You are able to choose from the following to complete your doctoral study, depending on your research preferences.

1. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

The traditional PhD thesis is a formal piece of advanced research, with a final examined thesis of up to 100,000 words. Your thesis serves as a contribution to the field of design research on both a local and international level. To find out more about the programme structure, entry requirements and start dates, visit Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

2. PhD including Scholarly Creative Work

You can also consider completing your PhD including Scholarly Creative Work. This allows you to submit an exhibition, design or performance as examinable work alongside a thesis of up to 60,000 words. There are some specific guidelines around the admission requirements relating to the amount of writing in your Master of Design (MDes), as well as the timing of the examination for creative works. Studio space may be available when relevant to the proposed project. To find out more about this option, visit PhD including Scholarly Creative Work.

We understand that supervisor quality and a strong candidate-supervisor relationship are very important when you decide where to undertake your doctoral study. Our staff are internationally recognised designers, makers and researchers.

Please note - you are not required to have secured a supervisor before making an application.

You can browse the profiles and research interests of our available doctoral supervisors below.

As part of your application, you need to submit a Statement of Research Intent for Doctoral Study in the Faculty of Engineering, School of Architecture and Planning and Design Programme. The purpose of preparing the documents is to obtain sufficient information for the department to assess your application for doctoral study and allocate supervisors best able to support your research.

We recommend you contact our Postgraduate Adviser before you submit your Application for Admission (AfA) for more specific information and advice about doctoral study in Design. They can help you with understanding how long the application process can take, how to write your statement of research intent and which supervisors are appropriate for your research.

Adviser for doctoral study (PhD in Design)
Dr Diana Albarrán González
d.albarran@auckland.ac.nz

You may need to contact the Student Hubs or the School of Graduate Studies at different points of your planning and application process.

Student Hubs

For queries about how to apply, admission, and enrolment, please visit Student Hubs or contact us online.

School of Graduate Studies

Contact School of Graduate Studies