| The award | How you will study | Study duration | Course start | Domestic course fees | International course fees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PhD | Full-time, Part-time | 3 - 5 years | September, January, April | GBP 5006 per year | GBP 19300 per year |
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 Lillearchitectural labs has been a challenging but also intellectually rewardingexperience. The main challenge for me is trying to understand what the endproduct looks like as every thesis and the training you undertake for it isdifferent. But my research is about standards and I now fully understand howcomplicated they can be in all walks of life. Even more than a century ago, buildingswere designed individually and depended on personal tastes. How on earth couldsociety normalise them? The same answer applies to doing my PhD at Kent. We arediverse specialist researchers with many, sometimes conflicting, interests. But collectively we find solutions to complex problems. That's ourother big speciality!†-Nick von Behr
About Kent School of Architecture and Planning
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.
Learn more about Architecture, PhD - at University of Kent
Visit course webpageContact University of Kent to find course entry requirements.
Kent offers a range of funding opportunities to help support your postgraduate studies including full awards to for doctoral researchers and students studying a taught Master’s course. We also offer a wide range of scholarships for our international students including Kent Future Student Scholarship awards up to £5,000, GREAT British Council and Chevening Scholarship awards. Check if you are eligible to apply and get more information on our scholarship’s webpages.
Find out what students say about University of Kent
Inspirational teaching - Patrique Tanque from Brazil is studying for a BSc in Forensic Chemistry.
“Choosing Kent was an easy decision. The forensic programmes are ranked among the best in the UK and have a high graduate employment rate.
“The teachers bring fresh ideas and up-to-date materials from real cases to enrich the lectures. They are keen to help out and always make sure we are getting plenty of support.
“I was very fortunate to be awarded an International Scholarship, which meant I could dedicate myself to my studies.”
Academic excellence - Stephanie Bourgeois from France is studying for a BSc in Biochemistry.
“I like the approach to teaching here; academics are happy to answer questions and to interact with students. I find the lectures very motivational, they pique your curiosity and for me the exciting bit is going to the library and pursuing the things you are interested in.
“The lecturers at Kent are excellent. You get to know them well and, as you move through the course, they are able to guide you towards projects, ideas or career paths that they think you will like.”
Specialist research - Sally Gao from China is studying for a PhD in Electronic Engineering.
“I have been very lucky with my supervisor, Professor Yong Yan, who is a world-class expert and the first IEEE Fellow in the UK in instrumentation and measurement.
“Professor Yong Yan has helped me to become a better researcher. I am inspired by his novel ideas and constructive suggestions. Under his supervision, my confidence has grown through such milestones as my first set of experiments, writing my first research paper and attending my first conference.”
There are 427 other courses listed from University of Kent. A selection of these are displayed below:
University of Kent main campus location is shown on the map below:
Find out more about studying in the United Kingdom
