The School of Design offers a doctoral program for students who want to investigate fundamental problems in the nature and practice of design. The program is grounded in the design disciplines but strongly encourages interdisciplinary study.
The goal of the program is to prepare researchers and educators who will consolidate what is known about design in its most sophisticated and well-grounded form and expand that knowledge through original inquiry.
Selected majors/areas of research for a PhD in Design include
Ceramics, Glass and Metals Design
Design for Health and Well-being
Design for Learning
Design Management
Design for Sustainability
Design and Technology
Design and the Urban Context
Design Methods
Design History and Criticism
Fashion and Textiles Design
Product, Furniture and Industrial Design
Interior Design
Students in a design doctoral program must pass a written and oral qualifying exam and then complete and formally defend a doctoral dissertation based on original research. In general, all designPhD programs require that successful candidates for the degree demonstrate:
The ability to conduct independent research at a high level, leading to completion of a dissertation which is defended before a committee of scholars. Because examinations given as part of a PhD curriculum assess expert knowledge, they are created and evaluated by a committee of experts, each of whom holds a PhD degree.
Proficiency in the tools necessary to carry out this research, including but not limited to computer skills, bibliographic competence, and reading of one or more foreign languages
Mastery of general and specific subject matter in the field of study before a committee of scholars.
Part- and full-time study options, along with various delivery modes - residential programs, distance education programs and online programs - are also available. North American PhD programs in design welcome foreign students. However, fluency in spoken and written English is critically important.
