the application process and funding opportunities. Visit the  Postgraduate Open Day  page for more details.

See further the  Postgraduate Admissions Events  pages for other events relating to Postgraduate study, including study fairs, visits and international events.

Key Information

3-4 years full-time, 4-7 years part-time, doctor of philosophy, department of architecture, course - related enquiries, application - related enquiries, course on department website, dates and deadlines:, michaelmas 2024.

Some courses can close early. See the Deadlines page for guidance on when to apply.

Funding Deadlines

These deadlines apply to applications for courses starting in Michaelmas 2024, Lent 2025 and Easter 2025.

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The Phd Research Programme at the Architectural Association

Vitruvius translator – and the missing source text.

Sokratis Georgiadis

MA HCT & PhD Debates: History in Translation. Marina Lathouri and Guest Speakers

Thursday 12 March | 4:00pm | 32 Bedford Square (First Floor Back)

In portraying the architecture of the temples, which make up the contents of Books 3 and 4 of Vitruvius’ “Ten Books on Architecture” and can be considered the core of this work, its author makes no secret of his dependence on Greece. But which were his sources? In the preface to his 7th book, he himself gives the names of more than 20 Greek architects who have written about their art before him; these writings, the oldest of which date back to the 6th century BC, are all lost today. Which of them he knew and used and to what extent we do not know. Nor is it likely that the Roman theorist and author of the “Ten Books” knew first-hand the architecture of which he wrote, not even the Greek architecture of southern Italy and Sicily. The source text Vitruviusʼ, is therefore not secure and this is a problem for his theory, but above all for its reception, i.e. the more than two-thousand-year-old tradition of European Vitruvianism.

Image : Delphi ex-Cnidienne. Photography by Sokratis Georgiadis

Graf, Fritz, “Pompai in Greece – Some Considerations about Space and Ritual in the Greek Polis,” in: Robin Hägg (ed.).  The Role of Religion in the Early Greek Polis , Stockholm 1996. 55-65.

Biography : Sokratis Georgiadis, born in 1949 in Thessaloniki (GR), studied architecture at the Technical University of Berlin and received his PhD from the University of Stuttgart. In the years 1987-1994 he held a research and teaching position at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), he also held temporary teaching posts at the Universities of Zurich and Bern. In 1994 he became Professor for Architectural Theory and Design at the Hochschule für Gestaltung in Berlin-Weissensee and, shortly after, Professor of Architecture and Design History at the State Academy of Art and Design Stuttgart where he taught until 2018. He lectured widely in Europe and North America, wrote articles for numerous architectural magazines and organized architectural exhibitions. His research interests include architectural history and theory in the 19th and 20th centuries and, more recently, Greek architecture of the archaic period. His studies on Sigfried Giedion include book publications (An Intellectual Biography 1989 [engl.1993], The Project of a New Tradition [co-editor of the exhibition catalogue, Museum für Gestaltung Zürich, 1989 / German], Introduction to Giedions’s “Building in France, Building in Iron, Building in Ferroconcrete” in the Text & Documents Series of the Getty Center for the History of Art and the Humanities, Epilogue to the German reprint of the same book [2000]) and numerous articles. He is presently working on the edition of the papers of Giedion’s unfinished book-project “Die Entstehung des heutigen Menschen” (1929-1938, The Growth of Contemporary Man).

Empathy and the Phenomenological Ethnography of Space

Thursday 30 January | 4:00pm | 32 Bedford Square (First Floor Back)

This lecture will address the Debates’ theme of history ‘in-translation’ in terms of an inquiry into three interrelated phenomena:  empathy ,  corporeity , and  spatiality . We will draw primarily on contemporary scholarship on the phenomenology of Edmund Husserl and Edith Stein on empathy ( Einfühlung ), and Jan Patočka and Maurice Merleau-Ponty on embodiment, in dialogue with the architectural theory of the late Dalibor Vesely. Beginning with this initial sketch of the philosophical problems, we consider concretely the question of the sense perceptual and empathic basis of the experience of the historical horizon of an ‘Other’s’ world, in terms of the expressive and communicative structures of corporeity and spatiality. The concrete, exemplary event that will guide our inquiry is a ritual practice of an Afro-Brazilian religion—called a Candomblé  caboclo reunião  of Tupikinim—situated in the periphery of the city of Salvador in the Brazilian Northeast. Our access to the ritual will be primarily through ethnographic descriptions of its spatiality, and thus implicated in our considerations is the question of the status of ethnography as a method and descriptive practice. Following the critiques of philosopher Valentin Mudimbe, we will foreground the ethical implications of the hermeneutic sense of empathy ( Einfühlung ) for ethnography. Mudimbe’s empathic thesis derived from hermeneutics, I propose, bears a certain affinity with anthropologist

Marilyn Strathern’s methodological grounding of ethnography in the concrete conditions of fieldwork and its ‘effects’. We will thus explore the question of the status of spatiality for ethnography in Strathern in relation to Mudimbe’s critique of ethnography’s historicity. The problems raised through a consideration of the above phenomenological and anthropological relations will guide us in investigating the tensions in the understandings of the relationship between historicity and spatiality for the shared, embodied experience of the ritual as exemplary, and its more general implications.

Image :   Caboclo  figurine on the ritual table. Salvador 2010. Photography by Tao DuFour

Marilyn Strathern, “The Ethnographic Effect I”, in  Property, Substance and Effect: Anthropological Essays on Persons and Things  (London: The Athlone Press, 1999), pp.1-26.

Klaus Held, “Husserl’s Phenomenology of the Life-World”, in  The New Husserl: A Critical Reader , edited by DonnWelton (Bloomington & Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 2003), pp.32-62.

Dermot Moran, “Edith Stein’s Encounter with Edmund Husserl and Her Phenomenology of the Person”, in  Empathy, Sociality, and Personhood: Essays on Edith Stein’s Phenomenological Investigations , edited by Elisa Magrì and Dermot Moran (Dordrecht: Springer, 2017), pp.31-47.

Tao DuFour, “Toward a Somatology of Landscape: Anthropological Multinaturalism and the ‘Natural’ World”, in  Routledge Research Companion to Landscape Architecture , edited by Ellan Braae and Henriette Steiner (London: Routledge, 2019), pp.156-170.

Valentin Mudimbe, “The Patience of Philosophy”, in  The Invention of Africa: Gnosis, Philosophy, and the Order of Knowledge  (Bloomington & Indianapolis: Indiana University Press, 1988), pp.135-186.

Biography : Tao DuFour   is Assistant Professor at the Department of Architecture at Cornell University. His work explores the overlaps between architecture, anthropology, and philosophy, building on his research on the phenomenology of Edmund Husserl. His current research is concerned with the question of architecture’s embeddedness in environmental histories. He holds a PhD and MPhil in the history and philosophy of architecture from the University of Cambridge, and a BArch from The Cooper Union. He is the author of  Husserl and Spatiality: Toward a Phenomenological Ethnography of Space  (Routledge, forthcoming 2020).

The Female Body Politic: Re-modelling The Book of the City of Ladies

Penelope Haralambidou

Thursday 13 February | 4:00pm | 32 Bedford Square (First Floor Back)

The paper will present my practice/drawing-led research, which focuses on two works by French late medieval author Christine de Pizan:  The Book of the City of Ladies , 1405; and  The Book of the Body Politic, c .1404-07. Conflating the act of writing a book – a thesis against institutional misogyny – with the construction of an imaginary city, the first work,  The Book of the City of Ladies,  has been seen as a proto-feminist manifesto. Although widely studied in terms of its literary significance, I focus on the under-researched architectural and urban allegory depicted in the text, which imagines a Utopia inhabited solely by women and constructed for them by a woman (de Pizan herself), as well as its accompanying illuminations (miniature illustrations) displaying three different stages of the foundation and physical construction of the city. Inspired by Aristotle’s  Politics  and revisiting the ancient Greek metaphor, by which a state or society and its institutions are conceived of as a biological human body, in the second work,  The Book of the Body Politic , de Pizan offers her version of a medieval political theory, which I attempt to connect with her allegorical city.

Image : Photograph by Andy Keate

Penelope Haralambidou (2016). ‘With-drawing Room on Vellum: The Persistent Vanishing of the Architectural Drawing Surface’. In Allen, L., Pearson L. (Eds.).  Drawing Futures: Speculations for Contemporary Art and Architecture  (pp.82–89). London UCL Press

Sandra L. Hindman. ‘With Ink and Mortar. Christine de Pizan’s Cite des Dames’. In:  Feminist Studies , Vol. 10, No. 3 (Autumn, 1984), pp. 457-483

Earl Jeffrey Richards. ‘Where are the men in Christine de Pizan’s City of Ladies. Architectural and Allegorical Structures in Christine de Pizan’s Livre de la Cite des Dames.

Biography : Penelope Haralambidou   is Associate Professor and Director of Communications at the Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL. She coordinates MArch PG24, where she promotes a highly innovative research-based teaching methodology that uses digital film and immersive environments to re-think architectural design through time. Her research employs architectural drawing, model-making and digital film as investigatory tools to analyse ideas and work, not only in architecture, but also visual representation, the politics of vision, art and cinema. Her work has been exhibited internationally, she is the author of the monograph  Marcel Duchamp and the Architecture of Desire  (London: Routledge, 2013), and she has contributed writing on themes, such as architectural representation, allegory, figural theory, stereoscopy and film to a wide range of publications. Her solo show, ‘City of Ladies’, presenting her practice-led research of Christine de Pizan’s proto- feminist text  The Book of the City of Ladies , 1405, was hosted by DomoBaal gallery in January–February 2020.

Animals, Architecture, and the Critique of Modernity

Kostas Tsiambaos

Although the representations of animals in architecture since 1900 receded, as positivism and functionalism prevailed, one can still notice various representations of animals in the work of modern and postmodern architects. From the goat in Hans Poelzig’s  Porzellanpavillon  (1922), and the pack-donkey in Le Corbusier’s  The City of Tomorrow  (1929), to the horse in Superstudio’s  Atti Fondamentali  (1972), and the dog in Lina Bo Bardi’s  Intermezzo per bambini  (1984) the animal, as a symbolic representation, comes to serve a critical-interpretive function. In my talk, I will focus on a few case studies in which the animal comes to question the form and content of architecture by pointing towards a meta-architectural future.

Image :  Massimo Scolari, The Solitary Sparrow, 1974

Spyros Papapetros,  The Birth of Design https://www .e-flux.com/architecture/superhumanity/68709/the-birth-of-design/

Boris Groys,  Romantic Bureaucracy: Alexander Kojeve’s post-historical wisdom  (in: Radical Philosophy 196, March/April 2016)

Efthymia Rentzou,  Animal  (Columbia University Press, 2016)

Biography : Kostas Tsiambaos is Assistant Professor in History & Theory of Architecture at the School of Architecture of the National Technical University in Athens (NTUA). He is Chair of do.co.mo.mo. Greece. He studied in Athens (NTUA) and New York (GSAPP Columbia University). His research has been published in international journals ( The Journal of Architecture ,  ARQ ,  Architectural Histories, AΡΕΝΑ JAR ) and international collective volumes. His recent books include  From Doxiadis’ Theory to Pikionis’ Work: Reflections of Antiquity in Modern Architecture  (London & New York: Routledge, 2018) and  Ambivalent Modernity: 9+1 texts on Modern Architecture in Greece  (Thessaloniki: Epikentro, 2017 – in Greek). He has also co-edited the exhibition catalogue  The Future as a Project: Doxiadis in Skopje  (Athens: Hellenic Institute of Architecture, 2018). In the fall semester of the academic year 2019-2020, he was a Stanley J. Seeger Visiting Fellow at Princeton University.

Geo-aesthetics of the Anthropocene

Thursday 23 January | 4:00pm | 32 Bedford Square (First Floor Back)

This seminar will explore aesthetics as central to the various issues debated today under the rubric of the Anthropocene. It will do so especially by attending to the ways in which the environment is aestheticised as part of political projects and by asking how these aestheticisations in turn engender, encourage and legitimise particular environmental interventions. In terms of its critical analytical objectives, the seminar aims to complicate flattening notions of humanity and universality that continue to characterise mainstream approaches to the Anthropocene in architecture and related disciplines.

Image :  View of a Coal Seam on the Island of Labuan  (engraved by L.C. Heath & lithographed by C.W. Giles, 1847)

Dilip da Cunha,  The Invention of Rivers: Alexander’s Eye and Ganga’s Descent  (Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2019)

Kathryn Yusoff,  A Billion Black Anthropocenes or None  (Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota Press, 2018)

Timothy Mitchell,  Rule of Experts: Egypt, Techno-Politics, Modernity  (Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 2002)

Biography : Eray Cayli, PhD (University College London, 2015), studies the aesthetics and geographies of political violence in Turkey anthropologically. His current research concerns with how these legacies shape and are shaped by contemporary discourses and practices around disaster and resilience. Eray is Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellow (2018-21) at London School of Economics and Political Science where he also teaches the postgraduate course ‘Imaging Violence, Imagining Europe’. He is currently completing a monograph tentatively titled  Victims of Commemoration: The Architecture and Violence of ‘Confronting the Past’ in Turkey , co-editing the volume  Architectures of Emergency in Turkey: Heritage, Displacement, Catastrophe , and guest-editing a special issue of the  International Journal of Islamic Architecture  themed ‘Field as Archive / Archive as Field’. Eray is a co-founder of Amed Urban Workshop, an independent academy for critical spatial research based in the city of Amed (officially known as Diyarbakır) in Turkey’s Kurdistan, where he also undertook a residency at the artist-run space Loading in summer 2019.

The Ecological Superblock

Aiman Tabony Supervisors: Michael Weinstock, George Jeronomidis

The rapid undergoing and coming climatic and ecological change coupled with rapid acceleration in population growth, raise doubts and concerns regarding the ability of the existing urban systems to adapt to the future change. Although, these changes represent key opportunity for using ecological based design superblocks. The research departs from a critical reflection on the work of Hilberseimer’s “Decentralized City “and Soleri’s “Arcology”, who considered the city and the superblock to be a single and unified ecological system. It contextualizes the research within the larger scope leading the focus to the investi- gation of ecology and its subfield, the ecosystem. This brings the study down to three dominant areas of research: ecology, computational ecology and urban design. Through the integration of System Dynamic modelling method in the design process, the research investigates the Implantation of ecological parameters coupled with morphological and metabolic parameter and process. The design methodology is proved by the development of a computational design model which integrates System Dynamics model And Evolutionary Design model. The model was examined through a set of design experiments of a superblock that is integrated with the flow of the dynamics of the climate and ecologi- cal system. The output of the design method is a multi-dimensional da- tascape, opening up new possibilities in the field of urban design and planning that are more robust to changes in the environmental context. 

Biography : Aiman Tabony is a researcher and the second generation architect in Dr Tabony Architects. An architecture and engineering office founded in Nazareth in the 1960s by his father. During the last two decades, Aiman has been the leading architectural agenda of the practice, building an extensive curriculum in the design of public buildings. From 2012 to 2013 Aiman was teaching in the Technion-Haifa, as member of the computational design group. Aiman moved to London in 2014 to continue developing his curriculum in architecture, computation and ecology as a PhD researcher at the Architectural Association in London. He develops his Thesis under the supervision of Dr. Michael Weinstock; founder and leader of the design research group Emergent Technologies EmTech at the Architectural Association, London. His research concentrates on the implementation of computational methods for design and fabrication of ecological architecture and urban design. Departing from the city understood as a dynamic complex system his work focuses on the development of dynamic system models for cities and how the development of these systems influences the architectural discourse at the scale of the urban block.

Lola Lozano Lara

Supervisors: Pier Vittorio Aureli, Maria Giudici

The thesis considers the notion of vicinity, observed within the historic and legislative context of housing in Mexico City. A  vecindad  in Mexico is a building typology that allows a group of households to share domestic facilities through a central street.  Vecindad  translates to neighbourhood, stemming from the Spanish  vecino  which in English means, both,  neighbour  and  close , alluding to proximity, a relationship of close distance. 

The thesis is an investigation of domestic space and the relentless and unplanned accumulation of itself in the metropolitan city, focusing in Mexico City as a model of this condition, highlighting the state of living in extreme vicinity and raising the question of sharing what is perceived as a finite resource in the metropolitan city: housing. The existing housing stock in Mexico City does not satisfy the volume of the population. The number of inhabitants is a factor, and yet it is not the root of the problem. The crisis is engrained within a political system of reigning bureaucracy, resulting in a way of life where misfortune is inevitable and normalised.

The study looks closely at the architecture typologies in which inhabitants have been housed within the city, paying close attention to how these result in the redistribution of space and services through necessity and commodification, rather than through design. The investigation traces the history of Mexico as a newly sovereign state, autonomous since the consolidation of its first Constitution in 1821, and provides an understanding of its initial housing legislation and the instrumental reforms that will follow to enable its current ruthless and futile development of real estate. The research responds to the need of finding ways to contain the population in metropolitan areas of unlimited and unstoppable physical growth, where a perception of scarcity is promoted in relation to space, wealth, infrastructure, and time – in turn, fostering the image of an unsolvable problem and justifying the dissolution of a possibility for domestic space.

Biography : Lola is a practicing architect working in London and Mexico City. She graduated from the AA Diploma, having previously completed her Bachelor studies at Newcastle University. Alongside her architectural practice, Lola is enrolled as PhD Candidate at the AA and teaches at various UK universities. She is Associate Lecturer at Oxford Brookes University co-leading DS7 on the MArchD course; Visiting Lecturer at the University of Westminster MA Interior Architecture; and collaborates with the BA Technical Studies and Professional Practice courses at the Bartlett and the AA.

Language and Sound: The Oracle of Delphi

Dorette Panagiotopoulou

Supervisors: Mark Cousins, Doreen Bernath

The thesis explores the space between voice, speech and writing though a study on the oracle of Delphi, an oral culture that is then transcribed and codified into written text. The manifold life of  sign  and  sound  (of language itself) as well as that of the  author  and the  receiver,  are attached by the material they share:  writing , a currency always in the throws of exchange. An ideology of writing and receiving, the relationship between sound, silence, and voice, is like all relations, about power. Does the voice have to submit to the written word? Was writing more like an act of  re-writing  or what we may call editing in the early period of the adoption of writing to speech, rather than a whole new way of representing language? The relationship of writer and receiver, sound and silence is one of domination but also – sometimes – one of commonality. 

Within the study of oracular statements and inscriptions at the temple of Delphi, I am developing a central question which concerns the tension between the narratives which describe it as an utterance by the Pythia and the oracle’s appearance, circulation, and dissemination in textual form – the tension here being between the spoken and the written word. The question of the oracle’s dissemination is a crucial one, as it presents a form of language or rather a cultural phenomenon that combines both literacy and orality. Even the Pythia’s language itself, emerges as neither deceptive nor crystalline, falling thus somewhere between the written and the illusory. There is one main concept that seems to link the two studies, specifically, inscription. The analysis of the letter “E” in Plutarch’s dialogue “On the E at Delphi”, leads to an understanding of inscription as something that acts as a lure or an invitation to investigate. The letter “E” takes the form of a pure symbol of judgment that evokes both the acts of interpretation and intuition in relation to truth. The Delphic inscription, mediated by Plutarch, has become a classic instance of the problem of interpretation. Not unlike oracular formulations that neither conceal nor reveal but indicate, inscription appears as both formal and hermeneutic. It entails the ability to say and to represent at the same time, while revealing the division or even blurring the lines that separate sign, form, and word. The very thing that is both seen and read is muted in the vision, and concealed in the reading. Thus, inscription bears a “not yet to say” and a “no longer to represent” that leads to the search for that force that produces a full meaning – one beyond the grasp of the linguistic – that utters the unspeakable through the “space” of emptiness and silence. 

Image : Juxtaposition of film still and the Temple of Apollo (Tacita Dean: Landscape, Portrait, Still Life, RA)

Biography : Dorette Panagiotopoulou has obtained a Masters degree in  Cultural and Intellectual History  at the Warburg Institute after having completed her Undergraduate Studies at the AA, from which she graduated in 2013 from Diploma unit 14. She is currently undertaking a PhD that examines the subject of the Delphic Oracle, under the supervision of Mark Cousins and Doreen Bernath, while teaching in the AA History and Theory Studies courses as a seminar tutor. She has previously worked at  Hopkins Architects  in London, as well as in the  Re-Activate Athens  project – a research and design initiative led by Urban-Think Tank studio based at ETH in Zürich in collaboration with the Onassis Foundation in Athens. She has also briefly worked on the report “ Rafah: Black Friday”  at Forensic Architecture based at Goldsmiths University. She is currently collaborating with a of group professors and architects from the Polytechnic School of Athens (NTUA) on a large project aimed to be realized in 2021 in Eleusis.

Towards Jerusalem: The Architecture of Pilgrimage

The thesis explores the ritual of sacred travel to the city of Jerusalem. It studies pilgrimage as a project in which the pilgrim, as a subject who is led by spiritual orientation, contributes to the appropriation of the cities and landscapes that he or she is perpetually crossing. While pilgrimage is indeed acknowledged as a journey in pursuit of a religious objective, it will nevertheless be studied, in this thesis, as a powerful social and cultural vector that often destabilized the economic, civic, and political conditions of the places of worship. The thesis will expand the definition of pilgrimage to Jerusalem by including a variety of analogous ‘Jerusalems’ that proliferated around the world as pilgrimage sites in their own right. As such, it will place the ritual of travel to the City of Jerusalem as a flexible practice that is not geographically confined but could be enacted by the varied combination of text, place, memory, and visual imagination—arguing for the possibility of relief from territorial confinement, and the violence it conceals. 

The thesis will unfold both chronologically and thematically in order to explore how the mentality of pilgrims and the scenography of pilgrimage has produced particular structures, landscapes, and representations that I refer to as the  Architecture of Pilgrimage.  Each of the five chapters looks both into a specific era in the history of Jerusalem pilgrimage (early Christianity, the Middle Ages, the beginning of Modernity and the 20th Century), as well as a particular theme, such as the fabrication of sacred landscapes, the intelligence of analogical thinking, the importance of movement in ritual, the politics of heritage and preservation, and the formation of collective memory. While these paradigmatic ideas did not necessarily originate in Jerusalem, the city’s condition allows their examination in a state of acceleration and saturation.

Methodologically, the thesis uses photography as a tool for architectural research and design, producing a travelogue composed of photographs and text. As documentation, this project will provide primary evidence of the current condition of Jerusalem pilgrimage. As representation, it will join a lineage of past endeavours that has used the medium of photography to frame spaces as a tool of architectural design. As a series,   the images will unfold along the itinerary of the thesis and form cartography of pilgrimage. As a project, it will trace, define, and speculate on a possible new route  Towards Jerusalem .

Image : Stations of the Cross in the Sacred Mountain of Varese, Italy. Photo by Gili Merin, 2018

Biography : Gili Merin is an architect and photographer She is a Diploma unit master at the AA, a lecturer for History and Theory of architecture at the Royal College of Arts, and a visiting professor in Syracuse University. She was trained as an architect, editor and researcher at OMA in Rotterdam, Kuehn Malvezzi in Berlin and Efrat-Kowalsky in Tel Aviv. Gili writes and photographs regularly for the Architects’ Journal, Frame Magazine and Haaretz newspaper. Her essays and reportages have been published in a number of print and online journals, amongst them the AA Files, MITs Thresholds, The Guardian and The Architectural Review.

The social factory: Social movements from autonomy to precarity

Enrica Mannelli

The thesis studies the evolution of the “social factory” and the related social movements that tackled this evolution. The concept of the social factory rises from a theory developed by Mario Tronti in early 1960 who claimed that in a Fordist society  “the whole of society lives as a function of the factory and the factory extends its exclusive domination to the whole of society” . Therefore, the history of the social factory is the evolution of an exploitative system, marked and challenged by a series of struggles led by the working class, the subject exploited. From an urban perspective, the Fordist social factory is the first moment that every single element of the city (such as factories, housing projects, and parks) and urban activity (working, dwelling, and leisure) is commodified and planned according to the main production system in order to fulfil the main goal of reproducing the labour force, i.e. making people productive. The urban history of the social factory – which this thesis sets out to trace – is the evolution of the city structure in relation to the evolution of the system. 

In the last 60 years, the working world has moved from a production system based on the factory assembly line to the contemporary “creative factory” that exploits not only intellectual labour but also the workers’ life as such; from  zoning  policies to a condition where we are unable to mark the spatial boundaries of the work field. As an illustration of this shift in the nature of work, Italy represents an exemplary and fast-paced case study while at the same time, Italian thinkers and practitioners of the 1960s and 1970s produced extensive theoretical and political contributions on this precise topic. Among them, the rejection of the system expressed by the Italian theories of autonomy and the Autonomia movement is the most interesting. 

Therefore, this research will analyse the structure of several Italian cities in relation to a particular shift within the evolution of the system: Turin, the factory; Bologna, the creative city; Rome, the autonomous social centre; and Milan, the cooptation of the autonomous social centre. In doing so, it questions the urban form in two ways: as an outcome of the capitalist system, reading urban planning as a means of capitalism itself; and as a contested spatiality in which the struggles of workers and citizens occur. Ultimately, this project questions the opportunity to tackle the contemporary Roman social factory through an urban policy to enable a system of social factory workshops. The latter is imagined as a critique of the Centro Sociale Occupato Autogestito (Self-managed occupied social centre; CSOA) that represent an important moment and space within the evolution of Italian theories of autonomy, and an opportunity to challenge the relentless nature of capitalism.

Image : Tano D’Amico, Girl and Guards, Rome (1977)

Biography : Enrica Mannelli is an architect. She graduated in Architecture in Rome (2008) and holds a Master of Arts in Housing and Urbanism from the Architectural Association (2017). As a firm believer in the importance of acquiring hands-on experience alongside academic study, she worked in a number of firms of different sizes, methods, and ambitions: among them, she collaborated with Cino Zucchi Architetti in Milan and Lynch Architects in London. She is currently working between Rome and London while pursuing her PhD by Design.

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Architecture

• Entry year 2024
• Duration Full time 3 Years, Part time 6 Years

The PhD in the Architecture programme at Lancaster University offers a unique opportunity to draw from a range of topics within Architecture and the wider build environment. We particularly welcome proposals for interdisciplinary PhD subjects aimed at combating current and future challenges. Our research at the School of Architecture is underpinned by three areas of concern :

• Future Practice
• Digital Crafts
• The Climate Crisis

Expert supervision

As a PhD student, you will normally be supervised by two experienced staff members, one of whom will be in the School of Architecture and will be an expert in your academic field. Frequently, a second supervisor will be selected from a different discipline, depending upon your chosen subject focus.

Your supervisory team is selected to give the best possible academic support for your topic and hence each supervisory team is as individual as you are. During the period of your doctoral studies, your supervisory team will be there to provide structured guidance, advice, support and encouragement through regular supervisory meetings.

Fascinating research topics

Previously the team in the Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts, where Architecture is based, have supervised PhD projects on:

• the growth of spontaneous, informal settlements
• using tracking sensors to measure interaction dynamics in the workplace
• people’s cognition and experience of urban environments
• using eye-tracking to understand the effect of visual stimuli on how we move through cities
• the effect of the spatial layout of museums and galleries on memory and attention
• the use of a smart phone, game environment, to investigate the effect of landmarks in city design

Join a vibrant community

As a PhD student based in the Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts (LICA) and part of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), you will be part of a multidisciplinary community of research students, able to participate in seminars, reading groups, conferences, and research training courses. We also offer opportunities to study for a certificate in higher education teaching.

Our School of Architecture has close links with ImaginationLancaster , an open and exploratory research lab that conducts applied and theoretical research into products, places and systems – using innovative strategies including disruptive design techniques that combine traditional and social science methods with practice-based methods arising from the arts.

We encourage you to contact the PhD in Architecture programme coordinator Professor Richard Brook to discuss your ideas for PhD research.

Alternatively, for general enquiries, please get in touch with the LICA postgraduate coordinator .

We run regular events featuring talks and discussions with leading experts on the theme of Technology, Environment and Architecture (TEA talks!). Visit our TEA talks webpage to find out more and sign up for the next event.

Your department

• Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
• Telephone +44 (0)1524 510563

Our new School of Architecture

Our lecturers talk about the benefits of studying and working within the new School of Architecture at Lancaster University.

A collaborative campus

Adam Blaney (Lecturer in Responsive Architecture) finds that a campus-based university provides opportunities for collaboration and sharing resources.

Reflections for the future

Dr Mirian Calvo (Lecturer in Participatory Architecture) discusses how establishing a new school of Architecture enables fresh reflection about practice and skills for future architects.

Building a new School of Architecture

Dr Ana Costa (Senior Lecturer in Architecture) finds unique opportunities in the development of a new School of Architecture from scratch.

Creative Arts Facilities at Lancaster University

As a student within LICA, you will have access to a range of state-of-the-art facilities and equipment to catalyse your studies.

Entry requirements

Academic requirements.

Master’s Degree: Master’s degree or equivalent in an appropriate discipline

Undergraduate Degree: 2:1 (Hons) degree (UK or equivalent) in an appropriate discipline

We may also consider non-standard applicants, please contact us for information.

If you have studied outside of the UK, we would advise you to check our list of international qualifications before submitting your application.

Additional Requirements

As part of your application you will also need to provide

• A PhD Proposal form, which you can find on the Departmental website . You will need to upload your completed proposal form to your online application.

Practice based Research applicants are also required to submit a portfolio

English Language Requirements

We may ask you to provide a recognised English language qualification, dependent upon your nationality and where you have studied previously.

We normally require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 6.5, and a minimum of 6.0 in each element of the test. We also consider other English language qualifications .

If your score is below our requirements, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language programmes .

Contact: Admissions Team +44 (0) 1524 592032 or email [email protected]

Fees and funding

The tuition fee for students with home fee status is set in line with the standard fee stipend provided by the UK Research Councils. The fee stipend for 2024/25 has not yet been set. For reference, the fee stipend for 2023/24 was full-time £4,712 and part-time £2,356.

The international fee for new entrants in 2024/25 is full-time £21,082 and part-time £10,541.

General fees and funding information

There may be extra costs related to your course for items such as books, stationery, printing, photocopying, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits. Following graduation, you may need to pay a subscription to a professional body for some chosen careers.

Specific additional costs for studying at Lancaster are listed below.

College fees

Lancaster is proud to be one of only a handful of UK universities to have a collegiate system. Every student belongs to a college, and all students pay a small College Membership Fee  which supports the running of college events and activities. Students on some distance-learning courses are not liable to pay a college fee.

For students starting in 2023 and 2024, the fee is £40 for undergraduates and research students and £15 for students on one-year courses. Fees for students starting in 2025 have not yet been set.

Computer equipment and internet access

To support your studies, you will also require access to a computer, along with reliable internet access. You will be able to access a range of software and services from a Windows, Mac, Chromebook or Linux device. For certain degree programmes, you may need a specific device, or we may provide you with a laptop and appropriate software - details of which will be available on relevant programme pages. A dedicated  IT support helpdesk  is available in the event of any problems.

The University provides limited financial support to assist students who do not have the required IT equipment or broadband support in place.

For most taught postgraduate applications there is a non-refundable application fee of £40. We cannot consider applications until this fee has been paid, as advised on our online secure payment system. There is no application fee for postgraduate research applications.

For some of our courses you will need to pay a deposit to accept your offer and secure your place. We will let you know in your offer letter if a deposit is required and you will be given a deadline date when this is due to be paid.

The fee that you pay will depend on whether you are considered to be a home or international student. Read more about how we assign your  fee status .

If you are studying on a programme of more than one year’s duration, the tuition fees for subsequent years of your programme are likely to increase each year. Read more about  fees in subsequent years .

Scholarships and bursaries

You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status and course. You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.

Unfortunately no scholarships and bursaries match your selection, but there are more listed on scholarships and bursaries page.

If you're considering postgraduate research you should look at our funded PhD opportunities .

We also have other, more specialised scholarships and bursaries - such as those for students from specific countries.

Browse Lancaster University's scholarships and bursaries .

Similar courses

• Architecture (Master of) MArch

Professional accreditation

The Master of Architecture (Part 2) is fully accredited by the Architects Registration Board (ARB).

The Master of Architecture is a Candidate course for the RIBA. Candidate Status from the RIBA builds on ARB prescription of our Master of Architecture course, giving current and potential students confidence that the programme will not only provide a route to professional registration, but will give them an enriching educational and vocational experience.

Imagination Lancaster

ImaginationLancaster is an open and exploratory research lab that investigates emerging issues, technologies and practices to advance knowledge and develop solutions that contribute to the common good. We conduct applied and theoretical research into products, places and systems – using innovative strategies including disruptive design techniques that combine traditional and social science methods with practice-based methods arising from the arts.

Architecture at Lancaster

An inspiring campus environment

Important information.

The information on this site relates primarily to 2024/2025 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information .

Our Students’ Charter

We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies .

Why Lancaster?

League tables and reputation

A highly-ranked university with a global reputation.

Colleges and community

Your college will be your home away from home.

Careers and employability

Career support for our students through university and beyond.

Student life

Lancaster has so much to offer. On our campus, in our city and in our community, you’ll find your place – whoever you are.

Where is Lancaster?

Lancaster is easy to get to and surrounded by natural beauty.

The campus and the city

Our campus and the surrounding area is a great place to call home.

Your global experience

Build your global community on campus and around the world.

Wellbeing and support

Services to help you fulfil your potential at Lancaster.

Alternatively, use our A–Z index

Attend an open day

Discover more about this subject area

PhD Architecture

Year of entry: 2024

• View full page
• Bachelor's (Honours) degree at 2:1 or above (or overseas equivalent); and
• Master's degree in a relevant subject - with an overall average of 60% or above, a minimum mark of 60% in your dissertation (or overseas equivalent)

Full entry requirements

Apply online

Please ensure you include all required supporting documents at the time of submission, as incomplete applications may not be considered.

Application Deadlines

For consideration in internal funding competitions, you must submit your completed application by 19 January 2024.

If you are applying for or have secured external funding (for example, from an employer or government) or are self-funding, you must submit your application before the below deadline to be considered. You will not be able to apply after this date has passed.

• For September 2024 entry: 30 June 2024

Programme options

Programme overview.

• Ranked 7th in the world and 2rd in the UK for Architecture (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2022).
• Explore the complex processes and practices that run through the development, adaption and use of built environments.
• Enjoy supervision by leading specialists and research-active staff who provide a supportive and stimulating working environment.
• Become part of one of the best research communities in the UK with an excellent reputation for variety, vitality, and quality of work.

The University holds regular open days , where you will have the opportunity to tour the campus and learn more about our facilities and programmes. On this day, you will find out more about the School, our resources, and meet academic and admissions staff who will be able to answer any questions you have.

For entry in the academic year beginning September 2024, the tuition fees are as follows:

• PhD (full-time) UK students (per annum): £6,000 International, including EU, students (per annum): £21,500
• PhD (part-time) UK students (per annum): £3,000 International, including EU, students (per annum): £10,750

Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.

Your fees will cover the cost of your study at the University, as well as charges for registration, tuition, supervision, examinations and graduation (excluding graduation robe hire).

Payment of tuition fees will also entitle you to membership of The University of Manchester library, the Students' Union and the Athletic Union.

Scholarships/sponsorships

There are a range of scholarships, studentships and awards to support both UK and overseas postgraduate researchers, details of which can be found via the links below.

To apply University of Manchester funding, you must indicate in your application the competitions for which you wish to be considered. The deadline for most internal competitions, including School of Environment, Education and Development studentships is 19 January 2024.

All external funding competitions have a specified deadline for submitting the funding application form and a separate (earlier) deadline for submitting the online programme application form, both of which will be stated in the funding competition details below.

For more information about funding, visit our funding page to browse for scholarships, studentships and awards you may be eligible for.

• ESRC North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (NWSSDTP) PhD Studentships 2024 Entry
• School of Environment, Education and Development Postgraduate Research Studentships 2024 Entry
• AHRC North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership (NWCDTP) PhD Studentships 2024 Entry
• China Scholarship Council - The University of Manchester (CSC-UoM) Joint Scholarship Programme 2024 Entry
• Trudeau Doctoral Scholarships 2024 Entry
• Commonwealth PhD Scholarships (High Income Countries)
• School of Environment, Education and Development Enhancing Racial Equality (SERE) Studentship 2024 Entry
• Humanities Doctoral Academy Humanitarian Scholarship 2024 Entry
• Commonwealth PhD Scholarships (Least Developed Countries and Fragile States)
• President's Doctoral Scholar (PDS) Awards 2024 Entry

Contact details

Programmes in related subject areas.

Use the links below to view lists of programmes in related subject areas.

• Architecture

Entry requirements

Academic entry qualification overview, english language.

• IELTS test minimum score - 7.0 overall, 7.0 in writing, 6.0 in other sections.
• TOEFL (internet based) test minimum score - 100 overall, 25 in all sections.
• Pearson Test of English (PTE) UKVI/SELT or PTE Academic minimum score - 76 overall, 76 in writing, 70 in other sections.
• To demonstrate that you have taken an undergraduate or postgraduate degree in a majority English speaking nation within the last 5 years.
• Other tests may be considered.

English language test validity

Some English Language test results are only valid for two years. Your English Language test report must be valid on the start date of the programme.

Other international entry requirements

We accept a range of qualifications from different countries. For these and general requirements including English language see entry requirements from your country.

The University requires you to reside within a commutable distance from Manchester during your time as a registered student, unless you are on approved fieldwork/a formal placement or are on a period of Submission pending. This is to ensure that you are able to meet attendance expectations and participate in wider research activities within your discipline area and/or School.

Application and selection

How to apply, advice to applicants.

• Develop your own research proposal and project title.
• Find a supervisor by browsing our academics' profiles, and reach out directly to discuss if they are interested in supporting your research.
• Consider how you plan on funding your research and discuss this with your supervisor.
• A 1,500 word  PhD research proposal. Please state the word count on page 1 of the document.
• Copies of the academic transcript and certificate from both your Bachelor's and Master's degrees. If your Master's degree is pending, please provide an interim transcript;
• An up to date academic CV, detailing your education and qualifications; employment history; publications; and any other relevant information.
• You must nominate two academic referees (including one from your most recent institution). Your referees will be contacted directly via the Referee Portal following submission of your application form. You may wish to contact your referees to request they submit your reference in a reasonable timeframe as this forms part of the review process;
• International applicants must additionally provide English Language evidence (e.g IELTS).

Interview requirements

The interview is designed to assess your knowledge and understanding of the broad topic area, the viability of your proposed research and its intellectual contribution, alongside the fit of your project with the supervisory team. You also may be asked to identify and address any potential ethical considerations in relation to your proposed research, and discuss how best to progress your ideas in line with University of Manchester ethics guidance.

The interview panel will consist at minimum of your primary supervisor and an independent interviewer.

Re-applications

In your new application you should demonstrate how your application has improved. We may draw upon all information from your previous applications or any previous registrations at the University as a student when assessing your suitability for your chosen programme.

Programme details

Programme description.

PhD Architecture is based within the Manchester Architecture Research Group (MARG) , and looks beyond technical design to the complex processes and practices that run through the development adaptation and the use of built environments. 

We traverse the disciplinary boundaries of architecture, the humanities, and social sciences to open new areas of architectural research, create new standards of architectural study, and craft new conceptual language to inform and influence architectural policy.

Sitting within the School of Environment, Education and Development, and the Manchester Urban Institute, allows us to benefit from synergies with Planning, Property and Environmental Management, Geography, and several other disciplines. 

Through these connections, we have developed a distinctive expertise based on theoretical experimentation, methodological rigour, empirical attention, and a hands-on study of architectural practice, building technology and techniques of architectural representation and mapping. 

Our research themes include: 

• architectural history and theory;
• networks of architectural expertise;
• social studies of architecture;
• the politics of urban infrastructures.

We have specialist and research-active staff who provide a rich and stimulating environment for everyone. Many staff are practicing, or have practised, as architects and have strong links with the architecture community in Manchester and beyond. 

Although we welcome applications on any subject, we are particularly keen to receive research proposals on topics including: 

• the politics of construction;
• architecture and climate transformations;
• urban infrastructure and global transformations;
• political economy of architecture and politics of design;
• art, architecture and architectural curating;
• architectural collections, archives and exhibitions;
• anthropology of design and construction practices;
• technologies, media and innovations in architecture: epistemological and political implications;
• architecture's globalization and material politics of infrastructure;
• digital theory and history of architecture;
• political economy of architecture.

Special features

Our research crosses disciplines to open new areas of architectural research. 

As a PhD candidate in the Manchester School of Architecture , you'll also be part of the School of Environment, Education and Development  (SEED), a unique interdisciplinary collaboration between the disciplines of Architecture, Education, Geography, International Development, and Planning, Property and Environmental Management. 

What unites us is a shared commitment to highlight and address the uneven relationships between societies, economies and the environment. We want to better understand the world in which we live, and to offer solutions to the problems within it. 

We acknowledge that a complex and interconnected world presents many challenges for analysts, but researchers in SEED are pioneering new evidence, measures, concepts and theories to address these challenges in practice. 

SEED's world-leading research is rooted in everyday life but international in relevance and scope, addressing social, economic and environmental concerns across the globe. 

Our PhD and professional doctorate research community, grouped around a range of dynamic Centres and themes, is central to the SEED research agenda across all our disciplines. 

To further this agenda, we need fresh input and clear thinking from a fully engaged, curious, critical, and socially aware PGR community. 

We're not here simply to 'supervise' - we seek to discover and co-produce new knowledge with students as our partners. 

You will become part of a talented, energetic, committed and supportive academic and postgraduate research community.

Additional programme information

Equality, diversity and inclusion is fundamental to the success of The University of Manchester, and is at the heart of all of our activities.

We know that diversity strengthens our research community, leading to enhanced research creativity, productivity and quality, and societal and economic impact.

We actively encourage applicants from diverse career paths and backgrounds and from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation and transgender status.

All appointments are made on merit.

The University of Manchester and our external partners are fully committed to equality, diversity and inclusion.

Teaching and learning

When you become a postgraduate researcher, you'll join a diverse and vibrant community of doctoral students from nearly 100 different countries, all studying within the Faculty of Humanities.  

You'll be assigned to a specific research grouping that complements your research interests and have access to a variety of interdisciplinary research institutes. 

Our working environments are often spacious and open plan, giving you plenty of opportunities to communicate with colleagues and staff within the School, you will have your own desk space as well as access to our fantastic range of libraries on campus. 

All our academic supervisors are research active and will support you to work on challenging research problems and develop rigorous, creative and original research. You can expect to meet with your supervisor at least once a month to discuss progress on your project. 

As a postgraduate researcher, you'll have access to a large and diverse community of internationally-recognised academic experts offering an environment that will stimulate intellectual debate and development. 

We provide additional financial support for activities related to your PhD, including: 

• presenting at international conferences;
• attending workshops that provide relevant professional opportunities;
• conducting fieldwork in the UK and overseas.

Scholarships and bursaries

We receive money from a range of sources to help you fund your research and have a variety of awards on offer, covering tuition fees and a generous stipend. 

Within the University we offer many school and departmental studentships as well as the President's Doctoral Scholar award . 

Many research students receive funding externally from places such as research councils, foundations and international government funding bodies. 

Application deadlines for internal funding opportunities are often at the beginning of February for programmes starting the following September, and many external funders have earlier application deadlines. 

If you're planning to apply for a scholarship or award that is not attached to a particular project, you'll normally need to hold an offer of a place from the University before applying. 

Search for current funding opportunities by country and research programme using our funding database search tool . 

The UK government now offers doctoral loans  for those studying PhDs and equivalent doctoral programmes including professional doctorates. The loan is for a maximum of £25,000 over the duration of the course. 

UK nationals who are ordinarily residents in England, aged 59 or under, who are not already receiving funding via a UK Research Council, are eligible.

What our students say

Discover what it's really like to conduct postgraduate research at The University of Manchester on our student spotlights page.

Disability support

Practical support and advice for current students and applicants is available from the Disability Advisory and Support Service.

For more information, email  [email protected]

Career opportunities

As a postgraduate researcher, you'll have access to a 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 prepare 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 a range of workshops, covering areas such as: 

• increasing research impact through blog posts;
• making the most of social media;
• publishing in journals;
• applying for fellowships;
• designing academic posters;
• improving time and self-management. 

In addition, our Humanities training hub -  ProGRess@humanities  - gives you additional training opportunities within the University. You can choose courses in public engagement, wellbeing, language training and teaching, alongside more specialist courses in tools and software such as Python, R and NVivo. 

methods@manchester , 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 organised 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 career development. 

We have established Postgraduate Researcher Exchange programmes 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. 

Successful applicants will receive some funding towards travel expenses, accommodation, subsistence, education materials and/or other education-related costs for anything from two weeks to a three-month visit. 

For more information, see training and development  

Careers support  

The University has its own dedicated Careers Service that you would have full access to as a student and for two years after you graduate. At Manchester you will have access to a number of opportunities to help boost your employability .

Architecture PhD

Most students complete this programme in 4 years full-time.

Study a PhD in a department that integrates architecture and civil engineering research to take on the complex challenges of creating a more sustainable world.

You can carry out your doctoral research in a range of interests in our Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering. Our research expertise is grouped into four centres to which your PhD research topic will be linked. Our centres are:

• Centre for Bioengineering & Biomedical Technologies
• Centre for Climate Adaptation & Environment Research (CAER)
• Centre Digital, Manufacturing & Design (DMADE)
• Centre for Integrated Materials, Processes & Structures (IMPS)
• Centre for Regenerative Design & Engineering for a Net-Positive World (RENEW)
• Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems (SES)

Find out what our research graduates go on to do

Find out more about our research

• Programme structure

Most students complete this programme in 4 years. You cannot take less than 2 years to finish your research and the maximum time you are allowed is normally 4 years.

You may register for the PhD for four years but if you are awarded a studentship, funding is usually tenable for three or three-and-a-half years. Most students are able to complete within this time.

You may also start mid-year, subject to agreement with your supervisor and the Doctoral College.

Occasionally we make changes to our programmes in response to, for example, feedback from students, developments in research and the field of studies, and the requirements of accrediting bodies. You will be advised of any significant changes to the advertised programme, in accordance with our Terms and Conditions.

Your academic progress and general welfare will be monitored by your supervisor.

Academic milestones

• Registration
• Candidature
• Confirmation
• Give notice of intention to submit a thesis / portfolio
• Submission for examination
• Examination (Viva Voce)
• Examiners report
• Final submission of thesis / portfolio
• Programme content
• Doctoral skills online
• Doctoral skills workshop
• Research project
• Supervisory team

Research content

We believe in an interdisciplinary and collaborative approach to our research. As such, we carry out research with other departments in the university, mostly Mechanical Engineering , Electronic & Electrical Engineering , Chemical Engineering , Management , and Computer Science .

We are open to a wide range of ideas and want to hear where you’d like to focus your research. Our academics are especially interested to hear how your research could build on their existing work or about a new topic in their current subject areas.

Professional Development

Professional development is a crucial element of doctoral study, not only in supporting your research but also as part of your longer term career development. Our DoctoralSkills workshops and courses will help you build your skills and help you succeed in your doctorate.

Read more about professional development support

Assessment methods

Assessment description.

You’ll join the Department as a member of the research centre that best fits your broad research interest and as agreed on acceptance.

Most of our research students register as probationers for the PhD programme to begin with. Your PhD registration is confirmed subject to your passing an assessment process. This normally involves submitting written work and an oral examination. There is also an alternate by paper route which can be discussed with the Faculty.

We expect you to carry out supervised research at the forefront of your chosen subject, which must then be written up as a substantial thesis. Presenting your research findings is an important part of research training so we encourage you to prepare papers for publication throughout your PhD.

The final stage of the PhD programme is the oral or viva voce examination, where you must defend your thesis to a Board of Examiners.

• Entry requirements

Academic requirements

First or 2:1 honours degree (or equivalent) in an appropriate subject.

See the International students website for details of entry requirements based on qualifications from your country.

All non-native speakers of English are required to have passed English language tests.

If you need to develop your English language skills, the University’s Academic Skills Centre offers a number of courses.

English Language requirements

• IELTS: 6.5 overall with no less than 6.0 in all components
• The Pearson Test of English Academic (PTE Academic): 62 with no less than 59 in any element
• TOEFL IBT: 90 overall with a minimum 21 in all 4 components

You will need to get your English language qualification within 24 months prior to starting your course.

If you need to improve your English language skills before starting your studies, you may be able to take a pre-sessional course to reach the required level.

Two references are required. At least one of these should be an academic reference from the most recent place of study.

• Fees and funding

Fees and funding information for Architecture PhD

Your tuition fees and how you pay them will depend on whether you are a Home or Overseas student.

Learn how we decide fee status

Tuition fees are liable to increase annually for all University of Bath students. If you aren't paying your fees in British pounds, you should also budget for possible fluctuations in your own currency.

Find out more about student fees

Funding options

Find funding for Doctoral research

Payment options

You can pay your tuition fees by Direct Debit, debit card, credit card or bank transfer.

Paying your tutition fees

• Application information
• Programme title Architecture PhD
• Final award PhD
• Mode of study Full-time
• Course code REAR-AFM04
• Department Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering
• Faculty of Engineering & Design
• Location University of Bath Claverton Down, Bath BA2 7AY

3 months prior to the intended start date (for international applicants) or 2 months prior to the intended start date (for home applicants). For example, for an end of September start, the deadline is 30 June (international) and 31 July (home).

• Regulator The Office for Students (OfS)

Applicant profile

The PhD programme is an integral part of the Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering and we welcome successful applicants as junior academic colleagues rather than students. We expect you to play a full and professional role in contributing to the Department’s objective of international academic excellence.

We seek applications from outstanding individuals from anywhere in the world. You should be strongly committed to carrying out high-quality academic research in any of the disciplinary areas covered by our research centres.

Your application should include:

• a description (1-2 pages) of proposed research (unless applying to an advertisement)
• identification of a knowledge gap within the subject area and how you intend to fill it
• an indicative timeline of work for discussion with your potential supervisor

See our guide about how to apply for doctoral study

Selection process

You’ll be interviewed by the lead supervisor and at least one other relevant academic; this is typically done virtually and not in person. You will need to meet the minimum requirements of academic and language standard.

Immigration requirements

If you are an international student, you can find out more about the visa requirements for studying in the UK .

For additional support please contact the Student Immigration Service for matters related to student visas and immigration.

• Programme enquiries

Doctoral Admissions

• Apply for this programme
• Related programmes
• Architecture PhD part-time
• Architecture Practice-led PhD part-time

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Architecture (Science) PhD

• Full-time: 3 years
• Part-time: Not available
• Start date: Multiple available
• UK fees: £5,100
• International fees: £28,600

Research overview

This PhD addresses the core of architecture including design as research, and research that supports and stimulates design. Research is undertaken collaboratively on a multinational basis with industry, engineers and other research groups.

Entry requirements

All candidates are considered on an individual basis and we accept a broad range of qualifications. The entrance requirements below apply to 2024 entry.

Meeting our English language requirements

If you need support to meet the required level, you may be able to attend a presessional English course. Presessional courses teach you academic skills in addition to English language. Our  Centre for English Language Education is accredited by the British Council for the teaching of English in the UK.

If you successfully complete your presessional course to the required level, you can then progress to your degree course. This means that you won't need to retake IELTS or equivalent.

For on-campus presessional English courses, you must take IELTS for UKVI to meet visa regulations. For online presessional courses, see our CELE webpages for guidance.

Visa restrictions

International students must have valid UK immigration permissions for any courses or study period where teaching takes place in the UK. Student route visas can be issued for eligible students studying full-time courses. The University of Nottingham does not sponsor a student visa for students studying part-time courses. The Standard Visitor visa route is not appropriate in all cases. Please contact the university’s Visa and Immigration team if you need advice about your visa options.

We recognise that applicants have a variety of experiences and follow different pathways to postgraduate study.

We treat all applicants with alternative qualifications on an individual basis. We may also consider relevant work experience.

If you are unsure whether your qualifications or work experience are relevant, contact us .

Our step-by-step guide contains everything you need to know about applying for postgraduate research.

Additional information for international students

If you are a student from the EU, EEA or Switzerland, you may be asked to complete a fee status questionnaire and your answers will be assessed using guidance issued by the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) .

These fees are for full-time study. If you are studying part-time, you will be charged a proportion of this fee each year (subject to inflation).

There are many ways to fund your research degree, from scholarships to government loans.

Check our guide to find out more about funding your postgraduate degree.

Researcher training and development

The Researcher Academy is the network for researchers, and staff who support them. We work together to promote a healthy research culture, to cultivate researcher excellence, and develop creative partnerships that enable researchers to flourish.

Postgraduate researchers at Nottingham have access to our online Members’ area, which includes a wealth of resources, access to training courses and award-winning postgraduate placements.

Graduate centres

Our graduate centres are dedicated community spaces on campus for postgraduates.

Each space has areas for:

• socialising
• computer work
• kitchen facilities

Student support

You will have access to a range of support services , including:

• academic and disability support
• childcare services
• counselling service
• faith support
• financial support
• mental health and wellbeing support
• visa and immigration advice
• welfare support

Students' Union

Our Students' Union represents all students. You can join the Postgraduate Students’ Network or contact the dedicated Postgraduate Officer .

There are also a range of support networks, including groups for:

• international students
• black and minority ethnic students
• students who identify as women
• students with disabilities
• LGBT+ students

SU Advice provides free, independent and confidential advice on issues such as accommodation, financial and academic difficulties.

Where you will learn

Department of architecture and built environment.

You’ll study in the Department of Architecture and the Built Environment, a collection of beautiful buildings like Lenton Firs (pictured) set in a scenic park.  The buildings are clustered around the quadrangle with a café and space for outdoor activities at the heart.  The Part 2 course has dedicated studio space for all students with the Centre for 3D design nearby, providing a wide range of equipment and support for model-making and built projects. 

University Park Campus

University Park Campus  covers 300 acres, with green spaces, wildlife, period buildings and modern facilities. It is one of the UK's most beautiful and sustainable campuses, winning a national Green Flag award every year since 2003.

Most schools and departments are based here. You will have access to libraries, shops, cafes, the Students’ Union, sports village and a health centre.

You can walk or cycle around campus. Free hopper buses connect you to our other campuses. Nottingham city centre is 15 minutes away by public bus or tram.

Whether you are considering a career in academia, industry or haven't yet decided, we’re here to support you every step of the way.

Expert staff will work with you to explore PhD career options and apply for vacancies, develop your interview skills and meet employers. You can book a one-to-one appointment, take an online course or attend a workshop.

International students who complete an eligible degree programme in the UK on a student visa can apply to stay and work in the UK after their course under the Graduate immigration route . Eligible courses at the University of Nottingham include bachelors, masters and research degrees, and PGCE courses.

Completing a research degree with us will ensure that you develop transferable skills that will be beneficial in a number of different careers. Graduates within the faculty have gone on to have successful careers as:

• researchers
• production managers and directors
• IT and telecommunication professionals
• business, research and administrative professionals
• science, engineering and production technicians
• natural and social science professionals

Discover our research with Architecture, People and Design

Discover how our research changes the world around us.

Related courses

Architecture (social science) phd, architecture design (social science) phd, building technology phd, research excellence framework.

The University of Nottingham is ranked 7th in the UK for research power, according to analysis by Times Higher Education. The Research Excellence Framework (REF) is a national assessment of the quality of research in UK higher education institutions.

• 90%* of our research is classed as 'world-leading' (4*) or 'internationally excellent' (3*)
• 100%* of our research is recognised internationally
• 51% of our research is assessed as 'world-leading' (4*) for its impact**

*According to analysis by Times Higher Education ** According to our own analysis.

This content was last updated on 20 July 2023 . Every effort has been made to ensure that this information is accurate, but changes are likely to occur between the date of publishing and course start date. It is therefore very important to check this website for any updates before you apply.

• Postgraduate Research

Architecture PhD / MPhil

• Part time available: yes

Studying in:

• School of Architecture
• School of Arts
• Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

The Liverpool School of Architecture (LSA) is an internationally recognised centre for architectural and built environment research.

Why study with us?

I chose the University of Liverpool for my PhD study because it was one of the highest-ranking universities for architectural research in the UK, and its Faculty members are very knowledgeable. The training gave me research skills and knowledge that I will use in future projects, and will benefit my academic career. Dr Mai Khalfan - Architecture PhD student

of our research impact classified as 'outstanding' (4*) or 'very considerable' (3*) in the latest Research Excellence Framework (2021)

University School of Architecture in the UK to be accredited by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA).

in the sector for research classified as 'world leading' (4*) or 'internationally excellent' (3*) in the latest Research Excellence Framework (2021)

The Liverpool School of Architecture was established in 1894 and became the first University in the UK to award a RIBA accredited degree in Architecture. As one of the UK's premier centres for architectural research and education, we are proud of our long tradition and position in the world of Architecture, both nationally and internationally.

Research within the LSA is structured under the two overarching headings of History and Theory and Environment and Digital Architecture. History and Theory consists of two inter-related research groups that address the cultural and historical context of architecture and the visual arts. The Architectural and Urban History Group investigates historic and developing architecture in relation to cities and urban contexts, with an international perspective and a developing emphasis on heritage. 

The  Centre for Architecture and the Visual Arts  (CAVA) is a forum for collaborative research with cultural partners such as Tate Liverpool, National Museums Liverpool and the Foundation for Art and Creative Technology. Environment and Digital Architecture consists of two research groups: Acoustics Research Unit (ARU)  and Sustainable Environments Research Group (SERG) . 

ARU is internationally recognised for its research into airborne and structure-borne sound in the fields of engineering and building acoustics, psychoacoustics, human vibration (including vibrotactile stimuli), environmental noise, industrial acoustics (sonic cleaning) and the subjective evaluation of sound and vibration in the built environment. Excellent experimental and modelling resources are available in the ARU’s dedicated laboratory facilities.

DARG focuses on the use of emerging digital technologies in the design, construction and maintenance of the built envrionment as well as the impact of these technologies on education, creative processes, collaboration between different professions, virtual prototyping and production methods.  

SERG investigates sustainable built environments and the interactions between the performance of the built environment and the processes, complexities and uncertainties that can influence that performance, including the risks associated with adaptation and mitigation strategies for responding to future climates.

Research themes

Our research themes are:

• Architectural History
• Sustainable Architecture 
• Portable Architecture
• City in Film
• Transnational Architecture
• Engineering Acoustics
• Digital Architecture.

Our Postgraduate Research Centre provides personal work stations, dedicated work and study spaces and a comfortable, open plan space where our students can meet. Our computing facilities include a selection of the major CAAD environments.

There's also a well-equipped physical modelling workshop, equipment for digital video film and editing, and specialist science and engineering areas including sound transmission suites, an anechoic chamber, a lighting laboratory with artificial sky and computer laboratories.

All facilities are supported by our technicians.

Research groups

• Acoustics Research Unit (ARU)
• Digital Architecture Research Group (DARG)
• Sustainable Environments Research Group (SERG)

Study options and fees

The fees stated in the table above exclude potential research support fees also known as ‘bench fees’. You will be notified of any fee which may apply in your offer letter.

* Please note that if you are undertaking a PhD within the Faculty of Science and Engineering the fee you pay, Band A or Band B, will reflect the nature of your research project. Some research projects incur a higher fee than others e.g. if you are required to undertake laboratory work. You will be informed of the fee for your programme in your offer letter.

^ Self-funded, full-time international students studying a PhD programme classified as Band A will receive a £2,000 reduction in their fees for the first year only.

Entry requirements

For research degree programmes the typical minimum entry requirement is a Bachelors degree (with Honours) at 2:1 level or better in an appropriate field of study. Equivalent overseas degrees together with an acceptable English language qualification are also accepted. Individual consideration is given to mature students with significant and relevant experience with professional qualifications. PhD students are allowed to progress into their next year of study if the assessed work at the time of the Annual Progress Report is at appropriate PhD level. Students registered for an MPhil also have to satisfactorily complete an Annual Progress Report.

English language requirements

How to apply.

Research degree applications can be made online.  You'll also need to ensure that you have funding to cover all fees.

Applications are  open all year round .

More about applying for research degrees

Apply online

Before you apply, we recommend that you identify a supervisor and develop a research proposal

Find a supervisor

• Dr Barnabas Calder
• Dr Fei Chen
• Dr David Chow
• Dr Andrew Crompton
• Mr Jack Dunne
• Dr Steve Finnegan
• Professor Carl Hopkins
• Dr Marco Iuliano
• Professor Iain Jackson
• Mr Mike Knight
• Professor Richard Koeck
• Dr Torsten Schmiedeknecht
• Professor Andre Brown
• Professor Neil Jackson
• Professor Robert Kronenburg
• Dr Rosa Urbano-Gutierrez
• Professor Stephen Sharples
• Professor Soumyen Bandyopadhyay

View staff list

Need help finding a supervisor? Contact us

• Postgraduate Support Team
• Email: [email protected]

Related studentships: self-funded and funded PhD projects

Related doctoral training partnerships.

Doctoral Training Partnerships support future researchers with funding and a rewarding learning environment where you can collaborate with leading researchers.

• ERDF Low Carbon Eco-Innovatory (LCEI)

Find a scholarship

We offer a range of scholarships to help you meet the costs of studying a research degree.

See scholarships

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• Studentship vacancies

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Architectural Design MPhil/PhD

London, Bloomsbury

This programme encourages the development of architectural research through the combination of designing and writing. You present a thesis consisting of a project and a text that share a research theme and a productive relationship. The project may be drawn, filmed, built, or made using whatever media is appropriate.

UK tuition fees (2024/25)

Overseas tuition fees (2024/25), programme starts, applications accepted.

• Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class UK Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard, in a relevant subject, is essential. Exceptionally: where applicants have other suitable research or professional experience, they may be admitted without a Master's degree; or where applicants have a lower second-class UK Honours Bachelor's degree (2:2) (or equivalent) they must possess a relevant Master's degree to be admitted. We expect any successful application to include a sufficiently strong and convincing proposal, and those holding a Master's degree are typically well prepared to provide one. Relevant work experience is highly desirable.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website .

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

This doctoral programme encourages the development of architectural research through the creative combination of designing and writing.

The Architectural Design thesis consists of projects and texts that share a research theme and have a productive relationship. The projects may be drawn, written, filmed, constructed, or make use of whatever media is appropriate to the research subject.

Integrating varied research methods, the thesis emphasises the creative interdependence of drawing, writing, and building in the development of innovative practices and theories of architecture.

You will have the option of auditing modules from  Architectural History MA , led by Professor Peg Rawes.

You are also encouraged to take advantage of the variety of skills development courses run by the  UCL Doctoral School  and the  UCL Centre for Languages & International Education . 

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change.

Who this course is for

Students are expected to be independent thinkers, in order to make an original contribution to knowledge and expand the disciplinary discourse in their field of inquiry. They should be reflective within the shifting boundaries of their discipline and the rapidly changing nature of the architectural profession, and aware of how these are affected by societal and institutional challenges. The research proposal is crucial to our decision on your application since it demonstrates your ability to identify and articulate an independent line of research inquiry.

What this course will give you

The Bartlett School of Architecture is one of the world's most exciting architecture schools, in one of its most inspiring cities. Our name stands for provocative ideas, boundary-pushing research and high-achieving lecturers and students.

We are a multi-disciplinary department with researchers active in architectural design, architectural history, urban studies and space syntax, who bring together approaches from the arts, humanities, social sciences and engineering to the study of architecture. 

91% of research at The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment has been deemed ‘World Leading’ and ‘Internationally Excellent’, and the faculty is number one for Research Power in the built environment (Research Excellence Framework 2021).

We offer specialisations in architectural and urban design, history and theory, criticism and technology, and place strong emphasis on innovative research across disciplinary boundaries. Our internationally renowned and award-winning design and research work is published and exhibited at galleries and events worldwide, helping our students become the most sought after in Europe. An inspiring programme of lectures and seminars by international academics and practitioners is supplemented by workshops and access to advanced digital fabrication tools. Our central London location makes us ideally placed for architectural education, research and practice, in close proximity to an exceptional concentration of built environment firms and related agencies.

The foundation of your career

Graduate study at The Bartlett School of Architecture is enriched by our contact with a vibrant community of specialist consultants and research associates in industry and academia.

Located in central London, we collaborate on projects with a variety of national and international research centres and public engagement institutions.

Our students also benefit from the most advanced and extensive facilities available in any similar faculty in the EU. This combination of networks, knowledge and technical expertise makes our graduates some of the most sought after in the world.

Employability

Our graduates find employment in a wide range of careers as built environment professionals including academia, government, public service, policy formation and media worldwide.

We provide an increasing number of networking opportunities for our students, including book launches and social events, lectures, collaborative projects and visits.

Teaching and learning

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) consists of a piece of supervised research, normally undertaken over a period of three years full-time.

Students have the option of auditing modules from Architectural History MA , subject to availability.

Students are also encouraged to take advantage of the variety of skills development courses run by the UCL Doctoral School and the UCL Centre for Languages & International Education . 

Assessment is by means of a thesis, which should demonstrate your capacity to pursue original research based upon a good understanding of the research techniques and concepts appropriate to the discipline.

Initially, you will be registered for the MPhil degree. If you wish to proceed to a PhD, you will be required to pass an 'Upgrade' assessment. The purpose of the upgrade is to assess your progress and ability to complete your PhD programme to a good standard and in a reasonable time frame. It is expected that a full-time student will attempt upgrade within 18 months of registration.

Architectural Design thesis submissions combine a design project and a text of typically 60,000 to a maximum of 100,000 words. 

Primarily, you are expected to conduct independent research, with guidance and supervision. The programme places emphasis on a close one-to-one working relationship between you and your supervisor. Your Principle Supervisor will establish a timetable of regular meetings with you at which all matters relating to you work can be discussed.

Research areas and structure

Read about recent PhD student research projects on Issuu .

The research activities of our staff can be viewed on UCL’s Institutional Research Information Service .

Research environment

Supervision and mentorship is typically available from researchers with national and international contacts and collaborations across policy, government, industry and academic sectors. These links provide real opportunities to network and collaborate with a variety of external partners. You will usually have the opportunity to showcase your research at national and international conferences. You may lead your own networking initiatives such as the Bartlett Film, Place, Architecture Network, which organises seminars and workshops for staff and students. You will usually also gain access to networking events, career workshops and seminars held by the Bartlett School of Architecture.

The MPhil/PhD Architectural Design and Architectural and Urban History and Theory routes jointly run a series of events which you will be expected to attend. There are 'Research Conversations', fortnightly work-in-progress seminars and reviews for new MPhil/PhD students, and 'Research Projects', annual PhD conference and exhibition with invited critics as respondents, organised by the AUHT and AD programmes of The Bartlett School of Architecture.

You will be expected to undertake independent research, with supervision and guidance, and normally are also expected to attend structured courses to learn about research methods in the field.

The programme encourages the development of architectural research through the combination of designing and writing. You will typically be required to present a thesis consisting of a project and a text that share a research theme and a productive relationship. The project may be drawn, filmed, built, or make use of whatever media is appropriate. 

The programme encourages the development of architectural research through the combination of designing and writing. You will typically be required to present a thesis consisting of a project and a text that share a research theme and a productive relationship. The project may be drawn, filmed, built, or make use of whatever media is appropriate.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk . Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing team .

Fees and funding

Fees for this course.

Route code RRDBARSADE01

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees .

Additional costs

As a research student, your additional costs may include expenses such as books, conference attendance and field research, in the UK or overseas.

The Built Environment Faculty Office provides financial support to students through the Bartlett Student Conference Fund, Bartlett Doctoral Initiative Fund, Bartlett External Training Fund and Bartlett Extenuating Circumstances Fund. However, please note that these funds are limited and available through competition. 

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs .

Funding your studies

UCL offers a range of financial awards aimed at assisting both prospective and current students with their studies.

Any additional funding available from the Bartlett School of Architecture and the Built Environment Faculty Office are advertised on the respective websites.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website .

Bartlett Promise PhD Scholarship

Deadline: 19 May 2024 Value: Full fees, plus £19,668 maintenance (Normal duration of programme) Criteria Based on financial need Eligibility: UK

UCL Research Opportunity Scholarship (ROS)

Deadline: 12 January 2024 Value: UK rate fees, a maintenance stipend, conference costs and professional development package (3 years) Criteria Based on both academic merit and financial need Eligibility: UK

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2024-2025

Year of entry: 2023-2024, got questions get in touch.

Bartlett School of Architecture

[email protected]

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PhD, MPhil, MRes Architecture

Research opportunities.

The Department of Architecture's research portfolio is varied, covering the vast area between buildings and cities performance analysis, assessment and design. Our research staff bring to this area a rich tapestry of specific interests and expertise which our PhD students complement and help expand.

W e are keen to receive applications from prospective students that match both our current areas and individual expertise. We are also interested in receiving proposals that bring new questions to the table.  

Who we are: our research

The research and innovative expertise of the Department  of Architecture spans:

• physical and social sciences, addressing design for resilient energy and healthy environments and systems
• building performance and evaluation
• urban science analytics and design
• retrofit, conservation and heritage

Our research reflects the multi and trans-disciplinary nature of architecture and urbanism. It focuses on real-world problems and improving peoples’ lives. We're leading the way to a more sustainable future in response to government, industry and societal needs and we are at the forefront of research on how people and cities interact in a rapidly urbanising climate-changed world.

View our current research opportunities

Intelligent maritime systems: advancements in situational awareness through artificial intelligence.

The project aims to develop a digitalization and automation framework for marine systems, enhancing cost-effectiveness, safety, and autonomy through digital twins. Objectives include algorithm development for data extraction, minimizing computational costs. This innovative platform integrates techniques like generative AI and sensor fusion, empowering research in predictive maintenance and system health analysis in collaboration with industry partners ensuring practical validation.

Accelerating the UK Offshore Wind Development by Design for Manufacturability

This project aims to develop a Design for Manufacturability (DFM) approach for floating offshore wind structural components to ensure that designs are not only structurally robust but also suitable for cost-effective volume production.

Hybrid Ocean Renewables in a Changing Climate

The project aims to integrate individual ocean renewable energies into a comprehensive hybrid system under the impact of climate change.

John Anderson Research Studentship Scheme (JARSS)

John Anderson Research Studentship Scheme (JARSS) doctoral studentships are available annually for excellent students and excellent research projects.

There are two main sources of funding:

• Central University funding
• Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council - Doctoral Training Partnership (EPSRC - DTP) funding.

The JARSS 2023/2024 competition will open in October 2023 and students successful in this competition will commence studies in October 2024. Faculties will set their own internal deadlines for the competition.

Academics/Supervisors make the applications for this scheme and there are various deadlines across the Department and Faculties, therefore, in the first instance, all interested students should contact the Department where they would like to carry out their research.

Our students

Our students come from a range of International and national Universities and practices, providing a vibrant jigsaw of viewpoints and bringing to the table really interesting and important challenges. This is what makes our PGR cohort so special. 

Anosh's story

Anosh travelled from Pakistan to study his Masters degree at Strathclyde. Watch his story in the video below to find out why he stayed to do a PhD in Architecture!

Any student who comes in, they are part of a research community and a thriving research culture, which is supported by professional development programs, research workshops and courses that are offered by the Department of Architecture.

Read more about Anosh

Students' research

Below you can explore some of our postgraduate students' research. This small exhibition features students at different stages of their progress as well as some more established ‘journeys’.

Ammar Alayudin

Building Information Modelling (BIM) For Existing Building: Proposed Methodologies To Assess Thermal Mass In Existing Reinforced Concrete Buildings

Ahmed Alsaedi

Adaptive Façades for Residential Buildings

Dalia Aly Gaafar Aly

Sustainable Management of Public Parks in Cairo

Developing a Transdisciplinary Collaboration Framework (TCF) for Nature-Based Design (NBD) of Sustainable Buildings

Samuel Etopidiok

Cultural identity preservation: a theoretical framework for the preserving of the cultural identity of heritage buildings and architectural identity in a society overtaken by modernisation

Classification and Evaluation Methods of Modern Urban Industrial Heritage Landscape: A Case Study of Shaanxi Province, China

Laura Moldovan

Social and Spatial Implications of Battery Energy Storage Installations in Scotland

Seabo B. Morobolo

Culture and Space Transformation – A Decolonial Approach

Khaleel Odeh

Adoption of Digital Twins and Outcome-Based Policies to Bridge the Building Energy Performance Gap

Madhavi Patil

The Role of Urban Form in the Perception of Density

Carolina Rigoni

An urban management framework based on the spatial analysis of global economies A retrospective of urban form through Urban Morphometrics analysis

Parastoo Zali

Facilitating the Navigation for Older People with Sensory Impairment Through Accessible Design of the Built Environment

Fees & funding

All fees quoted are per academic year unless otherwise stated.

Entrants may be subject to a small fee during the writing up period.

Fees may be subject to updates to maintain accuracy. Tuition fees will be notified in your offer letter.

All fees are in £ sterling, unless otherwise stated, and may be subject to revision.

Annual revision of fees

Students on programmes of study of more than one year (or studying standalone modules) should be aware that tuition fees are revised annually and may increase in subsequent years of study. Annual increases will generally reflect UK inflation rates and increases to programme delivery costs.

Please note: the fees shown are annual and may be subject to an increase each year.

My journey at Strathclyde University is not only about facilities, courses, and awards, it is about challenges and opportunities that only come through thoughtful, talented, friendly, and outstanding people. I wholeheartedly encourage you to join our PhD programme. You will have incomparable lifetime research and academic experience.

Supervisors

Architecture, technology & environmental systems, urban design & analytics, conservation & heritage, construction law & digital construction, support & development.

When you arrive as a newly enrolled student, you'll receive a set of inductions organised by the University via the Doctoral School, the Faculty and the Department. These will help you familiarise yourself with the city and the campus facilities, and the process of conducting research with us.

As part of the PhD, you will be required to complete, over the 3 years, a PgCert in Researcher Development.

The University Also offers an exciting range of activities and courses which you can select to build up both your specialist and general skills for research. From this year, with the help of past students, we have decided to tailor it to Architecture and the Built environment, and also include a set of activities aimed at involving you proactively into the life of the Department of Architecture.

Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher Professional Development (PgCert RPD)

As part of your PhD degree, you'll be enrolled on the Postgraduate Certificate in Researcher Professional Development (PgCert RPD). 

This certificate is designed to support you with your research and rewards you for things you'll do as a research student here.

It'll help you improve skills which are important to professional development and employability:

• knowledge and intellectual abilities to conduct your research
• personal qualities to succeed in your research and chosen career
• standards, requirements and conduct of a professional researcher in your discipline
• working with others and communicating the impact of your research to a wide range of audiences

All you have to do is plan these activities alongside your doctorate, documenting and reflecting your journey to success along the way.

Find out more about the PgCert RPD programme .

The University Careers Service can help you with everything from writing your CV to interview preparation.

Student support

From financial advice to our IT facilities, we have a wide range of support for all students here at Strathclyde.  Get all the information you need at Strathlife .

Studying in the Department of Architecture

Students conduct the majority of their work in the Postgraduate Research Suite, where each has a dedicated desk with IT facilities and comfortable personal space. Communal areas allow for research group meetings, shared presentations and discussions, both formal and informal. The University also offers a wider range of teaching and meeting spaces which our students use regularly. 

Activities & events

As part of the PGR cohort, you will be often invited to attend wider Departmental events, such as our recent workshop on Urban Morphometrics. These will tend to reflect the research interests within the Department and related stages of development.

Our PGR cohort is extremely active in bringing a range of opportunities to our doorstep, reaching out to the many available across and outside the University, and tailoring them to their particular needs. For example, we have organised sessions on career development, writing effective CVs, Sustainable Development Goals, architectural history, coding, and urban analysis… in fact, we have a fantastic rich calendar of events, again produced and managed by our super talented students.

As part of the postgraduate research (PGR) cohort, you will be often invited to attend wider Departmental events, such as our recent workshop on Urban Morphometrics. These will tend to reflect the research interests within the Department and related stages of development.

Disseminating our work

We want our PGR students to disseminate and discuss their work right, front and centre! This is why are encourage them to attend and be involved in the organisation of conferences, put together their own events, and take part in national or international opportunities with colleagues.

As a department, we offer a contribution toward both conferences, which can be matched by the University Travel Fund, and some support towards student-led activities.

Seabo Morobolo

Seabo Morobolo attended the 14th SANORD 2022 International Conference in Polokwane, South Africa in December, 2022 under the theme "Finding Solutions: The nexus between SDGs and South-North Partnerships." She presented a paper titled " Integrating Indigenous Knowledge Systems: possibility or illusion, under the subtheme of Indigenous Knowledge Systems: merging epistemologies."

Dalia Aly 

Dalia Aly attended Sustainability GEN-4 Post COP 27 Conference in Cairo, Egypt in January 2023 with the presentation “The application of facilities management in the management of public parks: the case of Cairo”.

Dalia Aly has also recently won the first prize (Outstanding) in an international competition organised by Building & Cities for videos of their research, to explain ‘why it matters’. Anosh Butt, Madhavi Patil, and Krishnokoli Dutta also had entries. View all the videos at the Buildings & Cities website .

Postgraduate research at the Strathclyde Doctoral School

The Strathclyde Doctoral School provides a vibrant and comprehensive student-centred research and training environment in order to grow and support current and future research talent.

The School encompasses our four faculties and is committed to enriching the student experience, intensifying research outputs and opportunities, and ensuring training is at the highest level. As a postgraduate researcher, you'll automatically become a member of the Strathclyde Doctoral School.

The 2024/25 annual tuition fees for this course are:

For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide .

For students continuing on this programme fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.* If you are uncertain about your fee status please contact [email protected] .

Your fee status

The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from  UKCISA  before applying.

General information

For students continuing on this programme, fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.* 

Additional costs

General additional costs.

Find out more about  general additional costs  that you may pay when studying at Kent. 

Search our scholarships finder for possible funding opportunities. You may find it helpful to look at both:

• University and external funds
• Scholarships specific to the academic school delivering this programme.

We have a range of subject-specific awards and scholarships for academic, sporting and musical achievement.

Ready to apply?

Applications are considered throughout the year, though typically enrolment occurs in September or January. You will need two academic references before your application can be considered. References must come directly from the referee, and should not be forwarded by the applicant themselves. Please also submit a thorough and well-presented proposal. Your research proposal will be forwarded to one of our two research centres: The Centre for research in European Architecture, which specialises in the history, theory and practice of architecture and urban design; or to CASE, the Centre for Architecture and Sustainable Environment. We recommend taking a look at your proposed Centre’s website and showing, in your proposal, how your work will link with that of the Centre you choose. If you have proposed supervisor in mind, please state this in your application. Your application must include a proposal of about 500 words that makes at least brief reference to a number of key points:

• Your research questions
• Your proposed research methods
• The background to your research and current work in the field
• Your suggested schedule of work, in outline
• Your proposed contribution to the work of our research centre environment
• A bibliography of existing texts in the field of your proposed research

We welcome applications in the field of research through design, for example from practising architects, designers, and artists. Best wishes and good luck with your application, The Director of Graduate Studies and the Postgraduate Admissions Team

Learn more about the  application process  or begin your application by clicking on a link below.

You will be able to choose your preferred year of entry once you have started your application. You can also save and return to your application at any time.

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PhD opportunities

Birmingham School of Architecture and Design PhD Opportunities

PhD study within the Birmingham School of Architecture & Design sits within the Faculty of Arts, Design & Media doctoral research college . We carry out research across the scales of designed environment disciplines that we offer in the School, from landscape architecture through to product design. Research is typically situated within our internationally recognised Urban Cultures research cluster and the multidisciplinary research, design and consultancy hub CATiD (Critical Artistic Thinking in Design). We see design as a way of finding things out and value practice as a route toward PhD study. We are interested in research with application to real world situations alongside more speculative experimental propositions and are particularly supportive of interdisciplinary practice.

We offer a range of PhD routes and welcome original research undertaken through a written format thesis and/or creative practice-led research. Our PhD opportunities will be of particular interest to architects, landscape architects, interior architecture and design practitioners and product designers who have developed their practice to a high level. It will also be a valuable pathway for Masters level graduates both from BCU and other institutions nationally and internationally.

A PhD in the Birmingham School of Architecture and Design offers you the opportunity for personal development, to celebrate, reflect on and further develop your practice and research, and to further develop your career. The programme supports you to develop critical thinking and research skills through the PGCert in Research Practice. All routes will require you to conduct a piece of unique PhD research, submit a thesis for examination and sit an oral exam (viva voce) in which you defend your thesis before a panel of experts.

Practice-led PhD

Are you exploring an original or significant idea, theory or practice to a high level but find the thought of writing a traditional thesis daunting? The practice-led PhD is aimed at practitioners from product design to architecture to landscape and urbanism wishing to develop their creative practice through an independent   practice-led research project. This route offers the opportunity to enhance your own practice while embedded in the workplace through a sustained period of study on a proposed project of your own design. A substantial part of your thesis may be original creative outputs, for example an artefact, exhibition, performance or design (such as a building, landscape, product, interior etc). This is complemented by a rigorous written commentary setting the study within a broader practice, historical and conceptual field .

Written format PhD

Do you want to develop advanced knowledge or expertise in a specific research area? The written format PhD is a programme of independent self-directed academic research which makes an original and rigorous contribution to knowledge in the form of a written and illustrated thesis. The research may take the form of social, historic or theoretical research and could use qualitative and/or quantitative methodologies. This route offers you the opportunity to develop advanced knowledge and expertise led by your research interests enabling you to further your career in an academic or professional environment. You will be encouraged to attend and present your work at conferences, symposia and professional events appropriate to your discipline areas. Your thesis will take the form of an (up to) 80,000 word illustrated written document.

Modes of study

Our PhD programmes are offered full-time (typically 3-4 years) and part-time (typically 4-7 years). We do also consider proposals for part-time distance learning. These modes of study ensure that we can create a suitable PhD research plan around your lifestyle needs, even if you are in full-time employment.

Current PhD candidates

• Emma Collett
• Yifeng Liao
• Peter Douglas Osborne
• Wenhao Fang
• Xiaohan Xing
• Isabelle Uner
• Holly Doron
• Rachitra Gunatilake
• Samira Muller
• Xiaorui Zhang
• Rameetha Hussain

Recent graduates

• Dr Huichao Feng
• Dr Jenny Peevers
• Dr Maya Jaber
• Dr Mai Alhasawi
• Dr Martha Lopez
• Dr Soha Alzaid
• Dr Rowan Watson
• Dr Michael Dring
• Dr Tamadhar Alfahal

Find out more

Further information about study, funding and application for a PhD at BCU is available from the Faculty of Arts Design and Media’s Art & Design PhD page . For an informal discussion about the Architecture & Design PhD programme and potential funding routes at Birmingham City University, please contact:

• Prof Rachel Sara (Oscar Naddermier Professor of Architecture, Urban Cultures cluster lead)
• Dr Hocine Bougdah  (Director of Technical Studies and Sustainability, Research Degrees Coordinator)

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Architecture by Design PhD

Awards: PhD

Study modes: Full-time, Part-time

Funding opportunities

Programme website: Architecture by Design

Discovery Day

Join us online on 18th April to learn more about postgraduate study at Edinburgh

View sessions and register

Research profile

The Architecture by Design PhD offers you the opportunity to pursue design-led research at the highest level. The words ‘by design’ refer to your mode of:

• interpretation

Therefore, it is important to understand how your ‘by design’ method informs and directs a thesis over a particular research duration, and how the development of your ‘by design’ methodology is not only an important aspect of the thetic process, but also important to how your thesis is finally presented.

Research topics

This PhD can be pursued through many lines and techniques of architectural inquiry, spanning:

• sustainability
• conservation
• communication
• environment
• information technology
• digital media

Research output

Your output must contain original works such as:

• photographs
• installations

You must include documentation of the processes by which the work was produced.

Your research culminates in a professionally presented text of not more than 50,000 words and a comprehensive record of the exhibited material (images, drawings, photographs) contained in a coherent and archivable format (bound thesis and/or CD/DVD).

Programme structure

The PhD programme comprises three years full-time (six years part-time) research under the supervision of an expert in your chosen research topic within Architecture by Design. This period of research culminates in a supervised thesis of up to a maximum of 50,000 words. In addition to the thesis you would be required to submit a body of design work including studies, sketches and maquettes.

Regular individual meetings with your supervisor provide guidance and focus for the course of research you are undertaking.

You will be encouraged to attend research methods courses at the beginning of your research studies.

For every year you are enrolled on programme you will be required to complete an annual progression review.

Training and support

All of our research students benefit from Edinburgh College of Art's interdisciplinary approach, and you will be assigned at least two research supervisors.

Your first/ lead supervisor would normally be based in the same subject area as your degree programme. Your second supervisor may be from another discipline within Edinburgh College of Art or elsewhere within the University of Edinburgh, according to the expertise required. On occasion more than two supervisors will be assigned, particularly where the degree brings together multiple disciplines.

Our research culture is supported by seminars and public lecture programmes and discussion groups.

Tutoring opportunities will be advertised to the postgraduate research community, which you can apply for should you wish to gain some teaching experience during your studies. But you are not normally advised to undertake tutoring work in the first year of your research studies, while your main focus should be on establishing the direction of your research.

You are encouraged to attend courses at the Institute for Academic Development ( IAD ), where all staff and students at the University of Edinburgh are supported through a range of training opportunities, including:

• short courses in compiling literature reviews
• writing in a second language
• preparing for your viva

The Scottish Graduate School for Arts and Humanities ( SGSAH ) offers further opportunities for development. You will also be encouraged to refer to the Vitae research development framework as you grow into a professional researcher.

You will have access to study space (some of which are 24-hour access), studios and workshops at Edinburgh College of Art’s campus, as well as University wide resources.

There are several bookable spaces for the development of exhibitions, workshops or seminars. And you will have access to well-equipped multimedia laboratories, photography and exhibition facilities, shared recording space, and to recording equipment available through Bookit the equipment loan booking system.

You will have access to high quality library facilities. Within the University of Edinburgh, there are three libraries; the Main Library, the ECA library and the Art and Architecture Library. The Centre for Research Collections which holds the University of Edinburgh’s historic collections is also located in the Main Library.

The Talbot Rice Gallery is a public art gallery of the University of Edinburgh and part of Edinburgh College of Art, which is committed to exploring what the University of Edinburgh can contribute to contemporary art practice today and into the future. You will also have access to the extraordinary range and quality of exhibitions and events associated with a leading college of art situated within a world-class research-intensive university.

St Cecilia’s Hall, which is Scotland’s oldest purpose-built concert hall, also houses the Music Museum which holds one of the most important historic musical instrument collections anywhere in the world.

In addition to the University’s facilities, you will also be able to access wider resources within the City of Edinburgh. These include:

• National Library of Scotland
• Scottish Studies Library and Digital Archives
• City of Edinburgh Libraries
• Historic Environment Scotland
• National Trust for Scotland.

You will also benefit from the University’s extensive range of student support facilities provided, including student societies, accommodation, wellbeing and support services.

PhD by Distance option

The PhD by Distance is available to suitably qualified applicants in all the same areas as our on-campus programmes.

The PhD by Distance allows students who do not wish to commit to basing themselves in Edinburgh to study for a PhD in an ECA subject area from their home country or city.

There is no expectation that students studying for an ECA PhD by Distance study mode should visit Edinburgh during their period of study. However, short term visits for particular activities could be considered on a case-by-case basis.

For further information on the PhD by Distance please see the ECA website:

• PhD by Distance at Edinburgh College of Art

Entry requirements

These entry requirements are for the 2024/25 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2025/26 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2024.

Normally a UK masters degree or its international equivalent. If you do not meet the academic entry requirements, we may still consider your application on the basis of relevant professional experience.

You must also submit a research proposal and a portfolio; see How to Apply section for guidance.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country
• English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.0 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced ( CAE ) / C2 Proficiency ( CPE ): total 185 with at least 169 in each component.
• Trinity ISE : ISE III with passes in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 70 with at least 59 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS , TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE , in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old* at the beginning of your programme of study. (*Revised 05 March 2024 to extend degree validity to five years.)

Find out more about our language requirements:

Fees and costs

Additional costs.

Because this is a ‘by design’ PhD it should be expected that you will incur extra expenses for any of the experimental design processes you undertake, for example:

• 3D printing
• large-scale models
• specialist printing
• conventional printing
• workshop materials
• specialist equipment hire

Tuition fees

Scholarships and funding, featured funding.

• Edinburgh College of Art scholarships

UK government postgraduate loans

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments.

The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on:

• your programme
• the duration of your studies
• your tuition fee status

Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.

• UK government and other external funding

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding

Further information

• Edinburgh College of Art Postgraduate Research Team
• Phone: +44 (0)131 651 5739
• Contact: [email protected]
• Postgraduate Research Director, Dr Dorian Wiszniewski
• Contact: [email protected]
• Edinburgh College of Art Postgraduate Office Student and Academic Support Service
• The University of Edinburgh
• Evolution House, 78 West Port
• Central Campus
• Programme: Architecture by Design
• School: Edinburgh College of Art
• College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Select your programme and preferred start date to begin your application.

PhD Architecture by Design - 3 Years (Full-time)

Phd architecture by design - 6 years (part-time), phd architecture by design by distance - 6 years (part-time), phd architecture by design by distance - 3 years (full-time), application deadlines.

If you are applying for funding or will require a visa then we strongly recommend you apply as early as possible. All applications must be received by the deadlines listed above.

• How to apply

You must submit two references with your application.

One of your references must be an academic reference and preferably from your most recent studies.

You should submit a research proposal that outlines your project's aims, context, process and product/outcome. Read the application guidance before you apply. If you wish to undertake research that involves practice then a portfolio will also be required, full details are listed in the application guidance document.

• Preparing your application - postgraduate research degrees (PDF)

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:

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• Current PhD Research in the Department overview
• Ibrahim Abdou: Cairo’s Vacant Houses: Trajectories of accumulation, regulation, and improvisation
• Karam Alkatlabe: How can Digital Participatory Planning and Collaborative Urban Design reshape the urban recovery process in post-disaster cities? The case of Damascus
• Sam Aitkenhead: The unintended consequences of designing out friction from the home of the future
• Anna Michelle Behr: Understanding the English Country House Hotel: Early Hotel Conversions in the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries
• Anna Boldina: Urban Hiking. Factors that can persuade pedestrians to choose more physically challenging routes in urban environment, in connection with their physical abilities overview
• Fatma Beyza Celebi: Cosmopolitan Nostalgia: Examining local memory in contemporary Istanbul focusing on spatial and visual representations of the city’s cosmopolitanism in the 1920s and 1930s
• Michael Collins: The transformative potential of urban agriculture: Re-framing architectural theory and practice
• Mohamed Derbal: Space, time and community: German architectural discourse and the search for national unity, 1890-1914
• Joshua Dimasaka: Global Disaster Risk Audit using Artificial Intelligence and Earth Observation Data
• Hamideh Farahmandian: An Investigation into the Cinematic Representations of Urban Informality in Iran
• Nicholas Frayne: Spaces of Violence and Healing: the material agency of architecture in peacebuilding in Kenya
• Vendela Gambill: Land use planning and applied urban modelling: natural limits to growth in London
• Yelda Gin: Emerging Earthen Architecture: Digital Design and Fabrication for Building with Earth
• I-Dec Goh: Bias mitigated data-driven façade design of social housing in Singapore using thermal and imaging information
• Elizabeth Baldwin Gray: Conceptions of the Gothic: Romantic Medievalism in Early Modern German Architecture
• Charlie Hamilton (FCILT): Mass Transit in Small to Medium Sized Cities
• Juliet Harrison-Egan: Spaces of Education: the role of schools in the post-apartheid city
• Yu Hu: The Evolution of Urban Office Space in The Age of Information and Communication Technology
• Sean Hughes: The 21st Century Suburb: A Method for Transit Driven Redevelopment in North American Suburbia
• Yasser M. Khaldi: Governing Renewable Energy Transition in Conflict Contexts: The Case of Palestine
• Bing-Tao Lee: Biophilic Design and Mental Wellbeing: The Relationship Between Indoor Plants, Positive Emotions and Behaviour
• Yufei Li: Atlas in Motion: Visualising Manchuria through Moving Images
• Mariana Llano Valencia: Challenging the influence of coloniality, whiteness and patriarchy in urban planning in Cartagena, Colombia
• Yusi Luo: Housing Choices of Young graduates in the UK
• Fatma Mhmood: Social Narratives and Women’s Spatial Experiences of Parks and Desert Landscapes in the UAE
• Heather Mitcheltree: Geographies of gendered and domestic violence in Australia
• Ekaterina Mizrokhi: Life in Anachronistic Space: Awaiting Demolition in Moscow's Soviet-era Standardised Housing
• Ummiye Seyda Mutlu: Urban Rooms: Places of Mediation, Participation, and Urban Change
• Jiayu Pan: Redesigning interior spaces to accommodate social distancing for the rare events
• Lingzi Pan: The role of social connectedness in quality-of-life measurement and urban modelling
• Zhikai Peng: Exploring Urban Spatial Behaviour Under Thermal Stress: How variations in sun and wind conditions due to urban form affect public space use?
• Georgia Politi: The life and work of Sir Horace Jones, PRIBA (1819-1887)
• Natcha Ruamsanitwong: Modernising Britain: Sir Leslie Martin (1908-2000) and his role in shaping the Architectural Education in Britain
• Filomena Russo: Restorative characteristics of intermediate architectural environments
• Michael Salka: The Role of Geospatial Data in Developing Nature-Based Value Chains for the Built Environment
• Aisha Sobey: Urban futures: The implications of smart cities and digital living for wellbeing
• Lei Song: Fountains, Baths, and Urban Water Supply in England, 1400 - 1800
• Maoran Sun: Scenario-based strategies for decarbonizing Hard-to-Decarbonize housing
• Cleo Valentine: Architectural Neuroimmunology: Assessing the Impact of Architectural Form on Human Neuroinflammation
• Jeroen van Ameijde: Quality of life in high-density urban environments: Data-driven analysis of Hong Kong’s public housing environments and social interaction
• Eimar Watson: The British Marble Industry 1748-1905
• Jonathan Weston: Beyond the Pretty Picture: Exploring the Aesthetic and Function of the Architectural Visualisation
• Eduardo Wiegand: The Life Cycle Design of Multi-storey Wood Buildings: opportunities for efficiency across the construction value chain
• Yue Ying: Understanding variability in neighbourhood responses to regeneration initiatives
• Di Zhao: European Railway Buildings in China 1890-1940: an example of cross-cultural exchange
• Lingzheng Zhu: Mediating Nature: The Practice of Synthetic Media in the Contemporary Eastern Context
• Shanshan Xie: An investigation of heterogeneous commute mode choices to link travel demands to flexible working policies: using an Early Stopping Bayesian Data Assimilation
• Visiting Scholars
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• Professional Studies Advisors (PSA) overview
• Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Practice in Architecture - ARB/ RIBA Part 3
• MSt Architecture Apprenticeship
• MPhil in Architecture & Urban Studies (MAUS)
• MSt Building History

Course requirements:

Candidates accepted for this course will have a 1st class or a high 2i honours degree and, a Masters degree with 70% overall (or equivalent) in Architecture or a related discipline.

The University requires all applicants to demonstrate competence in the English language at a very high level before they begin their proposed course of study - adherence to this requirement is strict. You must be able to demonstrate that you are able to communicate in English at a level and in an idiom suitable to the subject. You will, therefore, need to provide evidence that you meet the University’s minimum requirements for competence in English. For further information see  Postgraduate Admissions Office .

How to Make an Application for the PhD in Architecture

If you do meet the course requirements, you are recommended to consult the list of our established University Teaching Officers (UTOs) and their research interests (see below for links to information about each of our UTOs). If one of our UTOs has relevant research interests to your own, please email them directly with a short research proposal of about 300 words, an example of your writing and a CV to determine whether they are potentially available to work with you as a supervisor before you make a formal application. See:

Dr Ronita Bardhan - Data-driven built-environment design, spatial analysis and climate change, Big data for sustainability in the built-environment, design for demand side energy management

Professor James Campbell - History of building construction, history of library design

Dr Ramit Debnath - Cutting-edge interdisciplinary domain of environmental data science, computational social science, and human-in-the-loop AI design to enable climate action. Applicants should be able to demonstrate excellent data science and quantitative research skills and a passion for interdisciplinary engagement

Dr Michal Gath-Morad  - Exploring how architectural design impacts spatial cognition, behaviour, and social dynamics in diverse environments, from healthcare and workplaces to complex urban settings. Proposals can encompass empirical studies, the development of digital simulation tools for human-centred design, or action research investigating the influence of evidence-based design tools on design cognition

Dr Felipe Hernández - Architectural and urban design, participatory design, social urbanism, history and theory

Professor Ying Jin – City planning, urban design, and urban modelling

Dr Irit Katz -  Socio-politics of architecture and urbanism; transitional spaces, camps and borderscapes; spaces of displacement, migration, and climate mobilities; ethnic and cultural diversity, exclusion and inequality; conflict and violence; housing insecurities; radical spatial and urban transformations; participatory architecture and urban design

Dr Antiopi Koronaki  - Computational design, architectural engineering and geometry, and design optimization principles. Potential topics may include, but are not limited to automation and design for disassembly, modular buildings and circularity in the construction sector, engineered timber construction, as well as advanced fabrication and robotics in architecture

Dr Michael Ramage – Designing and building structural masonry spans using traditional techniques and new materials

Professor Flora Samuel  - Affordable housing, participatory planning, community consultation, social value and mapping data with communities

Dr Darshil U. Shah  - Design and manufacture with biocomposites and low-carbon materials, Structure- property-processing relations in natural materials and structures, Biomechanics and biomimetics, History of natural materials & materials processing, and Design education and pedagogy

Dr Nicholas Simcik Arese - Social theory and urban planning, international development, property rights, youth, masculinity, migration, Middle East, Mediterranean, Mexico, legal geography, science and technology studies, anthropology of value, ethnography

Professor Emily So - Casualty estimation in earthquake loss modelling, risk in the built environment.

Professor Koen Steemers – architectural and urban implications of environmental issues ranging from energy use to human comfort

Dr Max Sternberg – architecture & philosophy, socio-politics of architecture, urban conflict, architectural history

Dr Minna Sunikka-Blank - sustainable building policies, thermal retrofit, energy use behaviour, aesthetics of sustainable architecture

Dr Matteo Zallio  - Interdisciplinary research on Inclusive Design for the built environment, product, and service design

You are recommended to only make a formal application via the University’s Graduate Admissions Office, once an established UTO has confirmed that they would be interested to consider a formal application.  Please note that an offer of admission to the University is subject to final approval by the University's Graduate Admissions Office.  Do not assume that you will be made an offer on the grounds that your prospective supervisor has suggested you make a formal application – this just represents the first stage of admission administration.

All applications must be made via the Applicant Portal available on the Postgraduate Admissions Office  website. It is important that you read through the information available on the Graduate Admissions Office website before submitting your application. If you are already a current graduate student at Cambridge you will be referred to as a ‘Continuer’ on the Graduate Admissions Office website.

You will need to arrange for the following documents to be submitted with your application:

• Academic Reference(s) 
• A Personal Reference will be required if you are applying for the Gates Cambridge Scholarship
• Evidence of Competence in English if English is not your first language
• Sample of Work - this could be a journal publication or a chapter from your undergraduate dissertation
• Research Proposal of 1000 - 1500 words should consist of a topic and a hypothesis, a literature review, a statement on method, and key references

Application Deadlines

The PhD in Architecture commences in October each year and applications for the course can be made from the preceding September. All applications must be made via the Applicant Portal available on the Postgraduate Admissions Office  website. It is important that you read through the information available on the Graduate Admissions Office website before submitting your application.

The final deadline for applicants seeking funding is 7 January 2020. Even if you are not seeking funding, we strongly recommend that you submit your application by 7 January, as no applications will be accepted once this competitive and popular programme is full.

If places are still available on programmes beyond this deadline; self-funded applicants will continue to be considered until the final deadline of 15 May 2020.  No applications will be considered after this deadline.

Course Fees

Information relating to the fee for this course is available from the  Postgraduate Admissions Office .   

If you are seeking funding for your course via one of the University’s main funding competitions, there are specific deadlines and eligibility criteria for each competition. Please check the Funding Section of the  Postgraduate Admissions Office  website for information and application deadlines.  

Applicants classed as 'Home' or 'EU' for fees purposes and wish to research an AHRC approved research subject are eligible to be considered for an Open-Oxford-Cambridge AHRC DTP studentship. Applicants wishing to be considered for these awards need to check the appropriate box on the application form. Applicants will also need to ensure that they make their application by the funding competition deadline for Home/EU students. Please see the University's AHRC DTP funding website for more information: https://www.csah.cam.ac.uk/Education/ahrcdtp together with the Open-Oxford-Cambridge AHRC DTP website: https://www.oocdtp.ac.uk/

The Department sometimes offers EPSRC awards for students classified as 'Home' or 'EU' for fees purposes.  These awards are advertised on the Department’s website and other media during the Easter Term (Summer Term) if available.  Applicants who have already applied for the PhD degree will automatically be considered for these awards if they meet the criteria for them.

After your Application is Submitted

When the application reaches the Department, it will be considered by the Department’s Graduate Admissions Team. Applicants may be invited for an interview in Cambridge, or, via Skype if it is not possible to travel to Cambridge.  The Faculty’s Degree Committee will then consider the application and make a recommendation to the Graduate Admissions Office as to whether an offer of a place on the course should be made, and if so, with what academic conditions.

Please be aware that this process may take several months.  You can check the status of your application at any time via your Applicant Portal.

Full information about making your application, Colleges, fees and funding opportunities is provided on the  Postgraduate Admissions Office  website pages.

For further information on graduate admission to the Department of Architecture contact:  [email protected]

At a Glance

Course length and dates:

3 years full-time/5 years part-time, October start.

Examination:

A dissertation of not more than 80,000 words. 

Academic requirement:

A 1st class or a high 2i honours degree in Architecture or a related discipline, and a Masters degree with merit (if a merit category exists).

English language requirement:

See  Postgraduate Admissions Office . 

Applications accepted from:

The preceding September.

Application Deadlines:

The final deadline for applicants seeking funding is early January, please see  Postgraduate Admissions  for exact date. Even if you are not seeking funding, we strongly recommend that you submit your application by 7 January, as no applications will be accepted once this competitive and popular programme is full.

Course Fees:

Information relating to the fee for this course is available from the  Postgraduate Admissions Office .  

If you are seeking funding for your course via one of the University’s main funding competitions, there are specific deadlines and eligibility criteria for each competition.  Please check the Funding Section of the  Postgraduate Admissions Office  website for information and application deadlines. 

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The degree where you can get in with Cs and earn as much as an Oxford graduate

A lmost half of UK adults think today’s exams are easier than they were when they were sitting them. A-level grade distributions, for their part, don’t support this claim – 26.8pc of students received an A or A* in 2013, compared to 28.1pc in 2023.

Bs and Cs have consistently remained the most common results, making up just under half (48.8pc) of the total in last summer’s sitting. This means that for many, the top universities slip out of reach.

Oxford, Cambridge and the other 22 members of the distinguished Russell Group are incredibly selective, with academic requirements usually a slew of straight As. 

Yet that doesn’t imply their graduates are always the most successful.

The latest outcomes data from the Department for Education (DfE) show that a number of far more accessible degrees have average future earnings that are sometimes thousands of pounds greater . 

Never mind the exam, the choice of university could be far more important. Here are some of the institutions whose graduates make more money after five years than those who went to more selective universities.

Economics at the University of Birkbeck

The Oxbridge premium – the extra pay due to studying at Oxford or Cambridge relative to the national average –  tends to be around £15,000. But graduate pay at these institutions can be beaten – even by non-Russell Group universities.

The highest-profile case is that of Birkbeck, University of London’s Economics (BSc) course. With median earnings of £55,000 five years after graduation in the 2020/21 tax year, its alumni are among the highest paid in the country. They are also the same as their Oxford counterparts.

The difference is that while Birkbeck stipulates minimum A-level grades of CCC to be considered – as well as welcoming applicants “without traditional entry qualifications” – the barrier to Oxford’s Economics and Management (BSc) course is A*AA.

Oxford’s website shows just 5pc of applicants tend to make their cut. In 2023/24, 86pc of applicants to Birkbeck’s wider range of economics-related programmes received either conditional or unconditional offers.

Dr Kenjiro Hori, head of economics at the university, said: “Birkbeck specialises in university education for students who have additional commitments such as work or caring responsibilities outside of their studies. This makes them particularly committed to succeeding and it reflects in their earning potential.”

Architecture at Anglia Ruskin University

Among architecture, building and planning courses offered by UK institutions , none match Anglia Ruskin University for graduate earnings. 

Not a member of the Russell Group, it was named University of the Year 2023 by Times Higher Education. Its Chelmsford-based Architecture BA requires the equivalent of a BBC at A-level. After five years, its graduates are paid an average of £49,300.

The University of Cambridge’s Architecture (BA) – which has entry requirements of A*AA – promises a relatively lean £36,900.

A spokesman for Anglia Ruskin said their graduates were “taught to apply their theoretical knowledge to real-life situations and are therefore highly valued”. 

They added: “Salaries available in the surveying and construction management sectors are particularly high as there is significant demand for these roles in London and the South East, and across the East of England.”

Engineering at The Open University

By design, the majority of The Open University’s degrees are accessible to those without formal academic qualifications.

To apply for its Bachelor of Engineering course, only “some knowledge of mathematics, an interest in technology” and basic English skills are needed.

Telegraph analysis of the DfE’s data show its graduates went on to make £47,100 a year within five years, second only to Cambridge (£50,000), level with UCL and ahead of the Oxford cohort on £46,700.

Pharmacy at the University of Brighton

With the expectation of making £42,300 five years after graduation, the pharmacology, toxicology and pharmacy alumni from the University of Brighton beat all other competitors in the earnings race.

The A-level requirement is a BBB. King’s College London and UCL are both more stringent, yet lead to salaries averaging £42,000 and £40,500 respectively.

Computing at Aston University

Coders are some of the most in-demand and handsomely rewarded workers in the jobs market. They make £37,500 five years after leaving university – topped only by economics graduates (£41,400) and those studying medicine (£52,800).

Aston University in Birmingham may be the most grade-efficient place to pursue programming, comfortably beating the average five-year pay at £43,100. The institution asks for a BBB, while Queen Mary University of London, for example, pushes for AAA despite outcomes of £41,100.  

These are just a sample of the highest-paying Russell Group alternatives. Many more are out there, and you can use our interactive tool to see how graduate salaries compare.

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