Program Overview

Introduction to the EDAR Program

The doctoral program in Architecture and Sciences of the City (EDAR) unites the world of architecture and that of social sciences concerned with the inhabited space.

About the Program

EDAR comprises more than 30 laboratories primarily affiliated with the Institute of Architecture, but also with the Institutes of Civil Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Physics, Computer and Communication Sciences. EDAR fosters collaborations with institutions both in Switzerland (such as ETHZ, AAM Mendrisio, HEAD Geneva) and internationally (Universities of Venice, Paris, Lille, Brussels, Ghent, Turin, and Harvard among others).

By adopting a polytechnic approach, EDAR fosters comprehensive research on the built environment through interdisciplinarity and dialogue between basic and applied research. This encourages a reflective, socio-technical perspective encompassing fundamental, design-oriented and practical research to drive innovative exploration.

The curriculum englobes EDAR’s three research areas:

• Sciences of the City
• History, Theory, and Heritage
• Research in/by Design

The EDAR Course Book features all courses offered by the doctoral program, including the mandatory courses that establish a common theoretical and methodological foundation for all students.

Applying to EDAR

Applications can be submitted three times a year.

• Deadlines: January 15, April 30, and September 15.

Some recommendations before submitting an application:

• Check out How to apply to EDAR for specific information.
• Be aware that only complete applications are reviewed (= with 3 letters of recommendation).
• Learn about the requirements and conditions of the doctoral program.

Career Prospects and Testimonials

According to a recent survey covering PhD graduates from the past 5 years, approximately 50% of EDAR doctoral graduates continue in academia.

• Approximately 25% of individuals transition into industry, notably by forging new professional profiles and launching start-ups.
• Around 15% of graduates are enrolled by public administration, which have recently expressed an emerging and pressing need for new competencies and approaches.
• On average, it takes an EDAR graduate two months to find an employment post-graduation.

Within EDAR, interdisciplinarity operates in direct dialogue with research agendas, bringing together urban, historical, theoretical, and anthropological perspectives that proved essential to build academic approaches and teaching styles.

Research and Expertise

Within the broad field of study defined by architecture and sciences of the city, EDAR theses articulate in an innovative way both theoretical and practical, qualitative and quantitative, analytical and prospective approaches, taking advantage of the potential of discursive, visual, and numerical languages. This methodological creativity is one of the forms taken by the interdisciplinarity that characterizes the EDAR program, and sets an objective of excellence.

Program Structure and Community

The EDAR community includes thesis directors, affiliated labs, and research expertise. The program also features annual events, such as Les Rencontres de l’EDAR, which allows for the exchange of scientifically relevant themes. All ongoing and future activities are announced in the EDAR’s monthly newsletter.