Overview

Our mission is to create new avenues of investigation, expand knowledge bases, solve time-sensitive, contemporary issues across architectural disciplines and yield new insights into the past, present and future of the field.

Interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research are important elements of this Architecture and Design Research program at Thomas Jefferson University, which builds on the wide-ranging expertise of faculty within the College of Architecture & the Built Environment and across Jefferson, a National Doctorial Research University.

Research

Choose your focus area from a wide array of topics supported by the diverse expertise and research agenda of faculty who study areas including sustainable architecture, high performance buildings, urban design, smart cities, geospatial technologies, historic preservation, public interest design and design for health, sustainable development, real estate development and innovative construction.

Through your research you will reach beyond the primary field, collaborating with other disciplines relevant to your topic, including engineering, business and health sciences, in consultation with an academic advisor.

Programme Structure

Research areas include:

Material & Design Computation
Sustainable Building Practice & Technology
Smart, Resilient, Healthy Cities
Health & Design
History, Theory & Historic Preservation

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 48 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-08-24 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-08-01 00:00:00 , National
Starting 2027-08-24 00:00:00
- Apply before 2027-04-15 00:00:00 , International

Language

English

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Credits

48 SCH

Delivered

Blended

Campus Location

Philadelphia, United States

Disciplines

Architecture Design View 20 other PhDs in Design in United States

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Academic requirements

GPA

English requirements

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Other requirements

General requirements

Applicants are required to hold a master's degree from a regionally accredited institution or equivalent upon evaluation of international transcripts prior to the start of the program.
A minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA is recommended
Applicants are required to submit an official transcript for their highest earned degree.
Submit two letters of reference that provide insight into your academic and/or professional competence.
Personal statement and résumé

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

19020 USD / year

≈ 19020 USD / year
Out-of-State

19020 USD / year

≈ 19020 USD / year
Domestic

Applies to you

In-State

19020 USD / year

≈ 19020 USD / year

Living costs

Philadelphia

United States

1313 - 2284 USD / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find PhD's scholarship opportunities for Architecture and Design Research.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

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