Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a master's degree in the field of architecture, graphic design, industrial design, interior design, landscape architecture, or fine arts from a regionally accredited institution. Students must be familiar with design and the arts and are expected to demonstrate a high level of academic maturity before being admitted to the program.

Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = A) in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program, or applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = A) in an applicable master's degree program.

All applicants must submit:

graduate admission application and application fee
official transcripts
GRE scores
three letters of recommendation
a statement of purpose summarizing career objectives and the reasons for pursuing doctoral education
an indication of proposed area of concentration (design, history, theory and criticism, digital culture in design, or health care and healing environments)
an indication of a potential mentor
a sample of sole-authored written work in English or any other evidence relevant to admission to the program (i.e., master's degree thesis, research paper or published articles)
proof of English proficiency

A TOEFL score of at least 100 iBT or 600 PBT or an overall IELTS band score of 7.50, with no individual band below 7.00, is required of all applicants whose native language is not English.