Doctoral studies offer five areas of specialization within the College. These include Architecture, Building Construction, Historic Preservation, Interior Design, Landscape Architecture, and Urban and Regional Planning. The student's Supervisory Committee may recommend courses designed to build the student’s knowledge and analytical capacity in areas where a weakness is determined.

Inter-College and Concurrent Graduate Programs

Doctoral students may wish to pursue a dual degree (generally a master’s degree) concurrently with the Ph. D. studies. Careful planning and advising with the Supervisory Chair is necessary to assure the appropriateness of a selected dual degree. Completion of the dissertation is the major focus of the doctoral degree; so only when a dual degree reinforces this focus is it an appropriate choice.

A graduate student who wishes to pursue degrees in two programs concurrently must have the written approval of the representative of each department involved and the Dean of the Graduate School. Any student interested in pursuing concurrent degrees should discuss the proposed study with the Graduate School's Student Records staff prior to applying for the programs. If the request is approved, the student must be officially admitted to both programs through regular procedures. If the student is approved to pursue two master's programs, no more than six hours of course work from one degree program may be applied toward meeting the requirements for the second master's degree. These six hours must be by petition to the Dean of the Graduate School.