Urban and Regional Planning, PhD

Admission Requirements

Admission to the PhD program requires a master’s degree in planning. In exceptional circumstances candidates with either an advanced research background or exceptional professional experience, but who do not have an MA degree may be admitted. Admission may be granted with the understanding that some background courses or examinations may be required. Consideration for admission requires a GPA of at least a 3.5 in previous graduate work. Applicants are also required to submit Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores for verbal, math, and analytic sections. Non-native speakers of English are also required to submit the TOEFL; a minimum score of 600 is required. Applicants are also expected to submit evidence of advanced work such as a sole-authored research report or plan.

Degree Requirements

Each PhD degree student is required to complete at least 21 credits in advanced courses (in addition to any remedial courses designated at the time of admission):

• Research Methods (6 credits)
• Advanced Planning Theory (3 credits)

In addition to these two courses, PhD candidates are required to take 9 credits in an allied field (to be selected in consultation with the student’s advisor). Students are also required to take at least one three-credit course in research design or proposal writing.

Prior to starting the dissertation, PhD candidates will sit for a comprehensive examination in planning theory and planning methods. Students will be required to form a PhD committee drawn primarily, although not exclusively from the department, to guide the student through the qualifying examination and the dissertation research. Under the direction of its chair, the committee will devise a qualifying examination covering both core topics in urban and regional planning and the student’s substantive area of research. Upon successful completion of the qualifying examination, students will be required to present their dissertation proposal to a department colloquium. When the student has successfully completed the examinations and presented the dissertation proposal the student will advance to candidacy. Each student is required to conduct original research and write and present a defense of a doctoral dissertation based on the dissertation proposal. The dissertation research will be guided by the student’s committee. Upon completion, the student will defend the dissertation before the committee. If successful, the candidate will be recommended for award of the PhD in Urban and Regional Planning by UH Mānoa.