PhD Programme
The PhD program at AHO is an interdisciplinary research arena in design, architecture, and landscape architecture. The program combines perspectives from art, humanities, social sciences, and engineering to explore architecture and design.
The academic doctoral thesis consists of original research, or other advanced scholarship, culminating with a thesis that embodies the results of original investigations and analyses of such quality as to merit publication, meeting the standards of reputable scholarly publications.
PhD Candidates receive close follow-up and academic supervision, but must take responsibility for planning and carrying out the individual thesis work.
How to Apply
AHO offers two types of PhD admission:
- With AHO as Employer: Positions are advertised regularly. The call specifies the research areas, institute affiliation, and potential supervisors.
- With External Funding: Applicants must secure full funding independently before applying.
Required documents:
- CV and proof of qualifications (degrees, transcripts)
- Preliminary project description (topic, research questions, data, methodology, and tentative progress plan)
- Any special supervision needs or established supervisor contacts
- Plans for research stays at other institutions (if applicable)
- Information on intellectual property rights (IPR) restrictions (if relevant)
- For external applicants: Documentation of confirmed funding
Evaluation criteria:
- Applicant's academic competence and relevance to the project
- Academic quality and feasibility of the research proposal
- Relevance to AHO's research priorities
- Availability of supervision
Selection process:
An expert committee reviews applications and recommends qualified candidates. Institutes may conduct interviews. The Research Committee makes the final decision on admission. Admission is confirmed once a PhD contract is signed by all parties.
For full details of the admission process, including committee evaluations and legal conditions, see our Detailed PhD Admission Procedures page.
Read Full Guidelines and Apply
The PhD Educational Path
The PhD at AHO is a three-year, full-time research programme in architecture, design, and urbanism. Candidates are expected to:
- Conduct independent, original research of high academic quality
- Participate in research groups and seminars
- Complete required ECTS (30 ECTS)
- Present and discuss work-in-progress regularly
- Write and publicly defend a PhD thesis
Supervision is provided by at least one appointed main supervisor and, if relevant, co-supervisors. The programme encourages research stays at other institutions, including international collaborations.
Practical Information
- Language: English is the working language of the PhD programme.
- Funding: AHO only admits candidates with full funding for the entire period. Funded positions are advertised on AHO's Vacancies page.
- Duration: Normally 3 years full-time, or 4 years with 25% teaching duties (when employed by AHO).
- Start date: Set in the PhD contract and aligned with the funding start date.
- Contract: Admission is valid only once a written contract is signed by all parties.
- Publication rights: Projects must not have restrictions preventing publication and public defence of the thesis.
- Contact: For questions regarding PhD admissions, contact the Research Administration at AHO.
PhD opportunities at AHO
AHO posts open PhD fellowships and academic positions yearly. We encourage prospective PhD candidates to check the vacancies page for current opportunities.
