The PhD in Design, Environment and the Arts Program in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts has an explicit mission: to prepare students to become public intellectuals and transformative practitioners in shaping the environment at all scales – from the design of cities, buildings and landscapes, to interiors, products and graphics, to the arts all the while placing emphases on sustainability, innovation, community building, cultural and contextual awareness.
Despite its breadth, the implicit mandate of the mission is possible for several reasons. First, the PhD Program is interdisciplinary and involves facets of the Herberger Institute's academic units, with students currently enrolled from the disciplines within – the The Design School, the School of Artand the School of Arts, Media and Engineering. Second, the PhD Program has access to a pool of experts from the Institute’s faculty as well as faculty throughout the university including, but not limited to, the Department of Applied Biological Sciences, the College of Nursing and Health Innovationand the School of Sustainability. Third, the PhD Program has access to some of the best facilities found in any college of its kind. Lastly, the PhD Program is evolving in one of the most progressive and transformative educational environments in the country, commonly referred to as the New American University.
In the end, however, it is our students and graduates who reflect the quality of the PhD Program. They are all succeeding. From the first day that they enter the program, our students begin to embed themselves in research and academic endeavors outside of the institute through active participation in lectures and presentations at various national and international workshops and conferences. As graduates of the program, they climb to the top of their careers pursuing academic paths and assuming leadership roles in professional planning and design practices, the corporate sector, the public sector and the nonprofit sector.
If your concern is more about what you want to do than rather what you want to be, then join us in the PhD in Design, Environment and the Arts in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts.
Edward (Ted) Cook, PhD
Professor and Director of PhD in Design, Environment and the Arts
Earn your PhD in design, environment and arts at Arizona State University, the university ranked #1 for innovation. A flexible curriculum gives students access to top-notch faculty, courses, studios and laboratories in architecture, industrial design, interior design, landscape architecture, visual communication design, urban design and related disciplines.
The PhD program is a flexible, interdisciplinary program that permits designers to develop the experience, skills and framework to become competent researchers, scholars, innovators, visionaries and leaders 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. Research experience prepares students for careers in academia, as well as industry, government or the nonprofit sector. There are opportunities for research specialization in areas such as:
- technology, innovation and entrepreneurship
- sustainability and resilience
- social justice, placemaking and placekeeping
- global health and human factors
- history, culture, theory and philosophy
At A Glance
Design, Environment and the Arts (Design), PhD
- Offered by: Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts
- Location: Tempe
Plan of study
The Plan of study is the required curriculum to complete this graduate level program.
Admission
Application procedures and requirements
Application period
Sept. 15, 2016 to Jan. 15, 2017
Degree requirements
Required Core (6 credit hours)
EPD 700 Research Methods (3)
EPD 710 Current Research in Design (3)
Concentration (15 credit hours)
DSC 558 Lighting Design (3)
DSC 594 Conference and Workshop (3)
EPD 791 Seminar (3)
GRA 501 Creative Environment and Collaborative leadership (3)
GRA 561 Methods in Visual Communication I (3)
GRA 562 Methods in Visual Communication II (3)
GRA 581 Internship in Teaching Design (3)
GRA 590 Reading and Conference (3)
INT 515 Decorative Arts in Historic Interiors: A Thematic Overview (3)
INT 516 Textiles in Historic Interiors: Appearance, Function, Symbolism (3)
Electives or Research (21 credit hours)
EPD 790 Reading and Conference (9)
EPD 792 Research (12)
Culminating Experience (12 credit hours)
EPD 799 Dissertation (12)
Additional Curriculum Information
Students choose five courses from the list of concentration courses above. Other equivalent courses may be used as concentration coursework with approval of the supervisory committee.
When approved by the student's supervisory committee and the Graduate College, this program allows 30 credit hours from a previously awarded master's degree to be used for this degree.
Admission 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.
All applicants must submit:
- graduate admission application and application fee
- official transcripts
- GRE scores
- letters of recommendation
- personal statement
- abstract of proposed research
- proof of English proficiency
Additional Application Information
An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of current residency.
Applicants must submit a personal statement, abstract of proposed research and contact information for two references to Slideroom (https://asudesign.slideroom.com). It is required that these be submitted in addition to the Graduate College application requirements.
Mission of the programs
The PhD Program prepares students to become public intellectuals and transformative practitioners in shaping the environment at all scales – from the design of cities, buildings and landscapes, to interiors, products and graphics, to the arts.
Goals of the program
The PhD Program has two goals:
PhD interdisciplinary experience opportunities
The PhD in Design, Environment and the Arts Program in the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts strongly believes in the benefits derived from an interdisciplinary experience while at ASU. Consequently, the PhD Program developed several academic connections with other programs at the university. Such connections provide our PhD students with enviable opportunities for interdisciplinary studies and research. For example, many courses offered in these programs are both relevant and available to PhD students. Furthermore, faculty members from these other programs can participate as members of a student's dissertation committee, although they cannot serve as chairs
What to expect during the PhD program?
Students within the PhD program will follow a specific sequence, including concentration and specialization coursework, the successful completion of the comprehensive exams and prospectus, research and dissertation coursework, and finally, the successful completion of the dissertation defense
Selecting your mentor
The faculty of The Design School, School of Art participate in offering the degree. Faculty from disciplines outside of the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts may participate in the program if appropriate to the interdisciplinary nature of the student’s research interest.
Current PhD students
You will find abstracts of paper presentations made by some of our current students at national and international meetings/seminars/conferences.
Frequently asked questions
Please find a list of frequently asked questions related to the PhD program