Doctoral Program in Architecture

About the Study Program

The Doctoral Program in Architecture at Parahyangan Catholic University (UNPAR) represents the highest level of education, focusing on the advancement of architectural knowledge through in-depth and innovative research. The program prepares graduates to become researchers, educators, and thinkers capable of responding to architectural and urban challenges critically, creatively, and in a multidisciplinary manner.

The curriculum is designed to support the capacity-building of students from diverse backgrounds—academics, practitioners, and professionals—so that they may return to their institutions and contribute through research, publications, and community engagement. Its main emphasis lies in analytical and integrative abilities to generate new knowledge that is contextual, relevant, and broadly impactful. Grounded in the values of humanum, sustainability, and responsiveness to both global and local dynamics, the program not only produces graduates of academic excellence but also encourages their active role as agents of change in developing architecture that is ethical and dignified.

Specialization Program

The Doctoral Program in Architecture at UNPAR offers five specialization tracks as directions for students’ academic focus.

• Vernacular & Heritage: Cultural Tourism
  This specialization focuses on the preservation and adaptive reuse of traditional architecture to support sustainable tourism. It prepares students to design with sensitivity to local identity, cultural heritage values, and community engagement, balancing conservation with contemporary use.
• Culture & Behavior: UX-Driven Design
  This specialization explores design approaches centered on user experience, shaped by emotions, memory, movement, and perception. By emphasizing empathy and cultural awareness, it equips students to design meaningful and responsive spaces through studio and theoretical approaches, where design not only serves users but also resonates with them.
• Urban Design: Sustainable Property Development
  This specialization promotes equitable urban growth through human-centered and context-sensitive design, balancing ecological, economic, and cultural aspects. It highlights the importance of mobility, land use, and resilience, while integrating history, policy, green incentives, and participatory planning to create livable and future-resilient cities.
• Sustainable Design: Green and Smart
  This specialization emphasizes environmentally friendly and smart building design strategies, including energy and water efficiency, sustainable material use, and the creation of healthy spaces. It encourages innovation and research to deliver a built environment that is globally responsive and future-ready, in line with international sustainability standards.
• Computational Design: Digital Craft
  This specialization explores the integration of digital technology and craftsmanship. Students develop computational thinking through hands-on projects using tools such as 3D printing, laser cutting, and augmented reality (AR), while experimenting with innovative design methods that redefine how architectural forms are conceived, designed, and produced.

Vision and Mission

Vision

Becoming an innovative and contextual academic community of architecture, grounded in the principle of humanum that respects human dignity, while advancing local potential to a global level in order to enhance human dignity.

Mission

Carrying out learning activities at the undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral levels in architecture that are student-centered and integrated with research and community engagement. In the process, attention is given to the development of knowledge, socio-economics, technology, arts, and cultural values, while upholding the motto Bakuning Hyang Mrih Guna Santyaya Bhakti to realize a sustainable environment.

Objectives

A Doctoral Program in Architecture that is capable of generating new breakthroughs in philosophical, theoretical, methodological, conceptual, and model development within the field of architecture through independent research.

Targets

Graduates who are capable of conducting innovative and contextual research, working as educators, university lecturers, or professionals in the field of architecture, and actively contributing to the development of institutions, society, and their discipline in an independent and responsible manner.

Career Prospects

Graduates of the Doctoral Program in Architecture have career prospects in academia, research, and leadership, particularly in the scientific development of architecture and urban studies. With strong research competence and critical analysis, graduates are equipped to contribute to the advancement of theory, practice, and policy at both national and international levels.

1. Academic
2. Policy Maker
3. Researcher