The PhD programme offers flexible supervision between The University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC) and The University of Nottingham UK (UNUK). Students enrolled at UNNC may be required to spend part of their studies at UNUK depending on the proposed research topic. The Ph.D. graduates will be awarded a University of Nottingham degree which is also recognised by the Chinese Ministry of Education.

The group aims to carry out world-leading research work in architecture, urbanism, and high-performance building. Members are active in producing, disseminating and supervising high-quality investigation across each of following thematic areas:

Architecture and Urbanism Cluster

• Architectural theory and criticism;
• Sustainable urban culture and urban design;
• Urban transitions;
• Urban regeneration in Chinese context;
• Computational architecture and fabrication
• Transcultural and Postcolonial Perspectives in Architecture;
• History and theory of architecture and urbanism;
• Heritage Preservation;
• Sustainable city and community;

Architectural Engineering, Environmental Design and Energy Cluster

• Life cycle building energy and carbon modeling and evaluation;
• Indoor environmental assessment;
• Artificial intelligent and built environment;
• Computational fluid dynamics and built environment;
• Diagnostic analysis of heritage buildings;
• Passive house technologies in the hot summer and cold winter zone;
• Sustainable neighborhood evaluation.
• Green campus evaluation and design.

Entry requirements

If you apply to a PhD programme, you will generally need to hold an honours degree at 2:1 level (for applicants graduating from a university in the UK) or above (or international equivalent) in an appropriate subject.

The following will be considered when making an offer:

1. academic performance during the undergraduate and postgraduate study

2. ranking and fame of the university where the applicant graduates from

3. research papers published in international academic journals

4. quality of the research proposal

5. research potential and attitude

6. Important awards granted before

7. Very related work experience

8. English proficiency  

Students whose first language is not English or their entry qualifications were not obtained from a country/region where English is the native language, are required to provide satisfactory evidence of their proficiency in English.

For more information on specific application procedure, please visit Graduate School webpage.

How to Apply

Please email scanned copies of the following documents to PHDadmissions@nottingham.edu.cn

• A completed application form (all fields filled)
• Copies of degree certificates for undergraduate and postgraduate studies (Xueli certificates are required too for applicants from Chinese universities)
• Official transcripts with marks for all individual modules/courses from undergraduate and postgraduate studies (with official university stamp)
• Two references must be emailed to PHDAdmissions@nottingham.edu.cn directly by the referees
• English language test score (IELTS/ PTE academic) (not required for native English speakers)
• A research proposal (For Ed.D application, one academic writing is required instead of research proposal)
• A copy of passport (international applicants) or ID card (Chinese nationals, both sides of Chinese ID cards required)
• An electronic copy of passport-sized photo taken within three months of this application
• A brief CV (required for Ed.D applicants only)
• A copy of your Masters’ dissertation, or a published paper or conference paper, or a sample of your writing work (for applicants to the School of International Studies only)