Studying for a PhD
Our research school, the largest Landscape Graduate Research School in the UK, is a thriving, interdisciplinary environment where PhD students work both independently and collaboratively to explore the interactions between society, culture, nature and practice.
Pursuit of knowledge
Research degrees in the Department of Landscape Architecture are offered for students who wish to pursue an academic, research or teaching career, or for those who wish to specialise in particular areas for work in agencies or consultancies, or simply for those who enjoy the pursuit of knowledge.
Our PhD students come to us via a range of funding routes, through the University as well as UK and international funders.
Our PhD offer
The Department offers two categories of PhD degree: a 100% research degree and a Doctorate by Design, a new programme that allows you to combine creative practice with written research.
Generally you are allocated to a primary research supervisor, and one or two secondary supervisors, depending on the nature of the subject.
Supervisory meetings are held, on average, once every two weeks, but with more frequent meetings in the initial and final stages of the project.
You will be allocated a work and storage space in the research school. The Western Bank Library and the Information Commons carry the full range of relevant journals and periodicals.
The department and the University support high-level GIS and CAD applications.
Study options
Potential Research topics cover the full range of possibilities in pure science, arts and humanities and social science. Many of our students are working on topics that cross over these disciplines.
Students are allocated to one of our three research clusters and will work alongside other research students on similar topics, as well as staff and taught masters students. This leads to a culture of sharing and support within the school.
Specialist training
You will have access to world-class training alongside your doctoral study through the University’s Doctoral Development Programme (DDP) and the Social Science Graduate School.
Training is delivered by specialists in the Faculty from the Sheffield Methods Institute, the department and research centres, and in collaboration with the White Rose Doctoral Training Partnership. Our students also access University wide provision via the Think Ahead scheme.