Design and Planning
Head: Mimi Locher
Grad Chair: Shauna Mallory-Hill 
Campus Address/General Office: 201 Russell Building, Faculty of Architecture
Telephone: 204-474-6578
Fax: 204-474-7532
Email Address: gradarch@umanitoba.ca
Website: umanitoba.ca/architecture/phd-design-and-planning
Academic Staff: Please refer to the Design and Planning website for a current listing of PhD advisors.

Design and Planning Program Information

The Faculty of Architecture offers a trans-disciplinary graduate program of study leading to a Doctor of Philosophy degree.

Admission Information

Admission to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies

Application and Admission Procedures are found in the Academic Guide.

Admission requirements for doctoral students are found in the Doctor of Philosophy General Regulations section of the Guide.

Design and Planning Ph.D. Admission Requirements

Applicants to the Ph.D. in Design and Planning Program must possess the following:

• a Master's degree in a discipline represented by the programs in the Faculty of Architecture (Architecture, City Planning, Environmental Design, Interior Design or Landscape Architecture) or a related field from a recognized institution;
• a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or equivalent in the last two years of full-time university study (60 credit hours);
• evidence of appropriate research capability (a Master's thesis or practicum and/or peer-reviewed publications or presentations);
• a record of appropriate experience in professional practice, post-secondary teaching and/or other pertinent accomplishments and activities.

Admission is contingent on the availability and willingness of a qualified faculty member to supervise the applicant's research and program of studies. Potential applicants must secure consent from an advisor in advance of making a formal application by following the Preliminary Application Process described on the program website.

Application Information

Students should complete and submit their online application with supporting documentation by the date indicated on the Design and Planning Ph.D. program of study page.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete a minimum of 12 credit hours at the 7000 level or higher.  One 3-credit hour course must address theory and one 3-credit hour course must address methods appropriate to the student's area of study. At least 6 of the 12 credit hours of courses must be taken within the Faculty of Architecture.  Students must additionally complete a Candidacy Examination and Thesis Proposal, submit an acceptable Thesis and pass a Thesis Oral Examination.

Expected Time to Graduate: 4-6 years

Progression Chart

All students must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 (B+) with no grade below 3.0 (B).

Plan of Study Grid

Year 1		Hours
GRAD 7300	Research Integrity Tutorial	0
GRAD 7500	Academic Integrity Tutorial	0
Various Coursework 1		12
	Hours	12
Year 2
GRAD 8010	Doctoral Candidacy Examination 2	0
Thesis Proposal 3		0
	Hours	0
Year 3
GRAD 8000	Doctoral Thesis (Research) 4	0
	Hours	0
Year 4
GRAD 8020	Doctoral Re-registration (as required)	0
GRAD 8020	Doctoral Re-registration (Submission and Oral Defense) 5	0
	Hours	0
	Total Hours	12

¹

Appropriate coursework will be determined by the student and advisor and approved by the Ph.D. Program Head. Courses must be at the 7000 level or higher. One 3-credit hour course must address theory and one 3-credit hour course must address methods appropriate to the student's area of study. At least 6 of the 12 credit hours must be taken within the Faculty of Architecture.

²

The Candidacy Examination consists of a formal written review paper(s) and/or research project(s) prepared by the student in response to questions or topics posed by the advisory committee, and an oral presentation by the student followed by questions by the advisory committee.  Students must pass both the written and oral components.  Students must demonstrate the following: ability to articulate a focused research area; knowledge of significant literature and/or precedents in the area of concentration; understanding and demonstration of suitable research methods.

³

Upon successful completion of the Candidacy Examination, the student may proceed to write and publically defend a Thesis Proposal. This written proposal will normally consist of 50-100 pages. Upon a successful defense, the Thesis Proposal Form is submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

⁴

Depending on the topic and methodology, the research and preparation of the Thesis may take 1 - 3 years. The Thesis must constitute a distinct contribution to knowledge in the major field of study and be of sufficient merit to be, in the judgment of the examiners, acceptable for publication.

⁵

The final version of the thesis must be submitted by the candidate to the Faculty of Graduate Studies following the Thesis Guidelines. All processes for Thesis submission, distribution, identifying external examiners, and the Oral Defense follow Faculty of Graduate Studies regulations.

Registration Information

Students should familiarize themselves with the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies ‘GRAD’ courses applicable to their program. If you have questions about which GRAD course(s) to register in, please consult your home department/unit.

Regulations

Students must meet the requirements as outlined in both Supplementary Regulation and BFAR documents as approved by Senate.

Supplementary Regulations

Individual units may require specific requirements above and beyond those of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, and students should consult unit supplementary regulations for these specific regulations. 

Bona Fide Academic Requirements (BFAR)

Bona Fide Academic Requirements (BFAR) represent the core academic requirements a graduate student must acquire in order to gain, and demonstrate acquisition of, essential knowledge and skills.

All students must successfully complete:

• GRAD 7300 prior to applying to any ethics boards which are appropriate to the student’s research or within the student’s first year, whichever comes first; and
• GRAD 7500 within the first term of registration;

unless these courses have been completed previously, as per Mandatory Academic Integrity Course and Mandatory Research Integrity Online Course.

Students must also meet additional BFAR requirements that may be specified for their program.

General Regulations

All students must:

• maintain a minimum degree grade point average of 3.0 with no grade below C+,
• meet the minimum and not exceed the maximum course requirements, and
• meet the minimum and not exceed the maximum time requirements (in terms of time in program and lapse or expiration of credit of courses).