Ph.D. in Design and Planning

Each student will be required to take a minimum of 12 credit hours of 7000 level courses. One 3 credit hour course must address theory, and one 3 credit hour course must address methods appropriate to the student’s area of study. At least 6 of the 12 credit hours of courses must be taken within the Faculty of Architecture. Appropriate courses will be determined in consultation with the student’s advisor, and be approved by the Doctoral Studies Committee Chair.

Students will normally complete the 12 credit hours of coursework by the end of their first year.

Each student is responsible for ensuring that they have approval for and have registered in the courses appropriate for their area of study.

Where necessary, the student may be required to complete additional coursework as identified by the advisory committee.


Each student works with an Advisor who has agreed to supervise the research and program of study. An Advisor must be in place prior to commencement of the program. In special circumstances, approved by the program chair, a student may work with a co-advisor.

The advisory committee will be formed during the student’s first year in the program by mutual consent of the advisor and student, and approved by the Doctoral Studies Committee Chair.

The advisory committee shall include at least three members of the Faculty of Graduate Studies:

• the student’s advisor, as Chair;
• another member of the Faculty of Architecture with expertise that supports the student’s topic area; and
• a third member from outside the Faculty of Architecture but within the University of Manitoba.

All advisory committee members must hold a Ph.D.

Prior to beginning the candidacy examination (GRAD 8010), each student is required to have completed all formal course requirements; defined a thesis topic; and formed an advisory committee.

The candidacy examination will normally be scheduled at the beginning of the second year in the PhD program.

The candidacy examination is intended to assess the student’s preparedness to pursue the thesis research. The student must demonstrate the following:

• ability to articulate a focused research area;
• knowledge of significant literature and/or precedents in the area of concentration; and
• understanding and demonstration of suitable research methods.

The candidacy examination consists of the following:
1) submission of formal written review paper(s) and/or research project(s) prepared by the student in response to questions or topics posed by the advisory committee; and
2) an oral presentation by the student followed by questions by the advisory committee.

Advisors should use the Ph.D. in Design and Planning Candidacy Examination template.

Students must pass both the written and oral components of the candidacy examination. On successful completion of the candidacy examination, the student will be considered a candidate for the Ph.D. degree

Upon successful completion of the candidacy examination, the student may proceed to write and publically defend a thesis proposal. This written thesis proposal will normally consist of 50-100 pages and will include the following:

• developed research question(s), or a problem statement, including identification of primary texts and/or case studies to be examined;
• a sound rationale and/or framework for the study;
• clearly stated objectives and anticipated significance of the thesis;
• the proposed research methods and/or strategies;
• a preliminary review of resources;
• supporting images or documentation (where appropriate);
• a substantial bibliography;
• a 300-500 word abstract, to be publicly posted.

An essential feature of Ph.D. study is the candidate’s demonstration of competence to complete a research project and present the findings. The thesis must constitute a distinct contribution to knowledge in the major field of study, and the research must be of sufficient merit to be, in the judgement of the examiners, acceptable for publication.

The final version of the thesis must be submitted by the candidate to the Faculty of Graduate Studies following the Faculty of Graduate Studies guidelines.

All processes for thesis submission, distribution, identifying external examiners, and the oral defense follow Faculty of Graduate Studies regulations, outlined in the program’s Supplemental Regulations (5.11-12), and available on the Faculty of Graduate Studies website.

Residency requirements
Ph.D. students will normally be expected to devote two academic terms to full-time study at the University of Manitoba within the first two years that they are enrolled in the program.

Time limits
The maximum time in the program is six years following initial registration in the Ph.D. program. Requests for extensions of time to complete the degree will be considered on an individual basis and must be submitted to the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies at least three, but no more than four, months prior to expiration of the respective maximum time limit.