Architecture - PhD

The Kent School of Architecture and Planning (KSAP) offers full-time and part-time research programmes, leading to a PhD. The School promotes innovative and interdisciplinary research, which focuses on four main areas: A PhD, which typically last between 3 to 4 year full-time, and 5 to 6 years part-time, offers candidates the space to conduct original research within their area of interest. It also offers practicing architects, engineers or planners to undertake research relating to their work in industry practice.

A particular feature of PhD programme at KSAP is the wide spectrum of investigation and the possibility of undertaking research that is bridging the gap between academia and the world of industry, government or civil society. PhDs are not only essential for those pursuing a career in academia, but also offers the practitioners to develop areas of expertise, or to acquired the knowledge and skills required to facilitate innovation within the context of practice. PhD students are part of the KSAP Graduate School and will take part in weekly seminars for research students, and in an annual research symposium.

Each PhD student has two supervisors, and the staff profiles on the KSAP website give summaries of the range of expertise and research interest held within the school. They are active researchers and many are leading scholars in their field. They also have experience of collaborating with experts in other schools within and outside the University of Kent in supervising inter-disciplinary research, as well as managing projects that involve partnerships with industry or government, with many PhD students being linked with live projects.

What our students say: “Doing a PhD as a cotutelle between Kent and Lille architectural labs has been a challenging but also intellectually rewarding experience. The main challenge for me is trying to understand what the end product looks like as every thesis and the training you undertake for it is different. But my research is about standards and I now fully understand how complicated they can be in all walks of life.

Even more than a century ago, buildings were designed individually and depended on personal tastes. How on earth could society normalise them? The same answer applies to doing my PhD at Kent.

We are diverse specialist researchers with many, sometimes conflicting, interests. But collectively we find solutions to complex problems. That’s our other big speciality!” -Nick von Behr Research at Kent School of Architecture and Planning achieves excellence in both the history and theory of architecture.

We produce innovative and interdisciplinary research that aims to influence behaviour in the field of architecture for the benefit of future generations. Following the most recent Research Excellence Framework, in which 88% of our research and 100% of our research environment was judged to be world-leading or internationally-excellent, Architecture, Built Environment and Planning at Kent was ranked 6th for research quality in the Times Higher Education. Our academic staff have made significant contributions to real-world applications.

Professor Henrik Schoenefeldt was appointed to lead a refurbishment of the ventilation system at the Houses of Parliament, and Professor Marialena Nikolopoulou's research into outdoor thermal comfort has influenced understanding of the topic across the world. Much of the project work involved in KSAP is located on 'live' sites in the local region, using real clients and engaging challenging issues. Students in all stages of the school have been introduced to real urban and architectural design challenges in Lille, Margate, Folkestone, Dover, Rye, Chatham and, of course, Canterbury.

Much of this work involves liaising with external bodies, such as architects, planners, council and development groups.