Program of Study Core Courses Admission Transfer Credit Residency Academic Integrity Preliminary Candidate Evaluation Annual Student Evaluation Comprehensive Examinations Admission to Candidacy Dissertation Requirements Final Examinations Continuous Enrollment Changing Mentors or Committee Members Concurrent Degree Programs

Doctoral student policies and requirements are established by several university groups. University wide basic policies and minimum requirements are set by the Graduate College. Additional program requirements are established by the PhD Executive Committee. Individual Program of Study Committees and mentors may also vary in their particular requirements. Although minimum expectations are similar, students cannot anticipate that all requirements will be identical for every doctoral student. Graduate College policies and requirements are provided in the Arizona State  Univeristy Graduate Catalog and revised each year. Doctoral students are responsible for being aware of the policies in the catalog on which they were admitted to the institution and for the management of their own doctorate program.

Program of Study
The PhD in Environmental Design and Planning is structured as a 54-semester-hour post-master's program. Students must be thoroughly familiar with design and/or planning and are expected to demonstrate a high level of academic maturity before being admitted to the program.

Each student entering the PhD program is required to submit a program of study at the end of the first year (second semester). This committee includes a prospective mentor and is responsible for approving the student's program of study and monitoring the student's progress in the program. The program of study consists of a minimum of 54 semester hours of graduate work beyond the master's degree.

Program of Study Samples

Instructions on how to file Program of Study

For further information contact: PhD Staff

Core Courses
EPD 700 Interdisciplinary Research Methods(required)
Introduction to the philosophy and methodology of interdisciplinary research in environmental design and planning. (Spring)

EPD 710 Current Research in Design (required)
Review and critical evaluation of contemporary literature and method in architecture, building science, interior design, industrial design, and landscape architecture. (Fall)
- or -
EPD 712 Current Research in Planning (required)
Review and critical evaluation of contemporary literature and method in environmental planning, landscape architecture, landscape ecology, urban design, and urban and regional planning. (Fall)
- or -
EPD 714 Current Research in History, Theory, and Criticism (required)
Review and critical evaluation of contemporary literature and method in the theory and history of architecture, design, and planning. (Fall)

Admission
Admission is a two-tier process.  Students must be admitted into both the Ph.D. program as well as the Graduate College.  The Ph.D. program admits new students only once per year in the fall semester. Students must meet "regular" admission requirements. The program does not offer other kinds of admission (e.g. "regular with deficiencies," "regular with academic support," or "provisional") nor does it allow for deferrals. 

Transfer Credit
Students may transfer a blanket of 30 credit hours in from their previous masters degee.  Transfer credit taken before admission to a graduate degree program is non-degree credit; up to 12 credit hours can be applied towards the doctoral degree. Additional information regarding transfer credit can be found in the Graduate Catalog.

Academic Integrity
As students in the PhD program of this college, it is expected that you set a good example of academic integrity for the undergraduate and graduate students in the College of Design. As you will be enrolled in graduate-level courses, you can set a good example by being in class early, assuming a leadership role in the classroom, getting engaged in classroom discussion, exercising scholarly discipline, turn in all assignments on or before deadlines, and setting and achieving high personal goals. Graduate College guidelines about academic integrity can be found in the Graduate Catalog under Graduate Policies and Procedures section.

Preliminary Candidate Evaluation (1st year students only)
Before the end of the first academic semester of course work, the student's mentor and the program director conduct a preliminary evaluation of the student. The evaluation is based on the student's program check sheet, a progress evaluation by the mentor, and an informal meeting with the program director. It is directed at one of the following three areas of concentration:

1. design
   
2. planning
   
3. history, theory, and criticism

Performance on the preliminary candidate evaluation serves as a guide to the student's program committee as the committee members counsel the student and formulate a program of study.

Annual Student Evaluation (all students)
Current students in the program receive an evaluation annually, usually in April, which is approved by the mentor and the Executive Committee. Students submit to their mentor an updated summation of the academic year. The summation must include proposed research, including progress toward dissertation, a list of goals accomplished during the past academic year, and projected goals for the upcoming academic year. Students may append other pertinent information of importance, including on and off campus seminars attended, presentations made, publications (submitted and printed), and grants received. After reviewing these materials, the mentor completes an evaluation that is sent to the Executive Committee.

After the presentation is made, the members of the Executive Committee meet to review the evaluation. Students must meet the minimum Graduate College requirements, but program standards may exceed these requirements. For example, students are expected to:

• have all grades in graduate courses 3.0 GPA or greater
• have made sufficient progress in their research projects
• have attended or presented papers at seminars/meetings
• have accomplished their goals from the previous year
• set realistic goals for the upcoming academic year

Students who receive poor evaluations from their mentor or who are far below Graduate College or program standards are given "probationary" status. Those with "probationary" status or those with "specific requirements" (i.e., less severe than "probationary" ) status are required to work with their mentors to produce a timetable, with specific strategies to overcome the deficiencies noted in the evaluation from the Executive Committee. The timetable must be submitted for Executive Committee approval within four weeks from the receipt of the evaluation. Failure to produce a timetable by the required time or failure to overcome the deficiencies noted in the evaluation by a time set by the Executive Committee will result in a recommendation to the Dean of the Graduate College that the student be dismissed from the program.

Comprehensive Examinations
Upon completion of course work in the PhD program of study, and before admission to candidacy and the start of dissertation research, the student must take a written examination on his or her knowledge of the chosen area of concentration and interdisciplinary knowledge, including the ability to communicate across disciplines. An oral examination follows the written examination. The comprehensive exams must be taken no later than the end of the fifth semester in the program. Failure in the comprehensive examination is considered final unless the supervisory committee and the director of the academic unit recommend, and the Dean of the Graduate College approves, a reexamination. A reexamination may be administered no sooner than three months and no later than one year from the date of the original examination. Only one reexamination is permitted.

Admission to Candidacy
Prior to admission to candidacy, the student must pass the comprehensive examination and successfully defend the dissertation prospectus that outlines the proposed dissertation research. After the student has passed the comprehensive exam and defended the proposal, the student's committee will forward the candidacy recommendation to the Director via the Graduate Coordinator for approval. Once the Director approves the recommendation for candidacy, they will forward their approval to the Dean of the Graduate College. The Graduate College will notify the student in writing of their admission to candidacy and provide details about any remaining requirements and their graduation date.

Dissertation Requirements
Following the semester in which they are admitted to candidacy, students must enroll for a minimum of six hours of 792 Research and 12 hours of 799 dissertation credit (18 combined). This allows for enrollment in a maximum of six hours of 792 Research prior to being admitted to candidacy.
After completion of dissertation research, each candidate will submit the final copy of the dissertation for review by the committee. Upon approval by the committee, and at least ten working days before the defense, the final approved copy is submitted to the Dean of the Graduate College review and scheduling of the defense. The dissertation must consist of a fully documented written analysis of a problem that is original in nature and extends the knowledge and/or theoretical framework of the field. The research must demonstrate the student's creativity and competence in independent research.

The dissertation must adhere to a specific format as specified by the Graduate Colege.  A copy of the Format Manual is available in the Graduate College. Because it outlines all relevant procedures, a careful review of this document well in advance of the preparation of the final copy of the dissertation is strongly recommended. Additional information can be found on the Graduate College website.

Final Examinations
A final oral public examination in defense of the dissertation is required. A candidate must pass the final examination within five years after completing the comprehensive examination.

Continuous Enrollment
It is expected that a student in the PhD program will remain enrolled continuously until all requirements for graduation are fulfilled. If a student does not enroll during a given semester, they must request a leave of absence from the program for no more than two consecutive semesters. A leave must be requested for one semester at a time. A student who interrupts a program without obtaining leave status will be removed from the program and must reapply for admission.

Changing Mentors or Committee Members
If a student wishes to change mentors, comentors, or members of their supervisory or dissertation committees, they should first contact the program director, before approaching faculty members about changes. Changes in the supervisory or dissertation committees must be approved by the mentor and program director. If the POS has already been filed with the Graduate College, the commitee will need to be changed on the electronic Program of Study. 

Concurrent Degree Programs
Those students wishing to seek a concurrent degree, while pursuing their PhD in Environmental Design and Planning, must request authorization from their dissertation committee, the chair of the other degree program, and the director of the PhD program. The request must be submitted prior to being accepted into the concurrent degree. The final approval decision is made by the Graduate College. Application forms are available on the PhD program website.