Department website: https://soa.utexas.edu/

The Doctor of Philosophy is an academic degree with concentrations in the history of architecture and landscape architecture, historic preservation, and sustainability. It provides students holding an appropriate master’s degree with a rigorous program of study intended to prepare them to conduct research and teach in these disciplines.

The concentration in the history of architecture and landscape architecture places special emphasis on understanding buildings or landscapes and their designers within their historical contexts as complex and interconnected wholes that include aspects of aesthetics, tectonics, function, culture, and meaning. The student’s program of study may address the history of architectural theory; the history of design; the history of interior design; the history of urban design, settlements, or cities; the history of building technology; and the history of landscape design.

The concentration in historic preservation embraces multi-disciplinary and culturally diverse approaches to the conservation of historic resources. The student’s program may address preservation planning and development; issues in the theory, history, and practice of the conservation of buildings, interiors, landscapes and neighborhoods; preservation-based strategies of sustainable development; and innovative methodologies for preservation practice.

The concentration in sustainability is practical, technical, and philosophical in scope and integrates three areas of inquiry related to the built environment: biophysical systems, building systems, and political systems. The study of biophysical systems relies upon the disciplines of natural and urban ecological sciences as they relate to architecture. The study of building systems includes investigating component technologies necessary to construct environmentally responsive architecture. The study of political systems situates the biophysical and building systems within the social and political contexts of architectural practice.

Graduate Handbook

Graduate handbook information is updated and maintained by each program. Graduate handbooks are available within each program's office and online. Please contact the program with concerns or questions.

Admission

Students who enter the doctoral degree program must hold a master’s degree or the equivalent in a discipline relevant to their area of concentration and must demonstrate the ability to excel in doctoral work. Admission decisions are made by the doctoral subcommittee of the Architecture Graduate Studies Committee.

Upon admission to the program, students must pay a nonrefundable enrollment deposit to indicate that they accept the offer of admission. The deposit is applied to the payment of tuition when the student enrolls. The deposit is also required of students admitted to dual degree programs.

Total Hours Required: 30

Requirements

The doctoral subcommittee of the Architecture Graduate Studies Committee determines course requirements, prescribes qualifying examinations, and approves dissertation topics. The degree plan requires a minimum of 30 semester hours. These include 21 semester hours of seminars, independent research, and reading courses leading to the qualifying examination. Nine of these hours must satisfy the program’s core requirements, as specified by the doctoral subcommittee (credit may be awarded for core courses taken as part of a School of Architecture master’s program). After passing the qualifying examination, the student registers for a three-semester-hour dissertation colloquium to develop a dissertation topic. Continuous registration is required through the writing, oral defense, revision, and final acceptance of the dissertation. All tracks require experience in design, which may be gained through design studio coursework or professional practice, reading proficiency in two foreign languages, and/or proficiency in qualitative or quantitative analysis as determined by the doctoral subcommittee.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
All students must also follow the requirements and policies below:
Graduate Architecture Requirements
Graduate University Requirements