PhDs PhDs PhDs are postgraduate study and research pathways, limited in number, of three-year duration. To enter them, you must take an entrance exam, the passing of which may also entitle you to a scholarship. In some cases, places are available reserved for non-EU citizens residing abroad. PhD in Architecture and Design The Doctoral Program in Architecture and Design of the Department of Architecture and Design (dAD) is divided into three curricula:. Architecture Design Naval and Nautical Design The objective of the course is to address, in an interdisciplinary dimension, the broad domain of the environment and the material and immaterial artifacts that define it, having as a focal element the design activity understood as a process, its tools, cognitive and operational apparatus.