PhD Design, Environment and the Arts (Design) at Arizona State University

Programme overview

The Doctor of Philosophy in design, environment and the arts with a focus in design is a flexible, interdisciplinary program prepares you with the experience, skills and framework you need in order to become a competent researcher, scholar, innovator, visionary and leader in the various disciplines of design, environment and the arts. Broad in scope, the program involves interdisciplinary research interests at both the micro- and macro-scales of design, environment and the arts.

What you will study

84 credit hours, a written comprehensive exam, an oral comprehensive exam, a prospectus and a dissertation Required Core (6 credit hours) EPD 700 Research Methods (3) EPD 710 Current Research in Design (3) Concentration (9 credit hours) DSC 594 Conference and Workshop (3) EPD 791 Seminar (3) GRA 501 Creative Environment and Collaborative Leadership (3) Other Requirements (12 credit hours) EPD 590 Reading and Conference (3) EPD 790 Reading and Conference (9) Research (12 credit hours) EPD 792 Research (12) Electives (33 credit hours) Culminating Experience (12 credit hours) EPD 799 Dissertation (12) Additional Curriculum Information Students must take all three courses from the list of concentration courses above.

Career pathways

Graduates pursue university teaching and research careers in design, environment and the arts fields. Others have careers leading planning and design firms or are engaged in business, industry, government and advocacy careers.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts. Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a master's degree in a closely related field from a regionally accredited institution. Examples of appropriate fields include art history, architectural history and design history. Fields in the humanities such as history, literature, archaeology and anthropology also may be considered. Students without graduate experience in the history of art, history of architecture and history of design may be asked to fulfill deficiencies. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program, or applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in the applicable master's degree.

Domestic applicants: USD 13,327 a year (2026-27). Arizona resident tuition. Tuition only for the graduate on-campus (Tempe/Downtown Phoenix/Polytechnic/West Valley) rate band in the ASU tuition estimator, 2026-27: Fall 2026 plus Spring 2027 term tuition summed (full-time flat rate; part-time credit loads Source

International applicants: USD 24,780 a year (2026-27). International tuition. Tuition only for the graduate on-campus (Tempe/Downtown Phoenix/Polytechnic/West Valley) rate band in the ASU tuition estimator, 2026-27: Fall 2026 plus Spring 2027 term tuition summed (full-time flat rate; part-time credit loads ar Source

Entry terms: Fall, Spring and Summer; the terms available for each programme are listed in Degree Search.

Graduate application deadlines are set by each programme office and listed in Degree Search. The nonrefundable application fee is $75 for U.S. citizens, permanent residents, DACA and international online students outside the U.S., and $120 for international students on a nonimmigrant visa studying in the U.S.

Apply through the official page: https://admission.asu.edu/apply/graduate/admission

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