phd in town and regional planning

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Doctor of Philosophy in City and Regional Planning

Recent Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) graduates in city and regional planning have gone on to distinguished careers as professors at prestigious institutions; high level positions in the United Nations, the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank; and top spots in federal agencies and nonprofit research, policy, and cultural organizations.

CRP's program combines intensive Ph.D. seminars and an individualized program of study. Students interested in historic preservation planning may choose to focus their studies on that area. 

Only a small number of Ph.D. students are accepted each year, most of whom have a master's degree in planning. Students design their programs of study after choosing a doctoral committee of three faculty members representing their major (City and Regional Planning) and two minor fields. 

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PhD in City & Regional Planning

The program

Berkeley's PhD in City & Regional Planning provides training in urban and planning theory, advanced research, and the practice of planning. Established in 1968, the program has granted more than 160 doctorates. Alums of the program have established national and international reputations as planning educators, social science researchers and theorists, policy makers, and practitioners. Today, the program is served by nearly 20 city and regional planning faculty with expertise in community and economic development, transportation planning, urban design, international development, environmental planning, and global urbanism. With close ties to numerous research centers and initiatives, the program encourages its students to develop specializations within the field of urban studies and planning and to expand their intellectual horizons through training in the related fields of architecture, landscape architecture and environmental planning, civil engineering, anthropology, geography, sociology, public policy, public health, and political science.

Completing a PhD in City & Regional Planning at UC Berkeley usually takes five years. The university requires all doctoral students to fulfill a minimum residency requirement of two years and 48 units of coursework. Full-time students are expected to take four courses, or 12 units, per semester. For the PhD in City & Regional Planning, students must complete various program requirements, including courses in planning and urban theory; research methods courses; and preparation and completion of two fields of specialization. They must also successfully complete an oral qualifying examination, which allows them to advance to candidacy and undertake dissertation research. A PhD is awarded upon completion of a written dissertation approved by the faculty supervisors of the dissertation.

The PhD program encourages its students to build intellectual community and to participate in national and international venues of scholarship. Doctoral candidates regularly present their research at the annual conferences of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning, Association of American Geographers, Association of European Schools of Planning, World Planning Schools Congress, Urban Affairs Association, and American Anthropological Association. They organize and participate in a weekly research colloquium and manage the Berkeley Planning Journal , a peer-reviewed academic publication. Such activities utilize the incredible intellectual resources available to doctoral students at UC Berkeley, both within their departments and programs and across the campus.

Financial Aid + Admissions

Admission to the PhD program is highly competitive. Applicants are required to have completed a master's degree in planning or a related field. They are expected to demonstrate capacity for advanced research and to present a compelling research topic as part of their application. Once admitted to the program, students are eligible to compete for various university fellowships, including the Berkeley Fellowship, Cota-Robles Fellowship, and the Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowship. Students of the program have also been successful in securing funding for dissertation research from the National Science Foundation, Social Science Research Council, and the Fulbright scholarships.

The Department of City & Regional Planning and UC Berkeley offer multiple types of financial support to its graduate students.

Please note that admission decisions are not made by individual faculty, but rather an admissions committee. Our PhD admissions process begins with three initial reviews of your application: the two faculty members you list as preferred advisors and one member of the PhD admission committee. The admission committee then meets to review all applications as a cohort and make admission/denial decisions. More information can be found on the department admissions page .

The principal admission requirements to the doctoral program in City & Regional Planning are overall excellence in past academic work and research, demonstrated creativity and intellectual leadership in professional activity, and the strong promise of sustained intellectual achievement, originality, and scholarship. The emphasis in the doctoral program is upon scholarship and research. At the same time, because the doctorate is offered in the context of a professional school, doctoral students are challenged to undertake applied research relevant to city and regional planning and policy problems. If you do not want to teach in planning or a related field, or to do advanced research, please reconsider applying to this program. Most doctoral students enter the program with a master’s degree in planning or a related field. The Master of City Planning is regarded as a terminal professional degree, and is not comparable to mid-study Master of Arts or Master of Science degrees offered in anticipation of the doctorate.

Admission to the doctoral program is very competitive. Only six to eight students are admitted each year, sometimes from a pool of as many as 80 applicants. For all applicants to the doctoral program (even those required to take an English-language competency exam (TOEFL, TOEFL CBT, iBT TOEFL, or IELTS) the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is optional; although prospective students who choose to take the GRE should do so before December to ensure timely receipt of scores. Applicants must also secure at least three letters of recommendation that can explicitly evaluate their intellectual capability and past research and academic work.

Please note that admission decisions are not made by individual faculty, but rather an admissions committee. DCRP’s PhD admissions process begins with three initial reviews of your application: the two faculty members you list as preferred advisors and one member of the PhD admission committee. The admission committee then meets to review all applications as a cohort and make admission/denial decisions.

Many PhD students choose to pursue one or more of the designated emphases (DEs) offered through programs across campus. These DEs are unrelated to the outside field required by the City & Regional Planning PhD, and can be thought of instead as elective “minors” which provide opportunities for focused interdisciplinary work, mentorship, conference funding, research fellowships and an extra credential along with the doctoral degree. Common DEs pursued by DCRP PhD students include:

• Global Metropolitan Studies (GMS)
• Science and Technology Studies (STS)
• Development Engineering (DevEng)
• Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGS)
• Political Economy
• Film & Media
• Critical Theory

For more information on the PhD in City & Regional Planning program, contact [email protected] .

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MPhil/PhD Regional and Urban Planning Studies

• Graduate research
• Department of Geography and Environment
• Application code L8ZR
• Starting 2024
• Home full-time: Open
• Overseas full-time: Open
• Location: Houghton Street, London

This programme offers the chance to undertake a substantial piece of work that is worthy of publication and which makes an original contribution to the social scientific study of urban planning. You will begin on the MPhil, and will need to meet certain requirements to be upgraded to PhD status.

The MPhil/ PhD in Regional and Urban Planning Studies is part of a vibrant, innovative and interdisciplinary graduate training programme that addresses the opportunities, problems, politics and economics of urban and regional planning in cities around the world. Our emphasis is on “understanding the causes of things”, to quote the School’s motto. We do this by employing analytical skills and theoretical insights gained from the social sciences and the fields of planning, architecture, economics and the environment.

Our programme aims to produce top-quality social scientists who are able to engage with the conceptual foundations of urban planning and employ robust and appropriate methods in their research.

As well as taking your time to look through the sections below,  we also encourage you to take a look at our  FAQs , which cover a range of frequently asked questions, including on the application process and funding.

Programme details

For more information about tuition fees and entry requirements, see the fees and funding and assessing your application sections.

Entry requirements

Minimum entry requirements for mphil/phd regional and urban planning.

The programme is offered in the following alternative formats:

Either  the MPhil/PhD in Regional and Urban Planning

Or  combined with the MSc Regional and Urban Planning Studies progressing onto the MPhil/PhD in Regional Planning (1+3 route)

MPhil/PhD in Regional and Urban Planning

The minimum entry requirement for this programme is a taught master’s degree (or equivalent), with a minimum of 65 per cent average and at least 70 in the dissertation, in a related.

Most students take four years to complete the PhD.

1+3 Route: MSc Regional and Urban Planning Studies (1 year) + MPhil/PhD in Regional Planning

The 1+3 route is suitable for those individuals who do not hold a relevant an ESRC recognised postgraduate research training degree and is aimed at students graduating with an undergraduate degree in planning, urban geography or closely related subject. (See entrance requirements for the  MSc Regional and Urban Planning Studies programme ).

The 1+3 Combined PhD Programme is only available as part of an ESRC Funded pathway.

The 1+3 scheme provides funding for a one year research training MSc programme plus three years in a linked PhD programme. Progression from the master’s onto the PhD programme is dependent upon performance in the master’s programme (Students must score 65 per cent overall and at least 70 in their dissertation to comply with the Department’s usual PhD entry criteria).

Once on the PhD Programme, 1+3 students will follow the same programme structure as ordinary PhD students but adjusted to account for courses already taken on the MSc.

In practice, most students take four years to complete the PhD in addition to the year of study for the relevant MSc.

How to apply

To apply for the 1+3 route, an application must be submitted for the relevant master’s programme, including a research proposal for the PhD aspect of the pathway. Applicants must also indicate their wish to be considered for the 1+3 pathway and associated funding within their personal statement. If you apply for the PhD programme directly, will not be considered for the 1+3 pathway.

Competition for places at the School is high. This means that even if you meet our minimum entry requirement, this does not guarantee you an offer of admission. 

If you have studied or are studying outside of the UK then have a look at our  Information for International Students  to find out the entry requirements that apply to you.

Assessing your application

We welcome applications for research programmes that complement the academic interests of members of staff at the School, and we recommend that you investigate  staff research interests  before applying.

We carefully consider each application on an individual basis, taking into account all the information presented on your application form, including your:

- academic achievement (including existing and pending qualifications) - statement of academic purpose - references - CV - outline research proposal - sample of written work.

 See further information on supporting documents

You may also have to provide evidence of your English proficiency. You do not need to provide this at the time of your application to LSE, but we recommend that you do.  See our English language requirements .

When to apply

The application deadline for this programme is 23 May 2024 . However, to be considered for any LSE funding opportunity, you must have submitted your application and all supporting documents by the funding deadline. See the fees and funding section for more details.

Fees and funding

Every research student is charged a fee in line with the fee structure for their programme. The fee covers registration and examination fees payable to the School, lectures, classes and individual supervision, lectures given at other colleges under intercollegiate arrangements and, under current arrangements, membership of the Students' Union. It does not cover  living costs  or travel or fieldwork.

Tuition fees 2024/25 for MPhil/PhD Regional and Urban Planning

Home students: £4,829 for the first year (provisional) Overseas students: £22,632 for the first year

The fee is likely to rise over subsequent years of the programme. The School charges home research students in line with the level of fee that the Research Councils recommend. The fees for overseas students are likely to rise in line with the assumed percentage increase in pay costs (ie, 4 per cent per annum).

The Table of Fees shows the latest tuition amounts for all programmes offered by the School.

Fee status​

The amount of tuition fees you will need to pay, and any financial support you are eligible for, will depend on whether you are classified as a home or overseas student, otherwise known as your fee status. LSE assesses your fee status based on guidelines provided by the Department of Education.

Further information about fee status classification.

Scholarships, studentships and other funding

The School recognises that the  cost of living in London  may be higher than in your home town or country, and we provide generous scholarships each year to home and overseas students.

This programme is eligible for  LSE PhD Studentships , and  Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funding . Selection for the PhD Studentships and ESRC funding is based on receipt of an application for a place – including all ancillary documents, before the funding deadline.  

Funding deadline for LSE PhD Studentships and ESRC funding: 15 January 2024

In addition to our needs-based awards, LSE also makes available scholarships for students from specific regions of the world and awards for students studying specific subject areas.  Find out more about financial support.

External funding 

There may be other funding opportunities available through other organisations or governments and we recommend you investigate these options as well. 

Further information

Fees and funding opportunities

Information for international students

LSE is an international community, with over 140 nationalities represented amongst its student body. We celebrate this diversity through everything we do.  

If you are applying to LSE from outside of the UK then take a look at our Information for International students . 

1) Take a note of the UK qualifications we require for your programme of interest (found in the ‘Entry requirements’ section of this page). 

2) Go to the International Students section of our website. 

3) Select your country. 

4) Select ‘Graduate entry requirements’ and scroll until you arrive at the information about your local/national qualification. Compare the stated UK entry requirements listed on this page with the local/national entry requirement listed on your country specific page.

Programme structure and courses

In addition to progressing with your research, you are expected to take the courses listed below. You may take other courses to those listed but must discuss this with your supervisor.

(* denotes a half unit)

Training courses Compulsory (not examined) Planning Practice and Research or Staff/Research Students Seminar Provides background sessions for MPhil/PhD students in their first year of study. It also provides the forum in which first year full-time and second year part-time MPhil/PhD students must present their work in advance of submitting their major review documents.

Compulsory (examined) Courses to the value of one unit from the list of options on the relevant MSc degrees Relevant advanced research method courses to the value of one unit from the following: Applied Quantitative Methods* Techniques of Spatial Economic Analysis* Fundamentals of Social Science Research Design* Qualitative Research Methods* Doing Ethnography* Non-Traditional Data: New Dimensions in Qualitative Research* Special Topics in Qualitative Research : Introspection-based Methods in Social Research* Survey Methodology* Causal Inference for Observational and Experimental Studies* Special Topics in Quantitative Analysis: Quantitative Text Analysis*

Transferable skills courses Compulsory (not examined) Research Project Seminar Presentations by research students of aspects of their own research, stressing problems of theory, methodology and techniques.

Second year

Training courses

Compulsory (not examined) Staff / Research Students Seminars Provides background sessions for MPhil/PhD students in their first year of study. It also provides the forum in which first year full-time and second year part-time MPhil/PhD students must present their work in advance of submitting their major review documents.  

Transferable skills courses Compulsory (not examined) Research Project Seminar Presentations by research students of aspects of their own research, stressing problems of theory, methodology and techniques.  

Compulsory (not examined) Staff / Research Students Seminars Provides background sessions for MPhil/PhD students in their first year of study. It also provides the forum in which first year full-time and second year part-time MPhil/PhD students must present their work in advance of submitting their major review documents. 

Transferable skills courses Compulsory (not examined) Research Project Seminar Presentations by research students of aspects of their own research, stressing problems of theory, methodology and techniques. 

For the most up-to-date list of optional courses please visit the relevant School Calendar page. 

You must note, however, that while care has been taken to ensure that this information is up to date and correct, a change of circumstances since publication may cause the School to change, suspend or withdraw a course or programme of study, or change the fees that apply to it. The School will always notify the affected parties as early as practicably possible and propose any viable and relevant alternative options. Note that the School will neither be liable for information that after publication becomes inaccurate or irrelevant, nor for changing, suspending or withdrawing a course or programme of study due to events outside of its control, which includes but is not limited to a lack of demand for a course or programme of study, industrial action, fire, flood or other environmental or physical damage to premises.  

You must also note that places are limited on some courses and/or subject to specific entry requirements. The School cannot therefore guarantee you a place. Please note that changes to programmes and courses can sometimes occur after you have accepted your offer of a place. These changes are normally made in light of developments in the discipline or path-breaking research, or on the basis of student feedback. Changes can take the form of altered course content, teaching formats or assessment modes. Any such changes are intended to enhance the student learning experience. You should visit the School’s   Calendar , or contact the relevant academic department, for information on the availability and/or content of courses and programmes of study. Certain substantive changes will be listed on the  updated graduate course and programme information page.

Supervision, progression and assessment

Supervision.

You will be assigned two supervisors who are specialists in your chosen research field, though not necessarily in your topic. Your supervisors will guide you through your studies.

Progression and assessment

Once on the MPhil/PhD programme you will go through a First Year Progress Review, taking place in the Spring Term of your first year.

For the First Year Progress Review, you must submit a written progress report containing an extensive and updated research proposal (typically including an introduction to the topic and motivation for the research; aims and objectives/research questions; contribution to knowledge; summary of methods to be used; and outline of the work to be done) and either a comprehensive literature review or a substantive draft of a chapter/paper as evidence of progress made during the year. Normally, there will be a progress review meeting between you and your supervisors to discuss the written material presented. The work has to reach an acceptable standard to enable you to progress. There is provision for a second Supplementary Review in cases where there are doubts as to whether progress has been sufficient to allow entry to the second year. Progression to the second year of the MPhil/PhD programme is also dependent on you having passed all required examinations and obtained at least one merit, and having presented your work satisfactorily in the research project seminar.

All research students are initially registered for an MPhil and have to be upgraded to PhD status. The upgrade from MPhil to PhD usually occurs during the second year of full-time registration on the programme. The exact timing depends on your progress. You are required to submit a formal written upgrade report consisting of an extensive revised research proposal, two substantive draft papers/chapters, of which one can be a literature review, and a detailed plan for completion. You will be asked to discuss your research paper/thesis outline during an Upgrade Meeting in front of an Upgrading Committee normally formed by your supervisors and a third member of staff with relevant expertise. The material is evaluated by the Upgrading Committee, who will recommend transferral to PhD registration if your work is judged to be of sufficient quality and quantity. The upgrade is also dependent on you having completed all required training courses and having made a satisfactory research presentation in the research project seminar.

In addition to these formal arrangements, each year during the Spring Term and throughout the course of your studies, you and your supervisors have to complete a yearly Progress Report Form, detailing progress made, problems arising and plan/timeline for completion. The forms are sent to the Director of Post-Graduate Studies for approval before you are able to re-register for the following session. If perceived lack of progress is identified, it can trigger a more formal annual review of progress in which you will be asked to produce specific written documents to be evaluated by a review panel.

Student support and resources

We’re here to help and support you throughout your time at LSE, whether you need help with your academic studies, support with your welfare and wellbeing or simply to develop on a personal and professional level.

Whatever your query, big or small, there are a range of people you can speak to who will be happy to help.  

Department librarians   – they will be able to help you navigate the library and maximise its resources during your studies. 

Accommodation service  – they can offer advice on living in halls and offer guidance on private accommodation related queries.

Class teachers and seminar leaders  – they will be able to assist with queries relating to specific courses. 

Disability and Wellbeing Service  – they are experts in long-term health conditions, sensory impairments, mental health and specific learning difficulties. They offer confidential and free services such as  student counselling,  a  peer support scheme  and arranging  exam adjustments.  They run groups and workshops.  

IT help  – support is available 24 hours a day to assist with all your technology queries.   

LSE Faith Centre  – this is home to LSE's diverse religious activities and transformational interfaith leadership programmes, as well as a space for worship, prayer and quiet reflection. It includes Islamic prayer rooms and a main space for worship. It is also a space for wellbeing classes on campus and is open to all students and staff from all faiths and none.   

Language Centre  – the Centre specialises in offering language courses targeted to the needs of students and practitioners in the social sciences. We offer pre-course English for Academic Purposes programmes; English language support during your studies; modern language courses in nine languages; proofreading, translation and document authentication; and language learning community activities.

LSE Careers  ­ – with the help of LSE Careers, you can make the most of the opportunities that London has to offer. Whatever your career plans, LSE Careers will work with you, connecting you to opportunities and experiences from internships and volunteering to networking events and employer and alumni insights. 

LSE Library   –   founded in 1896, the British Library of Political and Economic Science is the major international library of the social sciences. It stays open late, has lots of excellent resources and is a great place to study. As an LSE student, you’ll have access to a number of other academic libraries in Greater London and nationwide. 

LSE LIFE  – this is where you should go to develop skills you’ll use as a student and beyond. The centre runs talks and workshops on skills you’ll find useful in the classroom; offers one-to-one sessions with study advisers who can help you with reading, making notes, writing, research and exam revision; and provides drop-in sessions for academic and personal support. (See ‘Teaching and assessment’). 

LSE Students’ Union (LSESU)  – they offer academic, personal and financial advice and funding.  

PhD Academy   – this is available for PhD students, wherever they are, to take part in interdisciplinary events and other professional development activities and access all the services related to their registration. 

Sardinia House Dental Practice   – this   offers discounted private dental services to LSE students.  

St Philips Medical Centre  – based in Pethwick-Lawrence House, the Centre provides NHS Primary Care services to registered patients.

Student Services Centre  – our staff here can answer general queries and can point you in the direction of other LSE services.  

Student advisers   – we have a  Deputy Head of Student Services (Advice and Policy)  and an  Adviser to Women Students  who can help with academic and pastoral matters.

Student life

As a student at LSE you’ll be based at our central London campus. Find out what our campus and London have to offer you on academic, social and career perspective. 

Student societies and activities

Your time at LSE is not just about studying, there are plenty of ways to get involved in  extracurricular activities . From joining one of over 200 societies, or starting your own society, to volunteering for a local charity, or attending a public lecture by a world-leading figure, there is a lot to choose from. 

The campus 

LSE is based on one  campus  in the centre of London. Despite the busy feel of the surrounding area, many of the streets around campus are pedestrianised, meaning the campus feels like a real community. 

Life in London 

London is an exciting, vibrant and colourful city. It's also an academic city, with more than 400,000 university students. Whatever your interests or appetite you will find something to suit your palate and pocket in this truly international capital. Make the most of career opportunities and social activities, theatre, museums, music and more. 

Want to find out more? Read why we think  London is a fantastic student city , find out about  key sights, places and experiences for new Londoners . Don't fear, London doesn't have to be super expensive: hear about  London on a budget . 

Quick Careers Facts for the Department of Geography & Environment

Median salary of our PG students 15 months after graduating: £35,000          

Top 5 sectors our students work in:

• Government, Public Sector and Policy   
• Financial and Professional Services              
• Education, Teaching and Research            
• Real Estate, Environment and Energy 
• Other Professional, Scientific and Technical Activities

The data was collected as part of the Graduate Outcomes survey, which is administered by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Graduates from 2020-21 were the fourth group to be asked to respond to Graduate Outcomes. Median salaries are calculated for respondents who are paid in UK pounds sterling and who were working in full-time employment.

We prepare students for a variety of careers in academia, international organisations (eg the World Bank, OECD, UNEP, European Commission), urban planning, community development, NGOs and national and local governmental institutions.

Further information on graduate destinations for this programme

Enrico Orru

My PhD allowed me to achieve a more comprehensive and critical understanding of the main issues underlying my field of work and to gain strong methodological and analytical skills. After my PhD I've published in journals such as Papers in Regional Science and The Annals of Regional Science . I've worked for the President of the Italian region Sardinia, by providing advice and support in education, labour markets, innovation and regional economic development. Since 2015 I have been working as a research consultant for Eurofound (European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions).

Sabina Uffer

My PhD focused on the effects of a changing housing strategy on Berlin's urban development. During my research, I worked at LSE Cities on the project Resilient Urban Form and Governance, conducting comparative research on residential and commercial real estate in Hong Kong, Singapore, New York, Paris, London, and Berlin; and I taught research methodology in social science.

Now, I'm head of research for the Cities team at BuroHappold, undertaking projects at the intersection of urban development and infrastructure planning with an emphasis on housing, transportation, and waste. My expertise lies in developing and executing research projects and policy analysis around national and local urban issues in the US, the UK, Germany, and Switzerland. 

Support for your career

Many leading organisations give careers presentations at the School during the year, and LSE Careers has a wide range of resources available to assist students in their job search. Find out more about the  support available to students through LSE Careers .

Find out more about LSE

Discover more about being an LSE student - meet us in a city near you, visit our campus or experience LSE from home. 

Experience LSE from home

Webinars, videos, student blogs and student video diaries will help you gain an insight into what it's like to study at LSE for those that aren't able to make it to our campus.  Experience LSE from home . 

Come on a guided campus tour, attend an undergraduate open day, drop into our office or go on a self-guided tour.  Find out about opportunities to visit LSE . 

LSE visits you

Student Marketing, Recruitment and Study Abroad travels throughout the UK and around the world to meet with prospective students. We visit schools, attend education fairs and also hold Destination LSE events: pre-departure events for offer holders.  Find details on LSE's upcoming visits . 

Virtual Graduate Open Day

Register your interest

Related programmes, mphil/phd human geography and urban studies.

Code(s) L8ZG

MPhil/PhD Economic Geography

Code(s) L7ZQ

MSc Regional and Urban Planning Studies

Code(s) L8U4

MSc Geographic Data Science

Code(s) F9UZ

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Department of City and Regional Planning

PhD Program

The Carolina Planning PhD program trains students in urban and regional social theory and research methods. Our program is highly selective and individualized; each year between three and six students begin the program with 20-25 PhD students in residence at any given time.

Our program is situated in one of the largest, most diverse planning departments in the country with students from all over the United States and the world. Our PhD students are distinguished by the strong skills they develop during rigorous training in planning theory, research design, and mixed-methods research techniques. Most of our PhD students have previous graduate training (e.g. a Master’s degree) and work or research experience in planning or a related field.

As a result, our graduates sit in leadership positions throughout the United States and the world, contributing to the understanding of urban and regional issues, formulating innovative public policy, and managing research programs in domestic and international contexts.

What do our graduates do? About 50 percent of the program’s graduates become faculty members in research universities. Others pursue careers in international agencies, think-tanks, government, or consulting. Nearly 20 percent work outside of the United States or are engaged in multinational projects. Our PhD graduates include department chairs, deans, officers of national academic and professional organizations, and many well-published scholars.

Dr. Todd BenDor is the Director of the PhD program and Admissions.

Meet Our Students

Amanda Ullman

Amanda’s research focuses on just energy transitions in Latin America.

Kshitiz Khanal

Kshitiz pursues research on the applications of machine learning and geospatial analytics in energy and environmental planning

Megan McIntyre

Megan McIntyre is a second-year PhD student in the City and Regional Planning Depar. Her comparative research agenda focuses on … Read more

Course of Study

Each student develops an individualized program statement to reflect his or her specific area of interest and career aspirations. The UNC Planning PhD program has three primary phases:

• First, students and their program committees jointly determine the area of specialization and appropriate course work during the first semester in the program. Written comprehensive exams are taken at the end of a student’s coursework program, testing knowledge of planning theory, research methods and a specific area of specialization.
• Students must then conceptualize, fully design, and propose a significant independent research project (PhD dissertation) that contributes to knowledge in the field of city and regional planning.
• Finally, students must complete and defend their dissertations.

Adequately prepared students with master’s degrees in planning or related fields generally need four semesters of formal course work. Students without master’s degrees generally take another semester or two. During this time, students take courses in advanced planning theory, policy-oriented research design, and data analysis techniques.

Our program draws on the intellectual resources of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, a leader in the social sciences. Carolina Planning students really get four universities in one: student may take courses in any department at Duke University, North Carolina State University, and North Carolina Central University. Students often take courses in Departments of Anthropology, Economics, Political Science, Public Health, Sociology, Environmental Sciences and Engineering, and Public Policy. Students also take three PhD seminars that train students in research, grant writing, and career development.  The following provides a short summary of the required coursework.

2 Research Design Courses

1 qualitative methods, 2 quantitative methods, 1 advanced planning theory.

For more details about program requirements, please read the PhD Program Guidelines .

• PhD Program Committee Conference
• Year 1 Coursework

• Complete paper on area of dissertation research
• Form comprehensive exam committee
• Year 2 Coursework

• Take oral comprehensive exams
• Take written comprehensive exams
• Form dissertation committee  and prepare dissertation proposal

• Prepare and revise dissertation
• Defend dissertation

WHERE DO DCRP PHDS GO?

Current Affiliations of DCRP PhD Graduates Since 1998

PhD in Regional Planning

The graduate programs in regional planning allow you to integrate studies of the physical, environmental, social, cultural, economic, and political facets of planning at all scales and densities: urban, suburban, small town, and rural. The practice-oriented MRP degree prepares you for a professional career promoting sustainable development as the balance of ecology, economy, and equity achieved through a participatory planning process. The research-based PhD is ideal if you are interested in a career in academia or in research roles in public agencies or private organizations.

Application information & deadlines

February 1, 2024.

For spring applications, contact program director.

Regional Planning

Study all facets of planning—physical, environmental, social, cultural, economic, and political—at all scales and densities, from rural to urban.

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City Planning, PhD

The University of Pennsylvania is an intellectually stimulating environment in which to study the serious problems that face our metropolitan areas today and the broad spectrum of responses to meet those challenges. Students enrolled in the City and Regional Planning Ph.D. program have easy access to a broad, multi-disciplinary faculty and all the resources of a first-rate urban research university.

The Ph.D. program in City and Regional Planning (CPLN), governed by the Graduate Group in City and Regional Planning, is one of the oldest in the country, dating back to the 1950s. Penn’s faculty has guided more than 300 students though their graduate studies to the completion of the degree and aided them in assuming positions of leadership in both academia and the profession throughout the United States and across the world.

Penn's Ph.D. program in city and regional planning has a straightforward objective: to train thought-leaders and exceptional scholars. To this end, the Graduate Group aims to ensure acquisition of strong research and communication skills. It is also committed to cultivating enduring faculty/student mentoring relationships and collegial networking among a students' peers, including other Ph.D. students in urban-focused disciplines.

For more information: https://www.design.upenn.edu/city-regional-planning/phd/about

View the University’s Academic Rules for PhD Programs .

A total of 20 course units are required.

The Graduate Group in City and Regional Planning does not designate a formal list of required courses other than the Doctoral Seminar and research methods, but allows students to work with the Graduate Group Chair and their principal advisor to develop a study plan consistent with their research and future teaching interests.

The Graduate Group maintains a list of courses in quantitative and qualitative methods and spatial analytics offered in various schools of the University.

Additional Requirements

Additional elements of the program include:

• Preparatory Requirements (Writing and Presentation and Scholarly Preparation)
• Qualifying/Candidacy Examinations
• Dissertation

The degree and major requirements displayed are intended as a guide for students entering in the Fall of 2023 and later. Students should consult with their academic program regarding final certifications and requirements for graduation.

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Doctor of Philosophy with a Major in City and Regional Planning

Department website: https://planning.gatech.edu/phd

Georgia Tech has been awarding doctoral degrees in the field of City and Regional Planning since 1985, producing distinguished academics and scholars who work in universities and other research settings.

PhD students pursue advanced studies and research on issues most critical to the field of City and Regional Planning. The PhD program engages extensively with other programs, research centers, and colleges as it delivers its major and minor fields of study. Program graduates are expected to be well qualified to serve in a range of settings such as universities, planning consultancies, research and development firms, government agencies, and advanced practice.

Successful applicants have exceptional potential as scholars and fit with the School's research capabilities. Most applicants have completed an accredited master's degree in City and Regional Planning or a related field and have backgrounds in their proposed area of specialization. The program does admit capable applicants lacking this preparation, but these applicants may be required to undertake remedial work. Students are generally admitted for first enrollment for the fall semester only.

The program requires Graduate Record Examination (GRE) test scores taken within the last five years. Scores are expected to be well above the average. Non-native speakers of English are expected to have a minimum IB TOEFL score of at least 620/261/102 (paper, computer, and internet tests, respectively). Prior study in the United States does not waive this requirement.

For more information about the PhD program, contact:

Academic Advisor Graduate Student Admissions, Advising, and Graduation Clearance School of City and Regional Planning College of Design Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, Georgia 30332-0155 Email: [email protected]

All PhD programs must incorporate a standard set of Requirements for the Doctoral Degree .

The Core exams consist of three 8-hour exams, designed to test for core competency in planning. The exams cover the three core areas of planning theory, urban and regional theory, and research methods and design. Each section of the exam will be based on a bibliography or specified set of concepts, as provided to the student in the corresponding core course. Major and Minor Exam will consist of both written and oral components. The written test will consist of a 2-day major exam (48 hours) and a 1-day minor exam (24 hours).

Students are required to complete a dissertation reporting the results of independent research that advances theory or applied knowledge in City and Regional Planning. The dissertation must be successfully defended to the student's dissertation examination committee.

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School of Planning, Design and Construction

Phd concentration in urban and regional planning.

Graduates of the PhD program will possess the knowledge and skills necessary to understand the effects of plans, regulations, design, materials, project management techniques and construction systems on the economic, environmental and social concerns of stakeholders and society.

Those enrolled in this degree develop an advanced knowledge of the history and theory of planning, analytical methods and dissertation research that exemplifies excellence and leadership in the field.

Doctoral students work with their supervisors and committee members to plan a course of study that builds on current strengths and adds expertise in core areas of urban planning.

What Are Core Areas of Study?

The foundation of the degree is contained in two introductory courses and a program of study designed to provide Ph.D. candidates with the expertise needed to undertake successful and rigorous applied research.

What Focus Areas Are Offered?

Students pursuing the PhD define their focus in consultation with faculty, with common areas of interest, including:

• Sustainable and resilient cities.
• Urban transportation planning.
• Housing and real estate development.
• Urban health and food security.
• International development.
• Environmental science and policy.
• Community and economic development.
• Hazard and disaster management, and planning.

What Are Career Opportunities?

• Academic positions.
• Planning departments and agencies.
• State and federal government.
• Housing and real estate firms.

Degree Requirements

The PhD Curriculum culminates in a dissertation that represents state-of-the-art analysis combined with practical applications. This is a 45-credit program that can start in fall or spring semesters.

Degree Requirements and PhD Student Handbook

Download the degree requirements and the PhD Graduate Student Handbook .

How to Apply

Admissions requirements.

This document outlines the details for admission to our PhD programs.

Admission to the PhD program with an urban planning focus requires a prior degree in planning or a related field. We encourage students from various backgrounds and different stages in their professional careers to apply.

We take into account a number of factors, including:

• A personal statement about your interest in the program.
• Prior degrees and grade point averages.
• Letters of recommendation.
• Professional experience.

Contact the PhD Program Director, for academic, research and program-related inquiries.

Dong Zhao LEED®AP

Director, Planning, Design and Construction Doctorate Program [email protected]

Graduate Program Coordinator

For application, admission and administrative inquiries.

Jordan Kenyon

Graduate Program Coordinator [email protected]

Advisory Faculty for PhD Concentration in Urban and Regional Planning

Assistant Professor, Urban & Regional Planning [email protected]

Associate Professor, Urban & Regional Planning Program [email protected] 517-353-3184

Zenia Kotval, Ph.D., FAICP

Professor and Program Director, Urban & Regional Planning [email protected] 517-353-9362

Zeenat Kotval-Karamchandani, AICP

Associate Professor, Urban & Regional Planning [email protected] 517-353-5460

Trish Machemer

Associate Professor, Landscape Architecture Program and Urban & Regional Planning Program [email protected] 517-353-9047

Deyanira Nevarez Martinez

Assistant Professor, Urban and Regional Planning [email protected] 517-432-1148

Laura A. Reese

Professor, Urban & Regional Planning [email protected] 517-353-5942

Mark Wilson

Professor, Urban & Regional Planning [email protected] 517-353-9056

Ph.D. in Planning, Design and Construction

Regional Development Planning

DAAP » Academic Programs » School of Planning » PhD in Regional Development

Why study Regional Development Planning?

The Ph.D. program in Regional Development Planning provides rigorous academic training for research in planning theory, urban and regional theories, advanced research, and planning practice.  The purpose of the doctoral program is to educate and train the next generation of practitioners, policymakers, and scholars who will bring new research ideas and knowledge to the teaching and practice of urban and regional planning.  The program is served by the School of Planning’s faculty members with wide ranges of expertise.  This program stresses the interdisciplinary analysis and solutions to the regional development problems from inner cities to mega-cities transcending geographic boundaries and requiring spatially-based systems thinking.

All of our current Ph.D. students have completed a Master’s degree in planning or a related discipline. As part of the application process, potential students need to identify a research topic of interest (part of the essay). Full-time students take approximately four courses per semester during their first two years in the program. The School of Planning requires all doctoral students to take nine required courses, including courses in planning and spatial theory, quantitative and qualitative research methods, research design, and dissertation-research-related courses. After passing their comprehensive exam, students typically spend two to four more years completing their individual doctoral research. The School of Planning provides all admitted students with a financial package consisting of tuition scholarships during their two years of coursework. The School of Planning also provides a four-year paid graduate assistantship at the school or assistantships at academic or external research centers. As part of their training, Ph.D. students are also required to teach a course under the supervision of a School of Planning faculty member.

Admission Requirements

Please note that applications will not be reviewed prior to the application deadline.

• UC Graduate Admissions Application and $65 application fee for domestic applicants / $70 USD application fee for international applicants
• Unofficial transcript(s) from all colleges/universities attended showing cumulative GPA that also includes diploma and translation showing completion of a U.S. four-year bachelor's degree (or what is equivalent to a U.S. four-year bachelor’s degree) and diploma and translation of master’s degree if applicable. Note: Official transcripts are not required during the application process; only unofficial transcripts are required for the application. Applicants should not send official transcripts unless they are admitted and confirm enrollment. For complete requirements please visit UC's Official Transcript Submission Policy page . 
• Official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores, taken in the past five years. Note: The school normally expects successful applicants to exceed the median test scores on the GRE. The GRE requirement cannot be waived.
• Official TOEFL, IELTS, Duolingo, or PTE scores (international students only)
• At least two reference letters should be academic recommendations.
• Resume or CV
• Portfolio (optional)
• Select a piece relevant to admission to the program.
• Summary of your career goals and reasons for pursuing doctoral education.
• Discussion of how your undergraduate/graduate studies have prepared you for doctoral study in regional development.
• Why do you want to do your doctoral research at the University of Cincinnati.
• Proposed area of concentration (e.g., transportation planning, urban design, economic development, environmental planning, community development, etc.). What might be the subject of your doctoral research? Describe in one-two paragraphs your research interests.
• Potential advisor for doctoral studies. To which School of Planning faculty member's work is your research interested related? Explain how your research interest relates to the research activities of the professor.

Most graduates of the School of Planning (SOP) Regional Development Planning (RDP) Ph.D. program find work in academia as an assistant professor in either research or teaching colleges and universities. Recent graduates of the SOP RDP Ph.D. program are teaching in the United States, China, Sweden, and South Africa. Outside of academia, our graduates work in Think Tanks, nongovernmental organizations, and government institutions.

Full admissions requirements can be found on the  Graduate Admissions webpage . 

The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required of all applicants whose native language is not English—including those with F-1 visas or J-1 visas already in the US unless you qualify for an  approved English waiver (for automatic waiver of English language testing, see: https://grad.uc.edu/admissions/criteria/english.html ). The minimum acceptable TOEFL score for School of Planning applicants is 550 (paper-based), 213 (computer-based), or 80 (internet-based). Please note that the TOEFL is not a pass-fail test. While a score of 80 is the minimum score to be accepted into the School of Planning Ph.D. program, a score of 90 or above is preferred.

The Oral English Proficiency Test (OEPT) tests the language skills of non-native speakers of English who are awarded teaching assistantships at the University of Cincinnati. The required score is 3.0. Students who pass are certified for oral English proficiency and may assume the full range of duties associated with their teaching assistantship. Those who do not pass are recommended for an English as a Second Language (ESL) class appropriate to their needs. Students whose oral English proficiency has not been officially certified may not assume instructional responsibilities. Students who score 26 or above on the speaking section of TOEFL iBT or students with a score of 50 or above on the Test of Spoken English are exempt from OEPT. Each student is permitted to take the OEPT twice without charge during an academic year. The OEPT must be taken prior to teaching, preferably not later than in year two of study. 

• Guide: Regional Development Planning PhD

Application Deadlines

Early Admission

General Admission

The deadline is January 10th for those who wish to be considered for financial support.

Contact Information

Find related programs in the following interest areas:.

• Social Science

Program Code: 23DOC-RDP-PHD

• Academics >
• Graduate Programs >

PhD in Urban and Regional Planning

• UB Directory

The University at Buffalo invites applications from outstanding candidates interested in pursuing a career in research and teaching through its PhD program in urban and regional planning.

On this page:

The program, designed to nurture distinguished scholars and researchers, offers research and learning opportunities encompassing the field of urban and regional planning. Examples of some research areas where the program offers special capability, international distinction, and emphasis include:

• Declining cities and distressed urban communities
• Health, food systems, human abilities, and environment
• Built environments and environmental change
• Disasters and extreme events
• Advanced technology, information systems, and methods in planning

Students have opportunities to study under the supervision of faculty from the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, and under the supervision of interdisciplinary co-chairs from the Department of Urban and Regional Planning and the Department of Architecture. 

Meet our PhD Students

• 6/23/23 Alan Vlakancic
• 6/26/23 Ambreen Rehman-Veal
• 6/26/23 Carol Ramos
• 6/23/23 Fuzhen Yin
• 6/23/23 Kahad Adamu
• 6/23/23 Meghan Holtan
• 6/23/23 Micaela F Lipman
• 6/23/23 Mohsin Ramzan
• 6/23/23 Wiesye Violent Pelupessy

Meet our PhD Alumni

Meet the PhD Program Faculty

Department of urban and regional planning.

Department of Architecture

Interested in a PhD in Urban Planning?

Let us answer your questions.

Please fill out the form below and our PhD recruitment team will be happy to answer any questions.

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The Ph.D. in urban and regional planning trains scholars for careers in higher education, research and high-level policy positions. It is a doctoral degree with a flexible, interdisciplinary focus. Graduates work in universities, government, non-profits, and the private sector, in the U.S. and around the world.

Program History

The doctorate in planning began in 1968 as the Ph.D. Program in Urban and Regional Planning under the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. It was initially a university-wide Ph.D. program with faculty participation from many colleges throughout the university. In the late 1970s, the degree moved into the Rackham Graduate School. The name changed to the Ph.D. in Urban, Technological, and Environmental Planning (U.T.E.P.) in 1982.

The degree moved into the College of Architecture and Urban Planning in 1989 and administratively merged with the professional program in planning to form the Urban and Regional Planning Program. The degree is now known as the “Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning,” a name change made in 2004. In nearly 60 years of existence, the program has granted over 215 Ph.D. degrees. Graduates hold faculty positions in a range of departments in universities, government, research organizations, and consulting firms.

/ Curriculum

The doctoral curriculum integrates analytical methods, research design, a rigorous understanding of urbanization dynamics, and an examination of broader social theories, processes and policies.

Students address complex systems that typically encompass an array of spatial, environmental, social, political, technical, and economic factors. The emphasis is on theory, analysis, and action.

Each student is also expected to demonstrate an understanding of the literature, theory, and research in a specialization area within the larger discipline of urban and regional planning.

Sample Subjects

Recent students have engaged in subjects as diverse as:

• The political economy of public transit, inner-city revitalization
• Global city urbanization
• Information technology and cyberspace
• The crisis of modernist urbanism
• Suburbanization in developing countries
• Regional planning institutions
• The effects of environmental contamination on patterns of urban and regional development
• The culture of suburban commuting
• The impact of tourism on historical Mediterranean cities
• The application of complex systems analysis to sustainable development

Full list of courses and descriptions

/ Specialization

Doctoral students specialize in a wide range of possible topics.

The highly individualized course of study operates under the premise that concepts and methods from a wide range of professions and academic disciplines are applicable to urban and regional systems. Accordingly, students rely on faculty resources not only from Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning but also from other schools, colleges, and institutes of the University of Michigan.

Students commonly take courses in the social sciences and in the professional schools. This emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration, and on the links between theory and action, are defining characteristics of the doctoral planning degree at the University of Michigan.

Social Sciences Samples

• Anthropology
• Political science

Professional Schools Samples

• Business administration
• Engineering
• Natural resources and the environment
• Public policy
• Public health
• Social work

Primary Specialization

Students are expected to demonstrate an understanding of the literature, theory, and methods from a primary area of specialization. Each student defines this area of specialization in consultation with their faculty advisor(s). An area of specialization might be, for example, transportation planning, community development planning, regional planning, environmental planning, and so on. (If appropriate, a student may further focus their area of specialization by demarcating a subfield within a broader planning topic, such as economic development finance within local economic development.) Students take graduate-level course work in the appropriate discipline(s) and complete a comprehensive examination (described below).

During the first semester in the program, each student should meet with their advisor(s) to:

1. Identify Specialization:

Discuss the student’s goals and interest in doctoral study and identify an area of specialization.

2. Coursework:

Develop a program of study indicating courses to be taken, or courses that have been taken, covering the appropriate literature (theory and method) for the area of specialization. Students will normally take coursework totaling approximately 12 to 15 credit hours for the area of specialization. (Note: One or two courses taken for the master’s degree may apply for either the primary or secondary areas of specialization, but master’s level work normally should not be relied upon too extensively for the purposes of doctoral-level study.)

3. Directed Study:

As three of these credit hours, a student is expected to take a directed study course with their primary advisor and a second faculty reader during either the winter term of the first year or the fall term of the second year of study. The purpose of this directed study is to conduct a literature review that will demonstrate the student’s ability to review and synthesize a body of academic work and that will advance the student’s efforts toward identifying a topic for dissertation research. The directed study is evaluated on a pass/fail basis; initial drafts must be revised until they are of passing quality.

Secondary Specialization

In addition to the primary area of specialization, each student must also identify a secondary area of specialization (i.e., a “minor field” or “outside field”) in consultation with their faculty advisor(s). The secondary area of specialization is frequently from a discipline outside urban and regional planning.

Sample Secondary Specialization Areas

• Urban politics
• Urban history
• Urban sociology
• Development economics, environment, behavior, etc.

Students normally take at least six to nine credit hours in this secondary area. Students demonstrate sufficient knowledge in this secondary area (and their ability to integrate the secondary area into their main area of specialization) through their comprehensive examination.

/ Required Courses

Four courses are required of all Ph.D. students: two doctoral-level planning theory courses and a two-course research seminar sequence.

Advanced Urban Theory (URP 700)

The two theory courses, Advanced Urban Theory (URP 700) and Epistemology and Reasoning for Planning Research (URP 701), are offered during the fall term in alternating years. These courses are designed to provide doctoral students a solid theoretical foundation for conducting rigorous scholarly inquiry within the planning field.

Epistemology and Reasoning for Planning Research (URP 701)

Research design (urp 801).

First-year students are required to take URP 801 (Research Design) during the winter term of the first year.

Ph.D. Research Seminar (URP 802)

Second-year students are required to take URP 802 (Ph.D. Research Seminar) in the winter term of the second year. This two-course sequence seminar has three objectives.

• First, it exposes students to various approaches to research related to planning.
• Second, it enables students to formulate and test out researchable topics among faculty and student peers.
• Finally, it enables students to gain experience in developing an appropriate research design, in writing a detailed research proposal, and in formally presenting the proposal to an audience of faculty and students in the seminar during the second winter semester.

/ Pre-Candidacy Requirements

• Planning theory
• Analytic methods
• Research design
• Primary area of specialization

Students meet these requirements through coursework and exams over a two-year period. During this time, a student’s cumulative grade point average may not fall below a B without academic discipline or probation.

Analytic Methods Courses

Students are expected to be skilled in statistics, in at least two analytic research techniques, and reasonably knowledgeable about several others. Students qualify in analytic techniques by completing the following:

1. Satisfactory performance (B or higher) in two cumulative graduate-level statistics courses.

Students entering with previous statistics experience may wish to enter directly into a second semester statistics course. In the past, students have typically selected one of the following sequences:

• Statistics 402 (Introduction to Statistics & Data Analysis), Statistics 403 (Statistics & Data Analysis II)
• Sociology 510 (Statistics); Sociology 610 (Statistical Methods)
• Natural Resources 438 (Natural Resources Biometrics), Natural Resources 538 (Natural Resources Data Analysis)
• Biostatistics 503 (Introductory Biostatistics), Biostatistics 523 (Biostatistical Analysis for Health-Related Fields)
• The sequence in political science

NOTE: Students wishing to study statistics during the spring or summer terms may want to investigate the Summer Program in Quantitative Methods of Social Research sponsored by the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) and/or the Summer Institute in Survey Research Techniques conducted by the research staff of the Survey Research Center, Institute for Social Research. Choice of courses to meet requirements should be discussed with your advisor.

2. Competence in at least two analytic/research methods satisfied through nine credit hours of total coursework.

These are methods used in planning research and should prepare the student for their likely area of dissertation work. The requirement is met through completion of nine credits of course work in two analytic/research methods (in addition to statistics), to be defined by the student in conjunction with his or her advisor. (The two methods may be interrelated.) Depending on the research method and the student’s background, more courses may be needed. Courses in these two areas must be completed with a grade of B or higher in order to fulfill this requirement. Graduate level courses that are audited can count for this requirement, as long as the student completes all the work of the course and the instructor provides a letter indicating the grade the student would have received had he or she been enrolled. All plans for satisfying this requirement are the joint responsibility of the student and his or her advisor.

The methods a student selects should relate to their dissertation area. Below are several analytic/research methods in which students have been examined in recent years. Numerous analytic/research methods are appropriate, and students need not be restricted to choices on the list:

• Anthropological methods
• Case study methods
• Complex systems analysis
• Cost benefit & cost effectiveness analysis
• Decision theory & general risk analysis
• Demographic analysis
• Discrete choice analysis
• Differential equations
• Diffusion models
• Economic & other forecasting models
• Evaluation research
• Graph theory
• Historical analysis
• Institutional analysis
• Interview techniques
• Linear programming and general analysis using linear models
• Network & flow methods
• Population growth models
• Probability, both theoretical & heuristic
• Simulation/gaming & game theory
• Spatial analysis
• Survey research
• Time series.

/ Annual Review of Student Progress

At the end of each year of study, students are required to complete an Annual Review. The advisor and the Coordinator of Doctoral Studies may make recommendations for any modifications deemed necessary prior to the start of the following academic year. Note: financial support for the subsequent year, if applicable, depends on timely completion of a satisfactory annual review.

Annual Review Steps

By April 30, the student submits TWO COPIES (one copy to their   advisor ; one copy to the   doctoral studies assistant ) of the following:

• A completed  annual review form , including a concise narrative of plans and goals for the upcoming academic year.
• An up-to-date compliance form.

The advisor provides comments to the student and, where necessary, recommends changes in the academic plan. (This consultation between advisor and student may happen in person or by phone). If necessary, the student should provide the advisor and the doctoral studies assistant with copies of a revised version of this review form based on the advisor’s comments.

Once the advisor has approved the plan of study for the coming year, the advisor forwards (no later than May 14) to the doctoral studies assistant a copy of the “faculty evaluation form,” which includes a short narrative of student progress (one paragraph).

The URP Doctoral Committee reviews the materials, and sends a letter to the student, either confirming their good standing in the program or specifying additional requirements to be in good standing.

Comprehensive Exam

The comprehensive exam tests a student’s knowledge of both their primary and secondary areas of specialization. The exam consists of a take-home, written examination followed by an oral exam. The examination normally occurs before the start of the third year in the Ph.D. program, after completion of all relevant coursework.

1. The Committee:

The student convenes an examination committee of three faculty members, choosing faculty who have expertise in the areas of specialization. At least one member of the committee should be a member of the urban and regional planning faculty. The chair or co-chair of the committee must be a regular member of the planning faculty and cannot be an affiliate faculty member. At least one committee member should represent the student’s secondary area of specialization. (If the student has identified a secondary area of specialization that is traditionally housed in another department on campus, then the student is encouraged to select a faculty member from that outside department as their third committee member.) On occasion, examiners from outside the university have served on students’ examining committees. While this practice is generally not encouraged, written requests for an outside examiner by students are treated on an individual basis by the director of doctoral studies.

2. The Field Statement:

The student meets with the committee chair to plan for the exam and agree on expectations prior to the construction of the exam. In consultation with the chair and committee members, the student identifies appropriate readings and prepares a detailed “field statement” that defines the primary and secondary fields, contains a detailed bibliography of readings, organizes the readings into subfields, and outlines a set of major questions for the fields. The field statement is normally designed principally with the chair and is sometimes analogous to a detailed syllabus that one would prepare for a year-long graduate-level course on the selected specializations. The student often writes possible exam questions that he/she feels are appropriate for the area the exam will cover. The questions are not the questions the committee asks the student; their major function is to help the committee and the student to agree on the scope of the exam.

3. Scheduling the Exam:

The exam must be completed by May 20 of the second year in the program, and it is scheduled on the student’s initiative. Prior to the exam, the student should have completed all coursework (including all incompletes). A student may delay the exam for exceptional circumstances with approval of the faculty adviser and the Director of Doctoral Studies. Students must notify the Director of Doctoral Studies of their intent to take the exam, with a date and time, location, and names of committee members at least one month prior to the exam.

4. The Exam:

The written part of the exam is in the form of a take-home essay. The committee chair typically solicits exam questions from the committee, selects questions to be used, and composes the final examination. The allotted time period to write the exam is determined by the chair, and typically is over three days. The student must submit the exam in the form as directed by the chair (usually as a Word document submitted by email), plus one copy to the program administrator to be placed in the student’s records. The written exam is followed by a two-hour oral exam, generally scheduled to take place within about one week after the written exam. The exam is evaluated on a “Pass/Fail” or “Conditional Pass” basis. If the student does not achieve a passing evaluation, he/she may take the exam one additional time to achieve a “Pass” or “Conditional Pass” status. A “Conditional Pass” indicates that additional requirements must be met, but the exam need not be retaken. Upon completion of the oral portion of the exam, please refer to the Applying for Candidacy section for next steps.

/ Applying for Candidacy

A student advances to candidacy when all program requirements except the dissertation proposal and dissertation have been satisfied. The normal and expected time to achieve candidacy is two years from the date of first enrollment in the doctoral program. In addition to urban and regional planning program requirements, a student must also meet Rackham Candidacy Requirements . Any incomplete courses that are critical to satisfying requirements must be completed before applying for candidacy.

Once all required coursework and the comprehensive exam are successfully completed, a student applies for candidacy by sending a request by email to the URP Director of Doctoral Studies, along with attachments that include the following: (1) a signed Comprehensive Exam Certification Form and (2) a current transcript showing all completed coursework.

The Director of Doctoral Studies will recommend a doctoral student for candidacy by submitting a recommendation to the Rackham Graduate School. When candidacy is approved, a student is ready to begin work on the dissertation and is eligible for URP 995 candidacy registration.

/ Language Requirement

Foreign language requirement.

There is no foreign language requirement for doctoral planning students. However, work in some areas of specialization and on certain research/dissertation topics may require knowledge of one or more foreign languages.

English Language Proficiency Requirement

Prior to taking the qualifying examinations, students are also expected to demonstrate writing skills in the English language of the sort required to produce a doctoral dissertation. Such writing skills will be demonstrated in the process of completing routine written assignments in core courses.

Students having difficulty doing so are encouraged to take course work at the English Language Institute and/or other units as appropriate, and may be required to take an English Proficiency Examination prior to taking the qualifying examinations.

/ Sample Schedule

Sample first year, sample second year, sample years three - four.

/ Dissertation

Formatting dissertation committee.

After completing the comprehensive exam and advancing to candidacy, the student must form a dissertation committee, in accordance with the Rackham Graduate School’s  “Guidelines for Dissertation Committee Service.”

Within two weeks from advancing to candidacy, the student must send an email to the URP Director of Doctoral Studies, with a pdf attachment of a completed “Dissertation Committee Worksheet for Students to submit to Program”, which can be obtained from the link above. The Director of Doctoral Studies will then submit the formal request to the Rackham Graduate School.

Dissertation Proposal

The student must formally obtain approval of the dissertation proposal as outlined in the URP Ph.D. Program Overview Schedule and Policies document. It is the student’s responsibility to schedule the initial review hearing attended by both the rotating dissertation proposal committee and the dissertation committee, and to schedule the proposal defense attended by the dissertation committee, both in a timely manner.

The student must notify Lisa Hauser by email of the proposal defense date at least three weeks prior to the meeting, including the location of the defense meeting, a title, and an abstract. After gaining approval from the dissertation committee, the dissertation chair must send an email to the Director of Doctoral Studies that includes (a) the date of the proposal defense, (b) a list of all committee members present at the defense, (c) a title of the proposal, (d) an abstract of the proposal (250 – 350 words), and (e) a copy of the final dissertation proposal to be filed with URP records. Receipt of the email from the dissertation chair will constitute formal approval of the proposal by the committee and readiness to proceed with dissertation work.

Dissertation Process

The dissertation is prepared in accordance with the   Rackham Graduate School’s Doctoral Dissertation Requirements , and as outlined in the URP Ph.D. Program Overview Schedule and Policies document.

The student is responsible for several steps: (a) scheduling and reserving rooms for the URP pre-defense hearing (which ordinarily should occur at least six weeks and no less than three weeks prior to the dissertation defense) and the defense meeting, both in a timely manner; (b) notifying Lisa Hauser by email of the defense date at least three weeks prior to the meeting, including the location of the defense meeting, a title, and an abstract; (c) providing a complete dissertation draft, including an abstract and bibliography, to committee members at least two weeks (longer is advised) before the defense date; and (d) registering for an eight-hour candidacy enrollment (995 Dissertation Research) for the term in which the defense is held.

A dissertation defense typically consists of two parts: the first is a formal, public presentation of the dissertation research, followed by questions and answers from both the dissertation committee and the audience. Defenses are advertised and open to the public, and other students and faculty are frequently in attendance. The second part is a closed session for the candidate and the dissertation committee. During the defense, the student may be asked to reconsider certain aspects of the work and to make changes or corrections in the dissertation. At the end of the session, the chair will discuss the oral defense with other members of the committee and inform the student of the outcome. The duration of a defense can vary, but the candidate should reserve the room for a three-hour period.

Formal approval of the dissertation (e.g., formatting of the final document) and applying for graduation are governed by the Rackham Graduate School.

/ Frequently Asked Questions

What is the rackham graduate school.

The Rackham Graduate School and Taubman College work as a team to manage the application review process. As an applicant you will be interacting with both offices.

Do I need to submit GRE scores?

No. Effective for 2022 applicants and beyond, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are no longer required nor considered for admission to all graduate programs, including the Master of Urban Design, at Taubman College.

Do I need an official transcript to apply?

Yes. The Rackham Graduate School requires applicants to upload a scanned copy, front and back, of their official transcript /academic record issued by the Registrar or Records Office to the applicant, to ApplyWeb for each bachelor’s, master’s, professional, or doctoral degree earned or in progress.

Is there an interview process?

Yes. As part of the competitive process of admission evaluation, the Admissions Committee will conduct personal interviews with each applicant. Interviews are arranged after the deadline and applications have been reviewed.

My English proficiency score doesn’t meet the minimum requirement, can I still apply?

Yes, you can still apply. However, Taubman College doesn’t provide conditional admission. We encourage you to retake the test until you receive the minimum score.

How do I check the status of my application?

Applicants can verify application data and status online approximately 10–15 days after their application is submitted. The admissions office will send an email to each applicant that includes the University of Michigan Identification Number (UMID). You will need to use a login ID and password to confirm some personal data before viewing your application status. Student Service staff will try to keep all materials received current. However, please allow sufficient time for processing before contacting the office. See the Apply page application status and evaluation section.

When will I receive my admission decision?

Applicants will be notified of their admission decision by late-February or early March. If you are admitted, you will be able to see that you have been recommended for admission via the online Wolverine Access web application status portal. Decision  letters are sent via email.

Are there any resources available for International Students with questions related to the visa application, health insurance or Life in Ann Arbor?

Yes. The Website of the International Center at the University of Michigan offers helpful resources for incoming international students related to topics such as Immigration and Visas, Health Insurance and Housing or Local Transportation.

https://internationalcenter.umich.edu/resources

When do I need to enter my decision?

April 15th.

Where can I find more information regarding the University’s COVID-19 vaccination requirements, safety and prevention efforts and testing programs?

Please refer to https://campusblueprint.umich.edu/ for latest news on the coronavirus situation on campus and the COVID-19  policies currently in place for students and faculty.

Do I need to secure an advisor prior to applying?

No, we only encourage students to become familiar with our Ph.D. faculty and research interests. Please feel free to reach out to faculty directly as well.

/ Funding Support and Resources

Making decisions about the next step in your educational journey is a time full of opportunity and potential; however, it may also be accompanied by concerns about costs. Taubman College provides full funding to all students admitted to its doctoral programs, including a full tuition waiver, health insurance, and a generous stipend package.

/ Recent Graduates

Graduates from the Ph.D. in Urban and Regional Planning program have completed Doctoral Dissertations on topics ranging from “Regions, Race, Rail and Rubber: An Analysis of How Transportation Planning Decisions Contributed to Regional Segregation, 1922 – 1973” to “Urban Planning and Its Feminist Histories.” View a selection of recent Doctoral Dissertations .

/ Faculty Available as Committee Chairs

Below are faculty who can serve as Urban and Regional Planning Ph.D. committee chairs.

Scott Campbell

Robert Goodspeed

Kimberley Kinder

Larissa Larsen

Jonathan Levine

Xiaofan Liang

Martin Murray

Richard Norton

Ana Paula Pimentel Walker

See all Faculty

Taubman College Career and Professional Development offers a variety of programs, services and resources to assist students and alumni in exploring careers, securing positions and continuing skill development and management.

For additional information on career opportunities, visit our career and professional development page.

Meet Our Faculty

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Florida State University

FSU | Department of Urban & Regional Planning

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Department of Urban & Regional Planning

College of Social Sciences and Public Policy

Doctoral Program

The doctoral (Ph.D.) program in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning educates scholars to teach, conduct research, and carry out service that contributes to a better understanding and shaping of resilient communities and ecosystems in order to promote human capabilities, social justice, sustainable livelihoods, and community health and safety. Our faculty conduct research in the following areas:

• Planning for an Aging Population
• Planning for Health and Resilient Communities
• Transportation Land Use and Accessibility in the Modern City
• Sustainable Communities, Collaborative Environmental Management
• Community Neighborhood Change
• Human Settlements and Institutions in the Context of Global Change.

Florida State University is an excellent place for doctoral study. Our energetic, internationally recognized faculty is committed to training and mentoring our doctoral students as they become future teachers, scholars, and leaders in their various fields. Our low student-faculty ratio and small doctoral class sizes (typically 3-5 students enter the doctoral program each year) enable close collaboration in teaching and research between students and faculty. Our doctoral program’s alums include:

• Department chairs
• Program directors
• Distinguished scholars
• A Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners’ College of Fellows.

Program of Study

Doctoral study typically extends at least three years past master’s degree study and allows the doctoral student to focus in much more depth, and at an advanced level, on issues of relevance to the particular study. Doctoral programs like FSU’s are individually tailored to the student’s research interest in planning. The student’s program is defined by a Program Statement that the student develops in consultation with their Major Professor and a committee of other faculty members.

Doctoral coursework consists of a minimum of  42  credit hours of study beyond any prerequisite courses required for the student to begin advanced methods or topical coursework. The program is divided into core classes, methods classes, major field classes, and minor field classes.

Core Classes (12 credit hours)

These courses provide the student with advanced training in urban theory, urban and regional economics, planning theory, and research design.

Methods Classes (9 credit hours minimum)

These courses are tailored to the student’s area of interest and typically include advanced quantitative methods and/or qualitative methods courses.

Major Field Classes (12 credit hours minimum)

These courses are selected to define the student’s primary area of study and may consist of courses inside or outside the department.

Minor Field Classes (9 credit hours minimum)

These courses are selected to define a second area of study that complements the student’s primary area of study and may consist of courses inside or outside the department.

Upon completion of coursework, the student takes a Preliminary Examination which tests the student’s knowledge in the doctoral core areas as well as the student’s major field and minor fields of study. Upon passage of the Preliminary Examination, the student develops a dissertation prospectus as preparation for undertaking dissertation research that represents the culmination of their doctoral program. Successful defense of the dissertation results in the granting of the doctoral degree.

Admissions and Financial Aid for Doctoral Students

You can find information about the department’s admissions requirements and deadlines at the  admissions  webpage. You can find information about financial aid opportunities at the  financial aid webpage .

PhD in Urban and Regional Planning and Design Admissions

The PhD program is highly selective and individualized. While some students have been admitted as part-time students, full-time study is encouraged and given priority in the admissions process.

Our official application review starts with the submission of a full application through the university system.  We recommend that before you apply to the program, you visit the  faculty page  to familiarize yourself with various faculty members and their expertise and research. We encourage you to reach out to potential dissertation advisors, based on shared research interests, and ask about make an inquiry of potential advising. Please do not send an inquiry about admission to individual faculty members; all admissions and funding decisions are made by a committee and not individual faculty members.

To be considered for the Urban and Regional Planning and Design PhD Program, applicants must have a fully completed application submitted through the online platform by the deadline. We do not accept late applications.

We look forward to introducing you to the University of Maryland and its PhD Program in Urban and Regional Planning. 

Visit the  graduate school website  for General Requirements, Program-Specific Requirements, and Application Deadlines. 

Learn more about the PhD in Urban and Regional Planning and Design .

Admission Requirements

Students admitted to the PhD program will be expected to have completed a master's degree in a related field including (but not exclusively) urban planning, architecture, historic preservation, or landscape architecture. Students are expected to enter the PhD program with two semesters of graduate level quantitative research methods. These courses can be taken after entrance to the program and prior to their advanced methods course.

Application Requirements

Apply via the graduate application website . .

Read the latest instructions. When prompted, put in the four letter code that identifies the program for which you are applying.

The online code for the PhD in Urban and Regional Planning and Design degree is URPD.

A non-refundable $75 fee is required for each program application. Payment of your application fee must be made online in order for your application to be submitted. Your application will not be processed until you pay your application fee and it is authorized. 

To find out if you are eligible for an application fee waiver, please click on the following link: https://gradschool.umd.edu/feewaiverinformation

Transcripts

Unofficial copies of transcripts from each institution, including the University of Maryland, must be attached to your application. Admitted applicants must arrange for official transcripts to be forwarded to the Graduate Admissions Office from each institution where undergraduate or prior graduate work was undertaken. Sealed envelopes of transcripts that meet the requirements below must be submitted. 

Transcripts must bear the signature of the registrar and the seal of the granting institution and should include the years of attendance, courses taken, grades received, class standing, and any degree, certificate, or diploma received.

Letters of Recommendation

Three recommendations are required from professors or other unrelated individuals who can assess the applicant’s potential to succeed in this program. The online application provides an electronic recommendation form, which in most cases facilitates submission and receipt.

Statement of Purpose

(1000-2000 words)

Applicants must submit a statement of their goals and objectives in pursuing graduate study using the online application. The statement should address the following two questions:

What are your reasons for undertaking graduate study at the University of Maryland, College Park? Indicate, if appropriate, any specific areas of research interest. You may wish to discuss past work in your intended field or allied fields, your plans for a professional career, or how you developed your interest in or knowledge of your chosen subject.

What life experiences have prepared you to pursue a graduate degree at a large and diverse institution such as the University of Maryland? Items you might care to include could be your financial, community, and family background, whether you are the first person in your family to pursue higher education, or any other factors that you believe would contribute to the diversity of our academic community. You may also wish to give the graduate admissions committee some examples of your determination to pursue your goals, your initiative and ability to develop ideas, and/or your capacity for working through problems independently.

Applicants must attach an up-to-date resume via the online application.

The Fall 2024 deadline for application to the PhD in Urban and Regional Planning and Design is January 9, 2024.

If students would like to apply for the Flagship Fellowship or the President's Fellowship, a complete application must be submitted by December 8, 2023.   

Tuition and Fees

For current tuition, fees and other expenses for degrees, please visit the Student Financial Services and Cashiering website. 

Students who have not yet passed their comprehensive exams and advanced to candidacy pay the standard rate for graduate tuition and fees. PhD students who have advanced to candidacy pay flat rates for 899 level candidacy courses and fees

PhD in Urban and Regional Planning

A doctoral degree is offered to students with a master’s degree in planning or a related field. This offers advanced students the opportunity to specialize in one of the sub-fields of planning. PhD students are expected to take a minimum of 21 credit hours beyond the master’s degree, pass a comprehensive exam, and prepare and defend a dissertation. Students without a master’s degree in planning may be required to take additional courses from the MURP curriculum.

The program provides training in advanced research in urban and regional planning. Graduates are expected to pursue academic appointments at institutions of higher education and to achieve higher levels of professional practice in the public and private sectors.

A student pursuing the PhD degree is required to complete at least 21 credits in advanced courses (in addition to any remedial courses designated at the time of admission). The following core courses are required:

• PLAN 602: Advanced Planning Theory
• PLAN 655: Planning Research Methods

In addition to these two core courses, PhD students are required to take nine credits in an allied field (to be selected in consultation with the student’s advisor), a three-credit additional research methods course, and a three-credit research design course. Prior to taking their comprehensive exams, students submit a 6,000-word major field paper. Prior to starting the dissertation, PhD candidates must pass a comprehensive examination in their chosen/described major and minor fields.

For additional PhD program details, please refer to the PhD Guidelines .

First year — Completing basic requirements

• Take PLAN 602.
• Take courses in allied fields.
• Prepare Study Plan with your advisor outlining proposed courses and schedule.
• Prepare draft Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).

Second year — MOU, Preparing for comprehensive examination

• Identify three DURP committee members.
• Finalize MOU consisting of (a) a brief statement on the proposed dissertation topic, (b) names and descriptions of major and minor fields and proposed bibliography for the comprehensive exam, and (c) calendar of study, research and writing to completion of the dissertation. Signed agreement on the MOU by all committee members is required by the end of the second year.
• Prepare major field paper.

Second-third year – Completing courses and general/qualifying exam

• Take research design/proposal course
• Complete all course requirements
• Prepare exam reading list for major and minor fields of study and successfully take general/qualifying examination in consultation with Ph.D. committee members. The practice at DURP is that only three committee members will be responsible for setting and assessing the comprehensive exam. Students are free to have more than three committee members on the examination.
• Identify five dissertation committee members, with at least one member from another department or program at UH who will serve as the University Representative.
• Draft complete dissertation research proposal in consultation with committee members.

Third year and after — Advancing to candidacy, field research and completing the Ph.D.

• Present dissertation proposal at a department colloquium. Having already completed all course requirements and successfully passing the comprehensive exam, upon acceptance of the proposal by the committee the student is advanced to candidacy for a Ph.D., also known as ABD (all but dissertation).
• Field research, writing of Ph.D. dissertation, and final defense.

Students are subject to all relevant requirements of the department and the Graduate Division. They must demonstrate sufficient progress in order to advance to candidacy.

Upon completion of the Ph.D., students will be able to:

• Evaluate, synthesize, and conduct independent research relevant to building knowledge in the field of urban and regional planning;
• Demonstrate mastery of rigorous research design and an application of research method within the field of planning; and
• Present, discuss, and defend research findings through effective oral and written communication.

Admission to the PhD program requires a master’s degree in planning. In exceptional circumstances, candidates with either an advanced research background or exceptional professional experience, but who do not have a master’s degree in planning, may be admitted. Admission may be granted with the understanding that some background courses or examinations may be required.

Consideration for admission requires a GPA of at least a 3.5 in previous graduate work. Applicants are also required to submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores for verbal, math and analytic sections, with a minimum combined score of 300. Non-native speakers of English are also required to submit a TOEFL or IELTS Academic score of 100 iBT and 7.5 respectively. Applicants are also expected to submit evidence of advanced work such as a research report or sole-authored plan.

Admission of non-MURP students

Students without a master’s degree in planning must take either 18 or 24 credits, distributed as follow, with exceptions granted by both the Graduate Chair/Department Chair:

• 18 credits of MURP core requirements (PLAN 600, 601, 603, 620, 640, and 678); and
• 6 credits of MURP planning practicum (PLAN 751) if they lack professional planning experience or have not taken a similar planning practicum.

As is the case with the MURP degree, applicants to the PhD program submit some materials directly to the department and some directly to the Graduate Division. The Graduate Division reviews all graduate study applications and sends those meeting basic criteria to the appropriate academic departments. Once the department receives official documents from the Graduate Division and has received all materials from the applicant, department faculty meet to consider the application.

PhD applicants submit the following directly to the Graduate Division:

• The  Application for Graduate Admission and fee
• One transcript from each post-secondary institution attended.  Applicants may submit unofficial copies of transcripts while applying for admission through the upload website linked below. However, admitted students are required to submit official transcripts in order to enroll at UHM. Official transcripts must be sent to Office of Graduate Education Student Services directly from the issuing institution(s), or in sealed institutional envelopes if submitted with the application.
• Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores and TOEFL scores for those who are non-native speakers of English

The following supplemental materials are to be submitted directly to the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at [email protected] or through the  Graduate Application Supplemental Documents Upload Website.

• Two letters of reference from persons well-acquainted with the applicant’s academic or professional work
• An example of the applicant’s professional work
• Completed  Express Information Form
• Completed  Statement of Objectives
• Completed  Admissions Assessment Form

For a list of application forms and deadlines, please refer to UHM’s Graduate Division page for the Department of Urban and Regional Planning .

Application Deadlines

The deadline for receipt of application materials is  February 1  for admission for the following  fall semester  (GRE scores and letters of recommendation will be accepted after this deadline, but no action will be taken on the application until all relevant application materials have been received).

The admissions committee is responsible for evaluating a student’s objectives, letters of recommendation, GRE, TOEFL, and/or IELTS scores, academic record, and prior experience. The statement of objectives is reviewed especially carefully by the DURP admissions committee to determine alignment of research interests with faculty expertise.

The committee may request additional materials/information from an applicant and/or request an interview. If applicants are in Hawai‘i prior to applying, they are encouraged to schedule a visit and meet members of the faculty with whom they share research interests.

Department of Urban and Regional Planning

Office: Saunders Hall 107 Tel: (808) 956-7381 Email: [email protected]

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Planning MPhil/PhD

London, Bloomsbury

The School is internationally distinguished within the planning field and offers a unique hands-on learning environment for students, involving interaction with some of the leading urban planning academics and practitioners, through close supervision, creative project work and teaching innovation.

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 1

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

The MPhil/PhD in Planning Studies is an advanced level doctoral programme geared to interdisciplinary post-graduates interested in pursuing a career in planning or related fields in policy, research and/or teaching. The course is individually-directed and motivated, driven by the scholarly research interests and project development of the applicant which is supported by a supervisory panel usually consisting of two members of academic staff. The final product is a thesis of 100,000 words and an oral examination assessed by a small panel of experts in the chosen field of study.

Who this course is for

What this course will give you.

Research students at UCL are heavily involved in the academic life of the department, organising and contributing to seminar series, interacting with renowned academics from across the globe and adding their own expertise to the body of work that the department produces.

In order to best prepare our students for academic life we offer funds for international conference attendance, for training in teaching and research (to complement other formal training sessions offered by UCL Doctoral School) and above all else, we embed the fundamentals of academic teaching by employing our research students in the teaching of undergraduate and Master's level students.

We are the UK’s largest faculty of the built environment and REF 2021 has confirmed both our unique breadth, and excellence across this portfolio. Key highlights: The Bartlett is where the UK’s most ‘World Leading’ and ‘Internationally Excellent’ built environment research is undertaken; 91% of our research has been deemed ‘World Leading’ and ‘Internationally Excellent’; The Bartlett is number one for Research Power in the built environment.

The foundation of your career

At The Bartlett School of Planning our research informs our teaching. The school offers a unique hands-on learning environment for students, involving interaction with some of the leading urban planning academics and practitioners, through close supervision, creative project work and teaching innovation. These are the features that distinguish the School's teaching programmes within the planning field internationally. Through our undergraduate, taught Master's and doctoral programmes, students learn in a creative and highly stimulating environment about the form, planning, design and management of cities and about how to shape their future.

Employability

Students completing a research degree have been very successful in gaining subsequent employment. Graduates typically find employment with a wide variety of public and private employers in the UK and abroad, including universities, research institutes, consultancies and government organisations.

The school offers students numerous opportunities for networking with the professional community. Engagement with practising planners on taught programmes is reinforced through contact with visiting speakers in our extensive seminar series. Careers events are attended both by past alumni who have become successful planners and by employers seeking expertise within our student body.

Teaching and learning

The PhD Programme is largely self-directed with each candidate responsible for developing a training programme catering to their individual skill and knowledge advancement requirements. UCL Doctoral School offers a suite of extensive advanced level training opportunities and the School of Planning runs a bespoke series of research training seminars throughout the first year of study, which is augmented by regular in-house and external training opportunities via workshops, seminars and conferences.

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

There are only two formal points of assessment within the PhD programme – the upgrade from MPhil to PhD candidacy (around 12-14 months since registration) and the Viva-Voce (oral examination following submission of the final thesis). Theses are either passed without corrections, passed with minor revisions or referred for resubmission.

The PhD is a self-directed, but supervised study pattern. Regular meetings with the primary supervisor are expected (minimum once a month), whilst joint supervisions with the second supervisor may be less frequent across the academic year. There will be periods of more or less intensive supervisory contact dependent on the agreed patterns of data collection, field work and writing up, which coordinate differently for each research student. There is no specified quantum of time that is ‘expected’ but timely completion on a full-time basis requires a pattern of time management consistent with a full-time job.

Research areas and structure

• Economic development : diverse aspects of the economy in complex city-regions; processes of industry clustering and innovation; local and regional economic development; impacts of multinational companies; foreign direct investment and trade openness; political economy of urban regeneration
• Housing, society and culture : housing design, development and planning; representation of space; questions of identity and the engagement of different groups in space; housing supply; affordability; mix and social cohesion
• Property and regeneration : inter-relationship of property markets and planning; effectiveness and sustainability of urban regeneration in the UK, Europe and internationally
• Spatial planning : planning systems, policies and processes in the UK, Europe and beyond
• Sustainable development : lifestyle, consumption and production; investment and property development; eco-design and planning for climate change
• Transport and infrastructure : sustainable modes of travel; inequalities in urban and rural mobility; delivering major infrastructure projects
• Urban design : public space design and management; the design dimension of planning; questions of form, type and quality; the value of design

Research environment

The Bartlett School of Planning at UCL is one of the oldest and most respected in the world. It benefits from its location in Bloomsbury in the heart of London and additionally, London itself serves as an ‘urban laboratory’ providing a rich resource for urban and planning research: in its role as a world city, as a political and financial centre; with its historic city core and garden suburbs, the Docklands and Olympic park regeneration areas, and within close range are historically significant new towns such as Letchworth and Welwyn Garden City.

The school’s increasingly international and inter-disciplinary staff and student body are evidence of the distinctive reputation the Bartlett School of Planning has achieved, and is a testament to the school's commitment to excellence in planning-related education and research.

The school has made major contributions to socio-spatial knowledge that ranges from understanding the fundamentals of urban form, complexity, society and development, to critiquing the processes of planning, governance, regeneration and investment, and analysing the outcomes from planning as they affect urban quality, culture, sustainability and mobility. Staff and research student projects cover a vast range of UK, European and other international contexts, and relate to both the global North and South.

A PhD at The Bartlett School of Planning will allow you to pursue original research and make a distinct and significant contribution to your field. We are committed to the quality and relevance of the research supervision we offer and as an MPhil/PhD candidate. Furthermore as a research student, you will be an integral part of our collaborative and thriving research community. An end-of-first-year PhD workshop will give you the opportunity to present and discuss your research with peers and academic colleagues. Tailored skills seminars will provide you with a supportive research environment and the critical skills necessary to undertake your research. To foster your academic development we also offer additional faculty funds, which can assist you with the costs of conferences and other research activities.

There is no taught element to the programme, however as a first year you will usually be offered workshops that typically include the following timetabled sessions:

• Identifying your research topic
• Refining your research question(s), objectives and/or hypothesis/es
• Choosing your theoretical framing
• Thinking theoretically
• Choosing your methods for data collection and data analysis
• Introducing the progress review and upgrade processes
• Relations with supervisors
• Time management.

In addition there are a range of seminars, public lectures and training events on offer within the Bartlett School of Planning for the research student community. 

In common with a number of other UK Universities, UCL does not admit students directly onto a PhD programme in the first instance, but requires all research students to first enrol for an MPhil degree. After having completed the first year, the majority of students do not complete the MPhil and instead go through a process of transferring (upgrading) to the PhD programme. Providing satisfactory progress has been made in the first year, the transfer of registration from MPhil to PhD is usually approved. The normal time allocated for doing this MPhil/PhD programme is three years full time and five years part time. Within the School of Planning, research students generally upgrade between 12-14 months following registration, or 24-28 months for Part-time students. There are no compulsory taught modules as part of the programme, but it each research student is expected to complete a bespoke training plan in consultation with their supervisory panel.

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.

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 Faculty provides financial support to students through the Bartlett Student Conference Fund, Bartlett Doctoral Initiative 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 Planning 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

Prospective MPhil/PhD applicants are encouraged to send an informal research enquiry before applying. This should be sent directly to the academic you would like to supervise you. Please refer to the staff list on the  department website  and see UCL's  Institutional Research Information Service  (IRIS) for staff profiles. Please attach to your e-mail a referenced research proposal (maximum 3000 words) and your curriculum vitae (CV).

Further details on how to apply to an MPhil/PhD can be found on the  UCL Graduate Admissions  website.

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.

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Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2024-2025

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Bartlett School of Planning

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New Tools Revolutionize Urban Planning

The study is small, but its results are encouraging. After analyzing transportation and economic data from nearly a mile of K Street, within the Mt. Vernon Triangle neighborhood in Washington, D.C., Josiah Blackwell-Lipkind, a 2024 master’s candidate in the Urban & Regional Planning program at Georgetown University, found that replacing on-street parking and some automobile travel lanes with bike lanes not only increased bicycle traffic but spurred economic activity in the neighborhood as well.

Yet this research exercise represents much more than a brief, if promising, analysis of eight city blocks. It is one of the university’s first uses of a new urban data platform called Replica . The proprietary platform utilizes artificial intelligence to piece together thousands of pieces of anonymized cell phone and vehicle GPS records to enable urban planners to tackle problems that were once nearly impossible to solve without conducting costly manual traffic studies or using oversimplified traffic models that do not account for real-world human behaviors.

“For a long time, travel surveys and resulting travel models were used for transportation behavior studies and planning decisions,” says Blackwell-Lipkind, who also works as an urban planner for the U.S. Department of Transportation. “What’s happening now is, instead of conducting these types of intermittent surveys every few years, there’s a push to use more live data based on real-world activity. Pings from GPS and phone data can tell us where people are actually going throughout the day.”

Replica, which was founded as part of Alphabet in 2017 and is now an independent company, combines privatized cell phone-generated location data together with information from the U.S. Census Bureau and other public travel surveys “to build out an entire population,” Blackwell-Lipkind says. “Replica creates a synthetic population of people using the GPS data from a sample of people.” This mobility data enables users to determine not just regional traffic patterns but the demographic characteristics of trip takers as well.

An Evolving Neighborhood

The Urban & Regional Planning program piloted Replica in the summer of 2023 in its Planning Studio course, which examined the community development issues in the broader area known as Downtown East. “Our students are interested in new sources of data which relate directly to real-world challenges,” says Uwe Brandes, Faculty Director of the program. “Our partnership with Replica enabled students to critically explore the utilization of one of the most cutting edge urban planning tools on the market, one which is being rapidly adopted by professionals in the field.”

In early 2024, the planning program entered into a demonstration agreement with Replica that allows the company to use the program “as a kind of testbed for the software,” Brandes says. The agreement enabled students in the course to use the software. The demonstration with the Urban Planning Program was so successful that Georgetown has now made the tool available to all students in the entire university.

“It’s a very fine-grained source of data that urban planners have typically not been able to access unless they manually collected the data themselves,” he says. “The practice of urban planning is changing very rapidly. AI-enabled data sets are not widely adopted and there is some level of skepticism associated with the algorithms producing this data. But what better than an academic setting for asking critical questions like, ‘Should we be using artificial intelligence in this way?’”

A ‘Fantastic Opportunity’

Izzy Youngs, a program alumna and visiting lecturer in the planning program and Blackwell-Lipkind’s advisor on the project, believes the answer will be a qualified “yes.”

“One of the reasons it’s so important to introduce this application into an academic setting is because we can really honestly engage with what kinds of questions are not suitable to be answered with this kind of data; and what kinds of assumptions and data quality issues there might be which bias the data or results,” says Youngs, who also works as a civic data analyst at Alta Planning + Design.

That said, introducing Replica to students “is a really fantastic opportunity” that puts Georgetown “at the front edge of what’s happening in the field,” Youngs says. “I don’t know of any other universities or schools that have partnerships like this. And I think the ability for students to access this kind of data is going to be so important not just for their education but for their professional development” because a lot of companies are looking to hire people who have worked with this technology.

Replica data can help answer questions that go far beyond the scope of traditional travel demand models. For example, traditional models do not take into account that people often take trips in a chain, Youngs says. Rather than going from Point A to Point B and back again, they may drive from the office to the grocery store, to the pharmacy, and to the school to pick up their children. Replica documents each of these individual trips.

Mobility data can also be useful in other fields, such as public health. Health agencies could use Replica to see how travel patterns changed for different demographic groups during the pandemic and then use this data to target outreach campaigns. That’s because the data can show how different users tend to move during the day.

A Surge in Bicycle and Economic Activity

Blackwell-Lipkind’s study examined K Street between Seventh Street NW and First Street NE. This is the site of a 2021 District Department of Transportation project that replaced on-street parking and vehicle travel lanes with protected bike lanes. K Street now has the only east-west protected bike lane in the area. Between the years 2019 and 2021, Blackwell-Lipkind found that bike trips increased 350 percent relative to nearby corridors, accidents per trip for all travel modes declined, and vehicular traffic was only marginally affected. But perhaps the biggest surprise was business sales, which outpaced the District of Columbia average by 200 percent.

Did the addition of bike lanes help cause this surge? That’s what the data suggest, Blackwell-Lipkind says, but he adds that more research will need to be done. And with the addition of Replica, that can be accomplished much more easily than in the past.

Helping people get safely from one place to another, making those trips less hectic and more enjoyable—these are some of the reasons why Blackwell-Lipkind went into urban planning in the first place. And he welcomes any tool that will help him do his work better.

“One of the most visible forms of government influence is on the street,” Blackwell-Lipkind says. “It’s the most ubiquitous public space, and everyone has an opinion about it. You can ask any person, ‘How do you feel about this street? What is your experience traveling on it?’ and they will have something to say. Every investment that the government makes in the street is immediately apparent to everyone. And I think that’s kind of beautiful.”

Master's in Urban & Regional Planning

Develop the skills needed for success in the urban planning industry through a combination of academic theory and applied studio work.

Choose Your Term

We are transitioning to a new system for applications to the Spring 2019 term and later. Please select the term of your application:

• Fall 2018 or earlier
• Spring 2019 or later