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Ph.D. Requirements

As a candidate for admission to the PhD program, you must meet the requirements of the Office of Vice-Chancellor of Academic and Student Affairs of UCD. These include but are not limited to:

• Matters of provisional admission
• Transfer credit restrictions
• Residency requirements
• Eligibility of courses for graduate-level credit
• Foreign language requirements
• Examination schedules

Program-Specific Requirements

The specific admission requirements for the Ph.D. Program in Design and Planning are as follows:

1. Degree

1. Minimally, successful applicants will have a Bachelor's degree. However, it is strongly advised that students entering the program will have completed both a bachelor's and a master's degree.
2. Field specialization and background are open. However, students will preferably have completed a professional (master's or bachelor's) program in planning or a design-related field, such as:
   1. Architecture
   2. Architectural Engineering
   3. Landscape Architecture
   4. Urban Design
3. In combination with a degree in an area, such as:
   1. Computer Science
   2. Geography
   3. Environmental Law
   4. Environmental Psychology
   5. Management Science
   6. Public Administration
   7. Real Estate
   8. Urban Economics
   9. Urban Sociology

2. Knowledge From Prior Course Work

The applicability of a student's prior course work will be decided by the Program Committee upon review of a student's transcript and additional materials. If the student does not have the requisite educational background, grade point average, or GRE scores, the student may be admitted on a conditional or provisional basis and additional course work may be required in accordance with Graduate School rules.

1. Design and Planning
   1. Students entering the program can satisfy this requirement by virtue of having completed either a professional or a pre-professional degree program in these areas.
   2. Students without such prior qualification must complete 12 hours of upper level undergraduate course work in the College of Architecture and Planning, while obtaining in each of these courses a grade of ‘B’ or higher.
   3. These courses are to be chosen from a selected list, in consultation with the student's faculty advisor, are to be completed within two years after admission to the Program, and may count towards fulfilling the degree requirements.
2. Undergraduate Work
   You must have completed 12 credit hours of undergraduate work in one of the following areas:
   1. Social and Behavioral Sciences
   2. Environmental and Natural Sciences
   3. Engineering
   4. Humanities
3. Prerequisites
   You must also have completed one of the following prerequisites with a grade of 'B-' or above (the choice depends on your area of specialization):
   1. Statistics
      • Including probability theory, parametric and non-parametric methods, and acquaintance with basic multivariate techniques
      • Minimum of 3 credit hours
   2. Mathematics
      • Including differential equations, finite mathematics, algorithms, data structures, or other appropriate courses
      • Minimum of 3 credit hours
   3. Computer Applications
      • Background in Computer Aided Design (CAD), or Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
      • Minimum of 3 credit hours
   4. Language
      • Ability to read at least one foreign language relevant to intended dissertation.

3. Demonstrated Academic Achievement

1. Academic achievement as evidenced by an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) or better, and a graduate grade point average of 3.5 or better.
2. A 575 TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) score is required of all foreign applicants whose native language is not English.

4. Additional Materials

All applicants need to submit at least three letters of reference, an official transcript of past academic work, a sample of written work and any other evidence relevant to admission to the Program, a statement of purpose (summarizing career objectives and reasons for pursuing doctoral education, and indicating proposed areas of specialization and, if possible, overlap of research interests among program faculty), and Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores.

5. Full-Time Basis

The doctoral program draws students from a wide variety of disciplines. Students admitted to the program will typically pursue the degree requirements on a full-time basis and we strongly support full-time students entering as a co-hort. Exceptionally qualified applicants who wish to pursue part-time study may also be considered.  

6. Transfer Credits

Transfer of credits requires the approval of the Program Director and will occur in a manner consistent with the applicable rules of the Graduate School of the University of Colorado at Denver. Up to 18 transfer credits may be awarded for a master's degree.