Should I do a PhD in Planning?

In coming weeks doctoral applications in planning are due. Why apply? For professional planners, a PhD sometimes sounds interesting compared with doing a regular job in a municipality. Some designers remember studio professors who seemed to float into class, unprepared, for a few hours per week. Compared with the ups and downs of private design practice, this can seem quite appealing. Of course, some people genuinely like studying and research, want to make a contribution in that area, and have a flair for teaching.

3 minute read

January 5, 2011, 8:12 AM PST

By Ann Forsyth


In coming weeks doctoral applications in planning are due. Why apply?

For professional planners, a PhD sometimes sounds interesting compared with doing a regular job in a municipality. Some designers remember studio professors who seemed to float into class, unprepared, for a few hours per week. Compared with the ups and downs of private design practice, this can seem quite appealing. Of course, some people genuinely like studying and research, want to make a contribution in that area, and have a flair for teaching.

But is it for you? Maybe not.  

While it looks as if academics work only a few hours per week, and some notoriously do, for the vast majority of faculty members this is a full-time calling requiring one work many, many hours per week. Time studies of academics show a lot of this is administration of various sorts. Research, far from being glamorous, is mostly pretty mundane; the other part is difficult.

While many people doing PhDs don't become faculty members, but move into other positions, it is important to consider whether the PhD is really needed for such work. Might a second masters degree, say in statistics or public health, equip you as well and at a more modest opportunity costYou may better paid as well!



It isn't a way to avoid the world of practical work either.
Dr. Jennifer Dill from Portland State has good advice at:
http://web.pdx.edu/~jdill/resources.php

"I encourage all prospective PhD students to think about and clearly articulate why they want to pursue a PhD. Too often I encounter masters students who really enjoy the topics they are studying and want to continue doing so and thus enter a PhD program. Simply wanting to continue learning about a topic isn't enough for pursuing a PhD. I also generally recommend that in the field of planning, students get some professional experience before pursuing the PhD."

In the past it may have been be possible to find a teaching job without planning work experience. These days most programs want people with advanced research skills who can also teach basic planning workshops and studios or do outreach in communities. Those without such skills and experiences are passed over--with a few exceptions typically limited to highly specialized, technical sub-fields.

So, overall, you have to really like research and teaching and be prepared to pay some opportunity costs. I have a PhD but obviously don't recommend it for everyone.

If you are still interested after reading this what should you do? 

You should try out doing research, perhaps in your masters degree, perhaps as part of your job, or maybe as a volunteer. I have some advice aimed at students doing exit projects, but including a useful reference list, at: http://www.annforsyth.net/CRP_ForsythEssentialInfo_070710clean.pdf. Some of my blogs on exit project may also be helpful: choosing an exit optiongetting startedtroubleshooting common problemsmanaging your committeeusing sourceswriting a literature review, and actually finishing.

You should try teaching or public speaking, for example delivering a conference paper. Some like doing this but others don't.

You should read research in the areas that interest you, figure out where the authors are from, and identify schools with at least two potential supervisors (two because you need to be able to choose among them for good fit, plus someone will likely be on leave at some time). Look for research and not professional or journalistic work.  

You should NOT necessarily email faculty members about your work. My advice is only do so if they specifically request it (on their web site or as part of the application). I respond to such letters with a standard reply because there is a general admissions process where I work and I want to allocate my time to enrolled students. However, universities differ and some faculty members like such contacts.

Overall, it is a complex decision, not an easy choice.  

In future blogs I will go back to my focus on masters and undergraduate students.


Ann Forsyth

Trained in planning and architecture, Ann Forsyth is a professor of urban planning at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. From 2007-2012 she was a professor of city and regional planning at Cornell. She taught previously at at the University of Minnesota, directing the Metropolitan Design Center (2002-2007), Harvard (1999-2002), and the University of Massachusetts (1993-1999) where she was co-director of a small community design center, the Urban Places Project. She has held short-term positions at Columbia, Macquarie, and Sydney Universities.

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

June 25, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Person wearing mask walking through temporary outdoor dining setup lined with bistro lights at dusk in New York City.

Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?

Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.

June 19, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Low-rise Pearl Sreet mall in Boulfer, Colorado.

Boulder Eliminates Parking Minimums Citywide

Officials estimate the cost of building a single underground parking space at up to $100,000.

15 minutes ago - Boulder Reporting Lab

Two-story buildings with porches in walkable Florida neighborhood.

Orange County, Florida Adopts Largest US “Sprawl Repair” Code

The ‘Orange Code’ seeks to rectify decades of sprawl-inducing, car-oriented development.

1 hour ago - CNU Public Square

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.

Write for Planetizen