Use the search tool below to discover degree and certificate programs offered by CU Denver. If you are unable to find a program that is right for you, please contact Admissions or a school or college for more information.
The PhD program in planning, architecture, or landscape architecture is the only one of its kind offered in Colorado. The program trains students to become high-impact faculty members, professionals, and intellectual leaders in fields that address urgent social and environmental issues.
We prepare students to be critical thinkers, engaged scholars, and innovative researchers capable of addressing complex and emergent issues relating to society and the built and natural environment. Our students engage in research aimed at promoting sustainable, healthy, and socially just communities at local, regional, and global scales.
By integrating the fields of Geography, Planning, and Design, our students receive an innovative educational experience that enables cutting-edge research and professional contributions. Solving critical urban and environmental problems in the 21st century requires that we move beyond traditional academic silos and modes of knowledge production.
Gain access to all departments and fields in the university system, with more than 35 acclaimed faculty members from 11 departments able to supervise and advise dissertation research. Interdisciplinary study and cross-disciplinary inquiry occur in one of the U.S.'s most dynamic and fast-growing urban regions.
Students and faculty also have access to cutting-edge resources, including the Geospatial and Mapping Laboratory (GAMLab), the Facility for Advanced Spatial Technologies (FASTLab), the 13-acre GES Urban Farm Field Research Station (Five Fridges Farm), CityCenter, the Colorado Center for Sustainable Urbanism, and numerous environmental sciences faculty labs and centers.
The region is also home to a broad and diverse community of professional planners and designers, hundreds of public, private, and non-profit planning and design organizations and firms, and national and regional labs and headquarters, including the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the National Parks Service (NPS), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Students also benefit from pursuing their studies only minutes from the beautiful Rocky Mountains.
Gain access to cutting-edge resources including the Geospatial and Mapping Laboratory (GAMLab), the Facility for Advanced Spatial Technologies (FASTLab), the 13-acre GES Urban Farm Field Research Station (Five Fridges Farm), CityCenter, the Colorado Center for Sustainable Urbanism, and numerous environmental sciences faculty labs and centers.
The program's four interdisciplinary areas of emphasis leverage diverse yet complementary faculty strengths. These areas of emphasis include Community, Planning, and Place; Human-Environment Interactions; Sustainability and Social Justice; Technology, Engagement, and Design. Meet the faculty affiliated with each area of interest.
Meet our current PhD students to get to know more about what they are studying at CU Denver.
Meet our PhD alumni to see what our former students are up to now that they've earned their doctoral degree.
We prepare students to be critical thinkers, engaged scholars, and innovative researchers capable of addressing complex and emergent issues relating to society and the built and natural environment. Our students engage in research aimed at promoting sustainable, healthy, and socially just communities at local, regional, and global scales.
By integrating the fields of Geography, Planning, and Design, our students receive an innovative educational experience that enables cutting-edge research and professional contributions. Solving critical urban and environmental problems in the 21st century requires that we move beyond traditional academic silos and modes of knowledge production.
Gain access to all departments and fields in the university system, with more than 35 acclaimed faculty members from 11 departments able to supervise and advise dissertation research. Interdisciplinary study and cross-disciplinary inquiry occur in one of the U.S.'s most dynamic and fast-growing urban regions.
Students and faculty also have access to cutting-edge resources, including the Geospatial and Mapping Laboratory (GAMLab), the Facility for Advanced Spatial Technologies (FASTLab), the 13-acre GES Urban Farm Field Research Station (Five Fridges Farm), CityCenter, the Colorado Center for Sustainable Urbanism, and numerous environmental sciences faculty labs and centers.
The region is also home to a broad and diverse community of professional planners and designers, hundreds of public, private, and non-profit planning and design organizations and firms, and national and regional labs and headquarters, including the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), the National Parks Service (NPS), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Students also benefit from pursuing their studies only minutes from the beautiful Rocky Mountains.
Gain access to cutting-edge resources including the Geospatial and Mapping Laboratory (GAMLab), the Facility for Advanced Spatial Technologies (FASTLab), the 13-acre GES Urban Farm Field Research Station (Five Fridges Farm), CityCenter, the Colorado Center for Sustainable Urbanism, and numerous environmental sciences faculty labs and centers.
The program's four interdisciplinary areas of emphasis leverage diverse yet complementary faculty strengths. These areas of emphasis include Community, Planning, and Place; Human-Environment Interactions; Sustainability and Social Justice; Technology, Engagement, and Design. Meet the faculty affiliated with each area of interest.
Meet our current PhD students to get to know more about what they are studying at CU Denver.
Meet our PhD alumni to see what our former students are up to now that they've earned their doctoral degree.
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program duration
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Since 1997, the program has trained students to become high-impact faculty members, professionals, and intellectual leaders in fields that address urgent social and environmental issues.
Admission to the PhD in Geography, Planning, and Design program is competitive and based on merit. Learn more about how to apply to the program, eligibility, and deadlines.
The University of Colorado Denver has one of the most affordable tuition rates in Colorado. View information about the cost of attendance at CU Denver.
The program requires a minimum of 66 hours of graduate work, 30 of which must be earned while in residence. Learn more about the PhD program curriculum, learning outcomes. and travel study opportunities.
CU Denver graduates earn more, build community, and make connections. Take the first step toward your future and join an inclusive community of learners while gaining the skills of tomorrow, today.