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Environmental Design and Engineering MPhil/PhD

London, Bloomsbury and London, Hackney Wick (Here East)

The UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering pursues a deeper understanding of the role played by buildings and the urban environment in tackling some of the greatest challenges facing mankind. Our multidisciplinary research programme and strong industry links provide an excellent foundation for PhD study.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2022/23)
£5,690
£2,845
Overseas tuition fees (2022/23)
£23,350
£11,860
Duration
3 calendar years
5 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2022
Applications accepted
All applicants: 18 Oct 2021 – 30 Jun 2022

Applications open

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Entry requirements

A minimum of an upper second-class UK Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree, or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard, in a relevant subject, is essential. Exceptionally: where applicants have other suitable research or professional experience, they may be admitted without a Master's degree; or where applicants have a lower second-class UK Honours Bachelor's degree (2:2) (or equivalent) they must possess a relevant Master's degree to be admitted. We expect any successful application to include a sufficiently strong and convincing proposal, and those holding a Master's degree are typically well prepared to provide one. Relevant work experience is highly desirable.

English language requirements

If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency.

The English language level for this programme is: Standard

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level. International Preparation Courses

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

Our academics, doctoral and postdoctoral researchers carry out world-leading research in the field of sustainable building design and engineering. Our research is original, influential, and always relevant to the biggest global challenges. Our research themes are interdisciplinary, overlapping, and dynamic. 

Who this course is for

Read about what it takes to become a UCL graduate research student

What this course will give you

Are you interested in making our buildings, towns and cities more sustainable, healthier, more efficient and productive places to live? We explore exciting, emerging themes in built environment study and reflect the joined-up, interdisciplinary ways of thinking, communicating and working that are increasingly in demand in industry. And we do it in central London, an inspirational world capital of the building design industry.

Our students are core to our activities, in terms of contributing to the groundbreaking research already underway and in building future research capacity here in the UK and around the world.

Students will have the opportunity to work across disciplinary boundaries across The Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources and across UCL more widely, including through UCL Grand Challenges.

Studying with The Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources is about excelling at your own discipline, and benefiting from thinking and working with interdisciplinary colleagues. This will allow you to develop your research skills, and open up new career opportunities in the broad field of environment, energy and resources.

In REF 2014 46% of The Bartlett'¿s research was rated 4* i.e. '¿world-leading'¿, with a further 35% recognised as 3* i.e. '¿internationally excellent'¿.* The Bartlett submitted the largest quantity of 4* world-leading research outputs (156 items) of any university submitting to the Architecture, Built Environment and Planning sub-panel. On ¿Research Environment¿, which grades the ¿vitality¿ and ¿sustainability¿ of the research environment, the Bartlett received the highest score for submission to the Architecture, Built Environment and Planning sub-panel.

Find out how your research could have an impact

The foundation of your career

We aim to train highly employable graduates who are equipped with the required analytical capability, research knowledge, management skills, and professional values to become leaders and entrepreneurs in their chosen field. Leadership, communication, teamwork, language and business skills are refined in the high-quality multidisciplinary research environment through our taught programmes, workshops, internal and external seminars.

Employability

A PhD indicates a highly qualified researcher, capable of independent analytical thought. It is a highly regarded qualification for those wishing to attain senior management positions in industry, consultancies and public sector organisations and is essential for those interested in pursuing careers in academia. Our alumni have gone on to careers in academic teaching and research as well as consultancies, industry, government and policy organisations.

Networking

Supervision and mentorship is available from world-leading researchers with national and international contacts and collaborations across policy, government, industry and academic sectors. The Bartlett is built on enterprise, and the same is true of the Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering (IEDE). We work with organisations such as Arup, Aedas, BR, Buro Happold, Feilden Clegg Bradley, Hawkins Brown, NICE and Max Fordham. Our students also gain access to networking events, career workshops and exclusive seminars held by IEDE and the other institutes within the school.

Teaching and learning

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) consists of a piece of supervised research, normally undertaken over a period of three years full-time. Assessment is by means of a thesis, which should demonstrate your capacity to pursue original research based upon a good understanding of the research techniques and concepts appropriate to the discipline.

Initially, you will be registered for the MPhil degree. If you wish to proceed to a PhD, you will be required to pass an 'Upgrade' assessment. The purpose of the upgrade is to assess your progress and ability to complete your PhD programme to a good standard and in a reasonable time frame. It is expected that a full-time student will attempt upgrade within 18 months of registration.

Research areas and structure

  • Building Performance and Processes
  • Energy Use in Buildings
  • Building Stock Modelling
  • Healthy Buildings
  • Environmental Policy
  • Environmental Performance
  • Light and Lighting
  • Facility Management
  • Outdoor Environment
  • Systems Thinking
  • Workplace Innovation

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support & Wellbeing team.


Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2022/23) £5,690 £2,845
Tuition fees (2022/23) £23,350 £11,860

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

As a research student, your additional costs may include expenses such as books, conference attendance and field research, in the UK or overseas.

The Built Environment Faculty Office provides financial support to students through the Bartlett Student Conference Fund, Bartlett Doctoral Initiative Fund and Bartlett Extenuating Circumstances Fund. However, please note that these funds are limited and available through competition. 

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Funding your studies

UCL offers a range of financial awards aimed at assisting both prospective and current students with their studies.

Any additional funding available from the Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering and the Built Environment Faculty Office are advertised on the respective websites.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Next steps

You should prepare your application well before the date you intend to start. It is strongly advised that you identify and contact a potential supervisor before making your application. For more information see our How to Apply page. Those applying for scholarships should take note of their application deadlines.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes in any application cycle.

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources Department
Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources Department

bartlett.pgr-admissions@ucl.ac.uk

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This page was last updated 28 Sep 2021