Ph.D. in Design

The mission of the Ph.D. in Design program at the NC State University College of Design is to advance knowledge in design through research and scholarship.

This mission is built on the recognition of fertile common ground between the design disciplines and on the need for specificity and depth within them. The PhD program, therefore, values a broad range of research interests that aim to improve the human condition.

The application deadline for Fall 2013 admission is January 5, 2013.

Please visit the PhD in Design Program website

For additional information on Graduate programs available at NC State University, visit the Graduate School website at: http://www.ncsu.edu/grad.

Alumni Appointments

2003 graduate - Dr. Jianxin Hu, Visiting Assistant Professor of Design, College of Design, NC State University.

2003 graduate - Dr. Umut Toker, Assistant Professor of City and Regional Planning, California Polytechnic State University.

2004 graduate - Dr. Zeynep Toker, Faculty of Urban Studies and Planning, California State University at Northridge.

2004 graduate - Dr. Celen Pasalar, Associate Dean of Research and Extension, Extension Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture and Director of the Downtown Design Studio, College of Design, NC State University.

2004 graduate - Dr. Cynthia Van Der Wiele, Sustainable Communities Development Director, Chatham County, North Carolina.

2005 graduate - Dr. Aydin Ozdemir, Instructor of Landscape Architecture, Ankara University, Turkey.

2005 graduate - Dr. Claudia Rebola Winegarden, Assistant Professor of Industrial Design, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta.

2005 graduate - Dr. Dennis Puhalla, Professor of Design at the University of Cincinnati.

2006 graduate - Dr. Evrim Demir Mishchenko, Assistant Professor, Department of Architecture, Mersin University, Mersin, Turkey

2006 graduate - Dr. Sudeshna Chatterjee, visiting faculty in the graduate departments of Urban Design and Urban Planning in the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi.

2007 graduate - Dr. Ryan Hargrove, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture, University of Kentucky.

2007 graduate - Dr. Orçun Kepez, PhD. Instructor. Interior and Environmental Design, Kadir Has University, Istanbul, Turkey.

2008 graduate - Dr. Magdy Ma, Project Manager, "i-do 2009" (The International Design Opportunity) School of Design, Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

2008 graduate - Dr. Mohammed Zakiul Islam, PhD, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Architecture, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Dhaka, Bangladesh.

2009 graduate - Dr. Andrew Payne, Instructor in Architecture, Savannah College of Art and Design.

2009 graduate - Dr. Hyejung Chang, Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture, University of New Mexico.

Dissertations

Following are the titles of dissertations by College of Design Ph.D. candidates:

Exploring the integration of sustainability and green building themes within formal architectural education
by Traci Rose Rider

Supporting intergenerational interaction: affordance of urban public space
by Michael R. Layne

Understanding change in place: spatial knowledge acquired by visually impaired users through the change in footpath materials
by Andrew Phillip Payne

Mapping the web of landscape aesthetics: a critical study of theoretical perspectives in light of environmental sustainability
by Hyejung Chang

A semiotic phenomenology of visual rhetoric: communication and perception of attributes of cultural sustainability in the visual environment of public housing
by Magdy Ma

Neighborhood design: associations between suburban neighborhood morphology and children's outdoor, out-of-school, physical activities
by Kristin Thorleifsdottir

Children and urban neighborhoods: relationships between outdoor activities of children and neighborhood physical characteristics in Dhaka, Bangladesh
by Mohammed Zakiul Islam

The relationships between objective and subjective evaluations of the urban environment: Space Syntax, cognitve maps, and urban legibility
by Yixiang Long

Creating creativity in the design studio: assessing the impact of metacognitive skill development on creative abilities
by Ryan Anthony Hargrove

Effect of space on health and well-being: an environmental assessment for home-like long term care settings
by Orcun Kepez.

A photometric characterization methodology for daylighting fixtures
by K. Daryl Carrington.

Physical environmental influences on the physical activity behavior of independent older adults living in continuing care retirement communities
by Arleen A. Humphrey.

Children's friendship with place: an exploration of environmental child friendliness of children's environments in cities
by Sudeshna Chatterjee.

The influences of site design on physical activity and social interaction in residential planned unit developments
by Evrim Demir.

An exploratory study of interpersonal distances and perceived spaciousness and crowding in four shopping malls across two cultures
by Aydin Ozdemir.

Color as cognitive artifact: a means of communication -- language and message
by Dennis M. Puhalla

Visualizing communication structures of nonverbal information for online learning environments
by Claudia R. Winegarden

An assessment of understanding universal design through online visual resources and role-playing simulation exercises
by Marcelo Pinto Guimaraes

Residents' attachment to new urbanist versus conventional suburban developments
by Mine Hatun Hashas

Women's spatial needs in housing: accommodating gender ideologies, use patterns, and privacy
by Zeynep Toker

Understanding the adoption of sustainable natural resource management practices and the role of ecological design within the milieu of chronic conflict and political instability: a case study of smallholder households in Nimba County, Liberia
by Cynthia Fay Van Der Wiele

Understanding children's environments: the effect of outdoor physical environments on children's activities and quality of life within Al-Wihdat Palestinian refugee camp and environs in Amman, Jordan
by Eyyad Al-Khalaileh

Space for innovation: effects of space on innovation processes in basic science and research settings
by Umut Toker

The design and assessment of advanced daylighting systems integrated with typical interior layouts in multi-story office buildings
by Jianxin Hu

The effects of spatial layouts on students' interactions in middle schools: multiple case analysis
by Celen Pasalar

Faculty

Dr. Robin Abrams, AIA, ASLA
Head of the School of Architecture
919.515.8350
robin_abrams@ncsu.edu

Dr. Perver Baran
Research Associate Professor
919.513.2373
perver_baran@ncsu.edu

Gene Bressler, FASLA
Head of the Department of Landscape Architecture, Professor of Landscape Architecture
919.515.8342
gene_bressler@ncsu.edu

Dr. Soolyeon Cho
Assistant Professor of Architecture
919.513.8061
soolyeon_cho@ncsu.edu

Meredith Davis
Professor of Graphic Design, Dir. of Graduate Programs in Graphic Design
919.515.8335
meredith_davis@ncsu.edu

Dr. Jianxin Hu
Assistant Professor of Architecture
919.423.4955
jianxin_hu@ncsu.edu

Dr. Sharon Joines
Associate Professor of Industrial Design, Director of the Research in Ergonomics & Design Laboratory
919.513.0825
sharon_joines@ncsu.edu

Haig Khachatoorian
Professor of Industrial Design
919.515.8331
haig_khachatoorian@ncsu.edu

Bryan Laffitte
Associate Professor of Industrial Design
919.515.8333
bryan_laffitte@ncsu.edu

Tsai Lu Liu
Professor and Department Head of Graphic Design and Industrial Design
919.513.4842
tsailu_liu@ncsu.edu

Robin Moore
Professor of Landscape Architecture, Director of Natural Learning Initiative
919.515.8344
robin_moore@ncsu.edu

Dr. Patricia Morgado
Associate Professor of Architecture
919.515.8343
patricia_morgado@ncsu.edu

Dr. Celen Pasalar
Assistant Dean for Research and Extension, Extension Planning Specialist, Adjunct Faculty in Landscape Architecture
919.515.8952
celen_pasalar@ncsu.edu

Dr. Wayne Place
Alumni Distinguished Professor of Architecture
919.515.8354
wayne_place@ncsu.edu

Art Rice
Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and International Studies, Landscape Architecture Professor, Director of the Ph.D. Program
919.515.8347
art_rice@ncsu.edu

Dr. Kristen Schaffer
Associate Professor of Architecture
919.515.8364
kristen_schaffer@ncsu.edu

Martha Scotford
Professor of Graphic Design
919.515.2208
scotford@ncsu.edu

Dr. Paul Tesar
Alumni Distinguished Professor of Architecture
919.515.8358
paul_tesar@ncsu.edu