项目介绍

2022年9月27日

The Ph.D. Program in Architecture is focused on the production of knowledge in the historical, theoretical, or technological development of architecture, landscape architecture, and historic preservation. Operating within the context of a design school in a university setting, it is a fundamentally interdisciplinary program, and seeks to explore opportunities in the wider university to reconsider the terms, methods, and futures of architectural knowledge. 

To see current and recent student work from the program, go to the work link above. You can also explore recent events and programs sponsored by the Graduate Group and news about faculty and students. Faculty members of Graduate Group are listed below with their research focus. 

The Program is especially interested in interdisciplinary scholarship that explores and rescripts the boundaries of the discipline. Projects in History/Theory often explore connections between architectural histories and theories and histories of technology and environment; of race, class, and gender; of politics, economics, and equity; many are attuned to the role of media in producing and understanding architectural ideas. Technological research operates on structural and environmental knowledge. While much of the required coursework for the degree takes place within the School of Design, the curriculum allows extensive opportunities for students to take advantage of the rich resources of the University in their elective courses, in preparing their bibliographies and in writing their dissertations.

Requirements for the degree include twenty approved courses, the passing of two language exams, a qualifying examination, a preliminary examination, teaching experience, a dissertation and a final defense. Course work from previous graduate level programs can reduce the number of required courses for the Ph.D. Students generally spend three to four semesters on campus in order to complete requirements and advance to dissertation status. We encourage students to complete the degree in four to five years.

Students are assigned an advisor upon entering the program, and often choose their dissertation advisor within the first year. Most advisory committees are, like the work itself, interdisciplinary, and draw from experts within the School, the University, and the wider scholarly community.

The program is administered by a Graduate Group, consisting of faculty in the Department of Architecture, Landscape Architecture and Historic Preservation, as well as from associated departments including History of Art, History and Sociology of Science, and other departments across the university. Students from the program often serve as pre-doctoral fellows in a range of University research centers, including the Penn Program in the Environmental Humanities and the Penn/Mellon Colloquium in Humanities+Urbanism+Design.

The program accepts applicants holding Master’s degrees in architecture or a related field, such as landscape architecture or historic preservation. Applications to the Ph.D. program are accepted once a year as part of the Weitzman School’s admissions process.