Promotion: the University of Calgary based in Alberta, Canada, offers a Doctor of Design degree aimed at architects who are looking to develop solutions to real world challenges.

Tailored to mid-career architects, landscape architects and planners, the university's three-year Doctor of Design (DDes) programme allows students to "leverage their expertise in a specific topic area into an innovation with real-world impact".

The online doctorate-level programme is both research and practice-based, which enables students to develop a work-integrated research project.

Participants are invited to investigate and develop solutions to real world challenges that they have witnessed through their professional practice.

DDes is designed for people to continue to work in their practice as they complete the programme, working remotely through a model that fits their individual needs.

Current research topics include Densification Responsive to Place and Demographic Change by DDes student Barry Johns that examines the house building industry's standards in urban neighbourhoods; The Emotional Connection of Growth and Change through multi-community local area planning in Calgary by DDes student Teresa Goldstein, which explores multi-community planning in Calgary and emotions; and Towards an Ecological Model of Practice-Based Landscape Design by DDes student Amy Tsang, which focuses on the challenges related to ecological design in professional practice.

Other topics current students are exploring include developing an "architectural experience design" strategy to augment university campus planning services and developing a transdisciplinary project framework to reconstruct rivers as "ecological cultural corridors".

"The Doctor of Design degree is aggregating a unique ecosystem of candidates with a decidedly interdisciplinary approach across the globe, yet galvanising consistently around both orthodox and novel sophisticated problem-solving methodologies harvested from the tacit knowledge of these master practitioners," said guest critic in the DDes programme, Dr Marcelo Stamm.

According to the dean of the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape John Brown, the degree differs from traditional PhD programmes as it enables students to develop a work-integrated research project that is informed by their own working experience.

"While traditional design PhDs require scholars to conduct years of research to build a knowledge foundation robust enough to build impactful research, DDes taps into the tacit knowledge that mid-career professionals’ have developed through their years of experience to ground their creative research project," said Brown.

The programme is designed to enable graduates to open new areas of innovation and "more clearly articulate their value proposition to clients and the public".

DDes also provides candidates with academic credentials for those interested in applying for post-secondary teaching positions.

The programme is open to professionals with at least 10 years of work experience. Applications are now being accepted for autumn 2023.

To learn more about the degree, visit University of Calgary's website.

Partnership content

This article was written by Dezeen for University of Calgary as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.