PhD Planning at University of Massachusetts Amherst

Programme overview

The PhD in Planning is a research degree for students interested in academic careers or research in public agencies or private corporations. Doctoral work can be supervised in most areas of planning plus areas where planning and landscape architecture overlap. The department attempts to offer every admitted doctoral student an assistantship with a stipend and tuition waiver.

Faculty: College of Social and Behavioral Sciences | Department: Department of Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning | Duration: Typically two years of coursework and comprehensive exams plus a third or fourth year for the dissertation; minimum one year of full-time residence | Intake: Fall; application deadline February 1 | Study mode: full-time | Location: Amherst, MA, United States

What you will study

The degree requires 60 credits, of which 22 are required: three in the PhD Seminar and 18 dissertation credits. Students sit written and oral preliminary comprehensive examinations (planning history and theory, a substantive area, and research methods), then a dissertation. There is no foreign language requirement.

Career pathways

Academic careers and research in public agencies or private corporations.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

PhD Planning: admitted students normally hold a master's degree in planning or a closely related field (such as landscape architecture or geography); those with master's degrees in other fields and appropriate professional experience are considered. A written statement is central; research and writing samples may be included; TOEFL scores are part of the application for international applicants. Applicants are encouraged to contact a planning faculty member before applying. Application deadline for Fall entry is February 1.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Intake: Fall; application deadline February 1

Duration: Typically two years of coursework and comprehensive exams plus a third or fourth year for the disser

Explore more study programmes

Engineering