The doctoral program is designed for people interested in advanced academic research. The program is tailored to the needs of individual students, with a program of study developed jointly by the student and the student’s advisor, under guidelines and course requirements set by the Department’s Ph.D. committee. A standard program involves four semesters of classes and an additional two to four semesters to complete doctoral exams and to prepare and defend the dissertation.

The Environmental Policy and Planning Group (EPP) focuses on the decision-making tools by which society conserves and manages natural resources and ensures sustainable development. Areas of concern include toxic and hazardous waste management, environmental technology, water and air quality, global climate change, facility siting, environmental justice and brownfield development.

The Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP) is a department within the School of Architecture and Planning at MIT. It is comprised of four specialization areas (also referred to as Program Groups): City Design and Development; Environmental Policy and Planning; Housing, Community and Economic Development; and the International Development Group. There are also three cross-cutting areas of study: Transportation Planning and Policy, Urban Information Systems (UIS), and Regional Planning.