The PhD in Architecture focuses on design-led research, is a natural extension of the Department’s MArch program, and responds to a demonstrated demand by our graduates for doctoral studies in this area. This 3 year program consists of two graded graduate courses/seminars and 3 pass/fail milestones It is the only doctoral program in Canada advancing architectural research on and through design. Students engage design as a mode of critical inquiry, knowledge production and transformative agency. The core component of this program is the design-driven dissertation, involving creative scholarship evaluated at important milestones including a creative project and design research proposal/candidacy exam.

These milestone projects and presentations serve as forums for experimentation, dissemination and interpretive feedback. Students are expected to articulate rigorous research questions in relation to relevant contextual, theoretical and/or historical frameworks; demonstrate meaningful innovation and reflective expertise in a defined area of study; and make original, significant and compelling contributions to disciplinary knowledge.

Post-Professional Master of Interior

The Post-Professional Master of Interior Design is a 1 year post-professional program aimed at honing design skills at the highest level to meet the growing demands within the industry. The curriculum strikes a balance between creative practice and design inquiry. Working in a studio environment, students explore emerging trends and develop innovative design solutions to real-world problems. Through research and community engagement, they will learn how the built environment contributes to strong communities. The program consists of 2 graduate seminar courses, 2 graduate electives, and milestones for the creative project. The Post-Professional Master of Interior Design offers designers an opportunity to explore emerging concepts in design, including design thinking models, technology, fabrication, strategic programming and sustainable initiatives, and to develop a profound understanding of the ways interior design influences society at large.

Offered to those with a Bachelor of Interior Design (BID), a Bachelor of Design (BDes), a Bachelor of Architecture (BArch) or recognized industry experience, this program is for students interested in becoming leaders and changemakers in a design-focused profession, supporting a career path in academia or pursuing a specialized design inquiry to expand the boundaries of the discipline’s knowledge and practice.

Master of Interior Design (MID)

The Master of Interior Design has the degree designation of MID that fulfills professional accreditation from the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA), the North American organization that oversees accreditation.  The Master of Interior Design is a full-time two-year graduate program.

Core features of the curriculum place emphasis on three areas, (1) intensive design studios, (2) history/theory, and (3) professional practice. These areas contribute to a Creative Project/MRP in the final year complemented by elective options.  By highlighting three intensive studios in the first year, a significant number of the CIDA accreditation standards can be completed. The professional courses ensure students are prepared upon graduation to enter the industry while supporting courses such as history, theory seminar and electives provide advanced levels of inquiry and research. Together, the Creative Project and MRP fulfill the advanced levels of the accreditation process.

The Master of Interior Design program seeks to foster an interior design culture that deepens professional students’ knowledge and understanding of the field while empowering them to investigate, interpret, challenge and give form to the ideas and forces at the forefront of international design communities.

The Master of Project Management (MPM) in the Built Environment, and the research based Master of Applied Science (MASc) in the Built Environment, are based in the Department of Architectural Science, in conjunction with the Department of Civil Engineering.  The MPM is course based (full-time or part-time) with a major research project (MRP) option,  and the MASc is a full-time, research focused degree, with a thesis option. Total intake for both programs combined is 18-20 FTEs per year..

This graduate program responds to the well-articulated industry need for highly skilled personnel in advanced construction and project management techniques. It is uniquely positioned to develop technical and research  expertise in project management within the building sector to more efficiently leverage the potential of emerging technologies and approaches and apply them to sustainable project delivery.

There is considerable interest amongst the current students to develop new skills in management, particularly related to better environmental performance. Furthermore, many employers in the industry recognize a need for greater management expertise and look for opportunities for mid-career education for their staff, and for research partnerships with academia.

The MSc program in Occupational and Public Health, is housed within the School of Occupational and Public Health in the Faculty of Community Services (FCS).  It is a comprehensive research-based degree that will provide interdisciplinary and experiential learning opportunities in evidence-based prevention related to occupational health and safety and public health.  Both full-time (2 years) and part-time (4 years) options will be offered with a target intake of 20 student FTEs per year.

The program is supported by strong societal need to address current and emerging issues in occupational and public health, as well as strong demand from current students and alumni from the School of Occupational and Public Health’s undergraduate programs in both fields.

The program will attract students from diverse backgrounds, including recent graduates and professionals currently working in the field, and will enhance their research abilities, skills, and core competencies and improve their career opportunities. Graduates will be well prepared to address current and emerging societal challenges and issues related to occupational and public health and safety in Canada and globally, such as an aging population, environmental changes (e.g. the health effects of climate change), infectious diseases, workplace injuries and accidents, and occupational diseases.

The MFA in Scriptwriting & Story Design is a new, interdisciplinary two-year graduate program offered by the School of Performance, the School of Image Arts, and the RTA School of Media at Ryerson University.

The program grows out of the need to incubate emerging creative voices across media, venues and platforms and a desire for greater interdisciplinary learning and teaching across the University. The new MFA program builds upon Ryerson’s outstanding reputation in film, television, theatre and digital media and further enhance Ryerson’s growing role within the Canadian and International creative industries.

The MFA is unique and innovative: the first of its kind in Canada, and only one of among a handful graduate programs globally that teaches writing for dramatic forms spanning stage, television, film and various forms of new and expanding media.

All three contributing undergraduate programs — the schools of Image Arts, Performance and RTA Media — are recognized as national (and international) leaders in their fields. Each of these schools provides expertise to this new, shared graduate program in Scriptwriting & Story Design.

The PhD in Media & Design Innovation is a practice-based doctoral program offered by the Faculty of Communication & Design (FCAD) at Ryerson University.

A practice-based curriculum and research agenda support new knowledge by posing research-creation questions that can only be resolved through the actuality of a situated practice. Capitalizing on our master-level graduate programs, this PhD bridges multiple disciplines in FCAD through a combination of intensive project-based investigation, the study of emerging research and creation methodologies, and advanced sectorial engagement in the creative and communication industries.

This doctoral program appeals to practitioners in the creative and communication fields who are interested in developing advanced credentials through a terminal degree, who wish to pursue intensive project-based research, as well as those who would want to take a more scholarly approach to their creative work.

The focus of the PhD in Management program is to carry out rigorous scientific research about complex management problems in a rapidly changing and globally-oriented economy. The program has unique and interdisciplinary specializations including: Digital Enterprise and Social Media, Real Estate Studies, Retail and Consumer Services, and Strategy, Innovation and Entrepreneurship. This PhD requires the successful completion of nine-one-term graduate courses, passing the candidacy examination, a proposal defense, and completing a dissertation based on independent, original scholarship. The nine one-term courses are comprised of three core courses, three elective courses, and three required research seminar courses.

This program is designed to develop graduates who are skilled in research that includes a theoretical and practical understanding of the challenges that organizations experience, and who are able to disseminate that research in appropriate venues.

The PhD Program in Urban Health will provide innovative learning opportunities aimed at empowering graduates to work collaboratively across a range of disciplines to generate high quality evidence related to the concerns of individuals and communities, and to generate solutions to improve the health and well-being of diverse populations living in urban centres. This program will be housed in and administered by the Daphne Cockwell School of Nursing (DCSN). The three main domains associated with this program include: 1) health and wellbeing,  which is a “state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”; 2) safety and security, that is “protecting individuals from critical (severe) and pervasive (widespread) threats and situations”; and 3) migration, immigration, and settlement, which examines the effect of relocation processes on the health and wellbeing of individuals. Graduates of this program will contribute to improving the quality and responsiveness of health and social services to address the needs of diverse populations in urban centres.

Building Science bridges the gap between architecture and engineering providing an analytical approach and design appreciation that clearly distinguishes it from other disciplines.  The PhD Program in Building Science seeks to apply the scientific fundamentals of building physics to the interaction between the components of a building, its users, and the environment.  The program includes a wide range of technically based building science research output both at the micro-scale (i.e., material based research) to the macro-scale (i.e., community based research) and all in between (i.e., assemblies, components, whole buildings).  The program allows students to complete a traditional doctoral dissertation while also having the opportunity to complete experiential learning activities including mentorship, teaching, and industry liaising. The program is unique in Canada.

The Master of Health Administration (Community Care) provides management education in the home and community care sector.  Focused on innovation, analytics and entrepreneurship, the MHA (CC) is designed for professionals already working in healthcare and those interested in transitioning into this dynamic and growing sector. The program addresses the growth in this sector’s importance and complexity as healthcare policy shifts to enable people with chronic illnesses to stay in their own residences, including long term care, rather than hospitals.  Required courses focus on the policy environment, management and evaluation skills, and the use of technology to coordinate and deliver health care and support.  The program finishes with an applied capstone project aimed at creating a solution – a new program, process, technology and/or organization – for a challenge faced by community organizations delivering or coordinating care and/or support.