The doctoral program in City and Regional Planning at the University of California, Berkeley prepares students for careers in teaching, research, and professional practice. The DCRP PhD program began in 1968, and to date, has awarded more than 160 PhD degrees. The program is recognized nationally and internationally as a source of planning educators, researchers, theoreticians, and practitioners. The goals of PhD program include:

• To provide competent and critical understanding of current planning theories and practices;
• To educate graduates who have deep expertise in one or more areas of specialization within planning while being broadly educated about the entire field of planning;
• To prepare graduates to be expert at identifying and refining researchable questions in city and regional planning and policy analysis;
• To develop sophistication in research methods appropriate to city and regional planning and policy analysis;
• To guide students as they prepare doctoral dissertations involving original research in the fields of city and regional planning;
• To create and nurture a supportive community devoted to city and regional planning scholarship.
   

The DCRP PhD program allows students to pursue traditional city and regional planning fields or explore novel courses of study and research. The program is also outward-looking, encouraging students to explore courses and fields available across the campus in such diverse departments as Architecture, Landscape Architecture & Environmental Planning, Engineering, Economics, Geography, Political Science, Public Health, and Sociology.

To receive a PhD, UC Berkeley requires a minimum of two years of residence and 48 units of coursework (or equivalent). Full-time students are expected to take a minimum equivalent of four courses or twelve units per semester. Time to program completion varies; some have done it in four years; the average ranges between six and seven years.

Students are expected to complete five requirements: (1) Planning Theory; (2) Field Requirements, including Inside and Outside Field; (3) Research Methods; (4) Oral Qualifying Examination; and (5) Dissertation. The PhD in City and Regional Planning is awarded upon completion of the written dissertation.

To be considered for admission to the PhD program at Berkeley, applicants must have completed a Masters degree in planning or a related field. If your ultimate degree objective is a PhD but you do not hold a Master’s degree, consider applying for admission to the Department of City and Regional Planning with the goal of achieving an MCP degree. You may then apply for admission to the PhD program during the second year of study toward the MCP degree.