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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.

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  • Doctorate in Geography, Planning, and Design

Doctorate in Geography, Planning, and Design

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Program Overview
Alumni Success Stories
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Program Overview

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.

photo of Jodi StocK

Jodi Stock

Admissions Coordinator

Email:

jodi.stock@ucdenver.edu

Phone:

303-315-0082

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.

Why PhD in Geography, Planning, and Design at CU Denver?

 

Access to Research Labs and Facilities

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.

Area of Emphasis

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.

Our PhD Students

Meet our current PhD students to get to know more about what they are studying at CU Denver.

Our PhD Alumni

Meet our PhD alumni to see what our former students are up to now that they've earned their doctoral degree.

Program Description

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.

Why PhD in Geography, Planning, and Design at CU Denver?

 

Access to Research Labs and Facilities

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.

Area of Emphasis

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.

Our PhD Students

Meet our current PhD students to get to know more about what they are studying at CU Denver.

Our PhD Alumni

Meet our PhD alumni to see what our former students are up to now that they've earned their doctoral degree.

Program Features

66

number of credit hours

GRE

optional

5 years

program duration

Fall

starting semester

January 1

application deadline

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Program Details

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.

Admissions Process & Requirements

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.

Tuition and Fees

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.

Curriculum

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.

Alumni Success Stories

claudia-folska
Claudia Folska (PhD '12) shares her experience serving on the Board of Directors for the Regional Transportation District of Denver (RTD), founding her company All Access Transit Solutions, and being the first blind woman elected to public office in Colorado.
Read Full Story

Claudia Folska Claudia Folska

PhD in Geography, Planning, and Design (2012)
All Access Transit Solutions, Founder and CEO

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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.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Applicants admitted to the PhD Program must already hold a master’s degree and will normally have completed the requirements for the Master of Architecture, Master of Planning, Master of Landscape Architecture, Master of Geography, or a related program. Students from allied fields are also encouraged to apply, and field specialization and background are open.

Sign up to attend an information session (in-person or virtual).

Nearly all accepted students receive multi-year financial packages that cover some or all tuition and fees and a living stipend. PhD students may also teach their own courses or work as research or teaching assistants alongside faculty from the college and across the university.

Current students are funded by grants and contracts from agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the U.S. Forest Service, the Colorado Department of Local Affairs, the Babbitt Center, Denver Housing Authority (DHA), the Water Research Foundation, and the Gates Family Foundation.

The doctoral program also provides two additional internal funding opportunities:

  • $5,000 Dissertation Completion Fellowships for candidates in the dissertation phase
  • $1,000 Conference Travel Fellowships for students/candidates presenting papers at national conferences

In-state tuition is available to Western state residents.

The College of Architecture and Planning has WICHE-WRGP (Western Regional Graduate Program) status, which means that students who are residents of Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming, and the U.S. Pacific Territories and Freely Associated States are granted in-state tuition.

Admission Information

Application Process

CU Denver

CU Denver

Student Commons Building

1201 Larimer Street

Denver, CO 80204


(303) 315-5969

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