Ph.D. in Planning, Design and Construction

The Ph.D. in Planning, Design and Construction (PDC) program prepares students for advanced research careers and teaching in universities. We train researchers and professionals to address the planning, design and construction of the built environment —buildings, facilities, interior spaces, infrastructure, neighborhoods, and communities — an integral part of our society.

The PDC program offers three concentrations for the PhD degree:

Construction management (CM)
Environmental design (ED)
Urban and regional planning (URP)

Degree Requirements

The Ph.D. degree requires completion of 45 credits with a minimum 3.0 GPA and culminates in a dissertation of original research which makes a significant contribution to knowledge.

Detailed degree requirements please see PhD Student Handbook

Please contact the Ph.D. Program Director for academic, research and program-related inquiries.

How to Apply

Applicants to the Ph.D. program must obtain a master’s degree in a related discipline and demonstrate strong capabilities to succeed in graduate study.

Applicants are highly encouraged to reach an agreement with an Advisory Faculty Member (listed below) in a desired concentration to serve as Major Professor and to secure possible funding support such as graduate assistantship.

Application deadline is February 1. Perspective applicants should complete their application by January 1 for full consideration for financial aid including fellowships, assistantship, and scholarship which are often very competitive.

Detailed application requirements please see Admissions Requirements.

Please contact the Graduate Program Coordinator for application, admission and administrative inquiries.

START YOUR ONLINE APPLICATION HERE

Once you submit an application for admission, you will receive a confirmation email. You should then log into the student portal to see the status of your application and upload any needed documents.

Dong Zhao LEED®AP

Director, Planning, Design and Construction Doctorate Program
dz@msu.edu

Graduate Program Coordinator

Jordan Kenyon

Graduate Program Coordinator
kenyonj6@msu.edu

Advisory Faculty for PhD Concentrations

Tariq Abdelhamid

Associate Professor, Construction Management
tariq@msu.edu
517-432-6188
George Berghorn, LEED AP BD+C, CGP

Assistant Professor, Construction Management and Research Director for Mass Timber at MSU
berghorn@msu.edu
517-353-8756
Noah Durst

Associate Professor, Urban & Regional Planning Program
durstnoa@msu.edu
517-353-3184
Mohamed El-Gafy, PE

Associate Professor, Construction Management
elgafy@msu.edu
517-432-6512
Peilei Fan

Professor, Urban & Regional Planning and Interim Director, Center for Global Change & Earth Observations
fanpeile@msu.edu
517-432-6517
Eva Kassens-Noor

Adjunct Professor, Urban & Regional Planning and Global Urban Studies Program
ekn@msu.edu
517-432-8085
Jun-Hyun Kim, Ph.D., ASLA

Professor and Program Director of Landscape Architecture and Master of Arts in Environmental Design Programs
junhkim@msu.edu
517-353-8554
Zenia Kotval, Ph.D., FAICP

Professor and Program Director, Urban & Regional Planning
kotval@msu.edu
517-353-9362
Zeenat Kotval-Karamchandani, AICP

Associate Professor, Urban & Regional Planning
kotvalze@msu.edu
517-353-5460
Jisun Lee

Assistant Professor, Interior Design
leejisu4@msu.edu
517-884-7882