Home

Environmental Design and Engineering MPhil/PhD

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

This is the programme information for 2026/27 entry

If you require details of the previous year's programme, Environmental Design and Engineering MPhil/PhD (2025/26), click here

UK students International students

Study mode

UK tuition fees (2026/27)

£6,400

£3,200

Overseas tuition fees (2026/27)

£31,300

£15,650

Duration

3 calendar years

5 calendar years

Programme starts

October 2026

February 2027

May 2027

Applications accepted

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis but should be submitted at least three months prior to your preferred start date.

Apply for this course

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.

The English language level for this course is: Level 2

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.

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, engineering and social science. Our research is original, influential, and relevant to the biggest global challenges. Our research themes are all interdisciplinary, overlapping, and dynamic. Our ultimate goal is to deliver high quality interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary built environment research to improve wellbeing, health and sustainability.

Our specialist expertise covers a variety of interconnected research themes related to the built environment, including but not limited to the following:

We use a range of methods in our research, including:

Measurement, monitoring and testing
System dynamics
Social and participatory research
Urban modelling and geospatial analysis
Building performance simulation, evaluation and optimisation
Data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence
Building physics and mathematical methods

If you have a research idea that falls within our research themes, an MPhil/PhD in Environmental Design and Engineering could be the right path for you. To get started with your application, follow the four-step application process on our ‘How to apply for an Environmental Design and Engineering MPhil/PhD’ page before submitting your formal application on this page.

Who this course is for

Our MPhil/PhD degree appeals to students from across many disciplines such as design, engineering, social science, health, and more. We have taken students from many different backgrounds and with differing experiences and states of employment. We appreciate such diversity in our students' backgrounds because it helps give a more holistic understanding of the grand challenges we are interested in addressing.

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 better places to live? We explore exciting, emerging themes in built environment study and reflect the joined-up, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary ways of thinking, communicating and working, that are increasingly in demand in industry and academia. We do this in central London, an inspirational world capital of the building engineering and design industry, with many of the major employers literally on our doorstep. MPhil/PhD Students are core to our activities, in terms of contributing to the ground-breaking research already underway and also in building future research capacity here in the UK, and around the world.

You will have the opportunity to work across disciplinary boundaries within The Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources – home to four specialist sustainability-focused Institutes on environmental design and engineering, energy, resources, and heritage. Studying with us is about excelling at your own discipline, whilst benefiting from thinking and working with interdisciplinary colleagues. This will allow you to develop your research skills and open new career opportunities in the broad field of Environmental Design and Engineering.

You will be a part of The Bartlett, UCL’s Faculty of the Built Environment, which brings together the multidisciplinary specialisms required to research, understand, design, construct and operate the built environment of the future. The QS World University Rankings 2025 places The Bartlett as #1 for Architecture and Built Environment studies in the world, and #1 in the UK for the ninth year in a row. In the latest national research assessment (REF 2021), The Bartlett was number one for Research Power in the built environment in the UK, with 91% of the faculty’s research deemed ‘World Leading’ and ‘Internationally Excellent’.

Find out how your research could have an impact

Making an impact

A grey-brown square building blending in well with mountains behind. Credit: XCO2

Sustainable design is integrated design

Alumni Ricardo Moreira (XCO2) and Anis Abou-Zaki (Foster + Partners) show how closer design and engineering collaborations can shape sustainable buildings.

The foundation of your career

A PhD qualification 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 graduates’ trajectories are diverse and many of our alumni have gone on to careers in academic research and teaching as well as with UK-based or international government and policy organisations, consultancies, and industry (Graduate Outcome Data.)

Nowadays the job market is extremely competitive; however, having an MSc degree from UCL distinguishes you from other candidates and shows your ability to commit to an intense period of work. In my current role as a Sustainable Design Assistant I have been applying skills and specialised knowledge I gained from my Master's degree.

Antonia Vavanou

Antonia Vavanou, Sustainable Design Assistant at Hawkins Brown Architects after graduation

Learn more about Antonia's experience

Employability

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, researchers 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 and research degrees, workshops, internal and external seminars.

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 UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering. We work with organisations such as Arup, Aedas, BRE, Buro Happold, Clarion Group, Feilden Clegg Bradley, Hawkins Brown, Max Fordham and NICE. Our students also gain access to our excellent networks as well as workshops, seminars and social events held by our Faculty, Institute 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 or five years part time. 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 after about a year’s time. The purpose of the upgrade is to assess your progress and ability to complete your PhD to a good standard and in a reasonable time frame.

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 or appropriate to the interdisciplinary work.

A full-time PhD is a substantial time commitment. You should expect to dedicate around 36.5 hours per week to your research. You should meet frequently with your supervisors and engage with the departmental and UCL communities more widely through events, training, networking and teaching opportunities.

Research areas and structure

Research environment

At UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering we pursue a deeper understanding of the interactions between the built environment and health, human wellbeing, productivity, energy use and climate change. We have a very large PhD cohort working on a wide range of projects across our research themes. Our staff and students have a passion to make the world a better place, and a commitment to creating and communicating evidence to achieve this goal.

We are based in Central House in the centre of London and have a range of Environmental Design and Engineering laboratory facilities at Here East in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in East London. Desks are available for PhD students and academics using a hot-desking system.

All students are initially registered for an MPhil degree. Those studying full-time for a PhD undertake a formal “upgrade process” at 9 to 18 months, including a presentation and viva, and if successful are registered as PhD students. Students have up to two upgrade attempts.

The PhD normally lasts a minimum of three years. Once you have completed this period, you are able to apply for “Continuing Research Status” (CRS) with no further fees as long as your studies are sufficiently advanced and you meet the CRS entry criteria. Some funders instead offer four-year scholarships with no possibility of entering Continuing Research Status. You can submit a thesis for assessment in an oral viva at the conclusion of your studies either at the end of the three years, the end of your funded period, or during CRS.

Part-time students follow the same programme as full-time students, except that the programme length is five years, with up to two additional years in Continuing Research Status, and the first upgrade attempt normally takes place after 15 months of initial registration.

Accessibility

The department will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities, including those with long-term health conditions, neurodivergence, learning differences and mental health conditions. This list is not exhaustive. If you're unsure of your eligibility for reasonable adjustments at UCL, please contact Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

Reasonable adjustments are implemented on a case-by-case basis. With the student's consent, reasonable adjustments are considered by UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services, and where required, in collaboration with the respective department.

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information about support available can be obtained from UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

For more information about the department and accessibility arrangements for your course, please contact the department.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students

Fee description	Full-time	Part-time
Tuition fees (2026/27)	£6,400	£3,200
Tuition fees (2026/27)	£31,300	£15,650

Route code RRDEERSEDE01

Postgraduate Taught students benefit from a cohort guarantee, meaning that their tuition fees will not increase during the course of the programme, but UCL reserves the right to increase tuition fees to reflect any sums (including levies, taxes, or similar financial charges) that UCL is required to pay any governmental authority in connection with tuition fees.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Where the course 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

There are no required additional costs for this course. Optional expenses may arise depending on your research activities and preferences. These may include memberships, fieldwork, specialist materials, or equipment purchases. Students may also choose to attend academic conferences or present research at external events. These activities may incur costs such as registration fees, travel, accommodation, and poster printing. Students undertaking primary data collection may also incur travel costs, particularly if research involves visits to community partners or external institutions.

If you have questions about possible additional costs related to your research proposal, you can discuss them with your potential supervisors in advance.

Limited departmental funding may be available to support additional costs.

For in-person teaching, UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £119.90. This price was published by TfL in 2025. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your studies

The Bartlett Promise Scholarship is a long-term project from our Faculty to attract students from a broader range of backgrounds and tackle the lack of diversity in the built environment. Please see the PhD scholarship page for more information on eligibility criteria, selection process and FAQs. You can also find out more about scholarships and funding for an Environmental Design and Engineering MPhil/PhD on our website.

We also occasionally have funded studentships available. These are advertised on the Funded Research Opportunities page and can be found by filtering to the ‘Bartlett School of Environment Energy and Resources’. If you would like funded studentship opportunities sent to you via email, please register your interest in studying Environmental Design and Engineering at Postgraduate Research level with us.

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

Prospective MPhil/PhD applicants should send an informal research enquiry before applying. See our ‘How to apply for an Environmental Design and Engineering MPhil/PhD’ page to read the four-step process on how to do this.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate courses (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

This course requires two references. Further information regarding references can be found on this Selecting your references page.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.