The PhD Architecture by Design programme is intended for graduates who wish to pursue a rigorous, in-depth study of a specific topic where design methods familiar to architectural practice (such as drawing, surveying, modelling) are developed as research methodologies.

As part of ESALA's suite of postgraduate programmes, it affords the opportunity for you to pursue design-led research in architecture at the highest level, combining inquiries conducted by design with knowledge gathered and advanced through writing.

The programme will support you as you develop an awareness of the methods and theoretical frameworks that shape the ways in which architects (as practitioners and researchers) engage with contemporary concerns. It will enable you to develop your own interpretive experiments, fieldwork, design work and arguments in the pursuit of a research project.

The subject of any PhD project is driven by individual fascinations. What connects the various projects in the PhD Architecture by Design programme is a concern for design as a way of conducting research. The words ‘by design’ in the programme title do not refer to the outcome of the research (a design), as much as to the mode in which the research is conducted, produced and framed.

We welcome prospective students with a strong idea of what they want to research, an awareness of why this might be of contemporary relevance, and a developed understanding of how they might carry out that research. A knowledge of the field of architectural research-by-design and research-by-practice is desirable. The willingness and capacity to engage with primary source material and to interpret this both through design and textual methods are essential attributes.

If you'd like to study on a postgraduate research programme at Edinburgh College of Art, you must apply through EUCLID, our online application system. You can find out how to do this on the University of Edinburgh website, where you'll also be able to:

• See detailed entrance requirements for each programme on the Degree Finder 
• Get information on what to expect after you apply 
• Find out about study modes, start dates and fees 
• Find out if, and how, you need to submit a portfolio, showreel or research proposal 
• Find out where to go for further advice and guidance.

Before you apply  

Students are assigned two research supervisors, the second of which may be from another discipline within ECA, or from somewhere else within the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (CAHSS) or wider University. 

Please ensure that at least one member of staff (see below) maintains an active research programme that aligns with the themes of your proposed project.  

Prospective students are strongly encouraged to make contact with the relevant member(s) of staff via email to explain your research interests prior to submitting an application. Please note that we only accept applications and review application materials submitted through the official EUCLID application portal.

After you apply 

Once your application has been submitted for consideration, it will be sent to a team of academic reviewers for their attention. They will then make a decision about your application and research topic, and decide whether it is possible to make an offer of a place to study with us. You may be asked to attend a brief online interview but if this is the case, you will be notified in advance.