Envision the future of China’s urban planning PhD education through a retrospective analysis of urban planning PhD education in the US

Abstract

Abstract Doctoral education plays a key role in cultivating high-level talent, advancing scientific research, and strengthening practical capacities in urban planning. It is also fundamental to the long-term development and validity of the discipline. Compared with European countries and the United States, China’s doctoral education in urban planning is still at a relatively early stage of development. Although a growing body of literature has examined urban planning education across countries, relatively little attention has been paid to doctoral education, and comparative analyses between China and developed countries remain particularly limited. From a strategic perspective, China faces an urgent need to clarify the goals, structures, and priorities for advancing doctoral education in urban planning. Under the organization of the Urban and Rural Planning Subject Review Group of the State Council’s Academic Degrees Committee, this study aims to identify similarities and differences between doctoral education in urban planning in China and the United States and explores the institutional, educational, and disciplinary factors that account for these differences. Drawing on a systematic analysis of doctoral education in urban planning in the United States, this paper provides insights and policy recommendations to support the continuous advancement and high-quality development of doctoral education in China’s urban and rural planning discipline. It also contributes to establishing a comparative reference framework for the design, evaluation, and future reform of China’s doctoral education in urban and rural planning.