Doctor of Philosophy in Built Environment (Practice-based PhD)

A Practice-based PhD is available across all disciplines represented in the Faculty of Built Environment: Architecture, City Planning, Computational Design, Construction Management and Property, Industrial Design, Interior Architecture and Landscape Architecture. In the same way as a traditional PhD, the primary aim of the Practice-based PhD is to contribute new knowledge to the field through systematic investigation. It is expected that the candidate will generate a new body of ideas-basedcreative work (the Project) and a written work (the Dissertation) that together will make an original contribution to knowledge within the field. The Project may take one of a number of different forms, for example: architectural design, urban design and planning, construction methods and technologies, industrial design, interior design and landscape design. It could also cross a number of disciplines. The chosen medium can also vary, for example it might take the form of objects, drawings, plans, prototypes, models, creative text, digital fabrication, film, virtual reality or a combination of these. The requirement, however, is that the Project can be fully documented in electronic form for the purposes of examination.

As a general guide, the minimum requirement for admission to a PhD degree is an appropriate undergraduate degree with first or upper second class honours or a completed Masters by Research degree in a field represented within UNSW Built Environment faculty or another relevant discipline.Candidates may be admitted to the PhD program after one year’s full-time enrolment in a Masters by Research program, with the approval of the Faculty Research Committee. In exceptional cases an applicant who submits evidence of such other academic and professional qualifications as may be approved by the Committee may be permitted to enrol for the degree.