PhD in Human Behavior and Design at Cornell University
The Ph.D. in Human Behavior and Design at Cornell University is a multidisciplinary program integrating the social sciences and design. Research focuses on environmental settings across a range of scales (from products to buildings to cities), that support safe, healthy and productive behaviors and foster sustainable design and lifestyles.
The program brings together faculty and students with expertise in the fields of interior, industrial and graphic design, architecture, art, design history, historic preservation, design with digital media, building technology, environmental psychology, human factors and ergonomics, economics, and facility planning and management to work on problems related to the interior environment.
The Ph.D. in Human Behavior and Design rest on the following basic premises:
- Development of the knowledge base guiding the planning, design, and management of physical settings requires systematic, empirical research.
- The physical environment affects the realization of human and organizational potential including health, safety, comfort, productivity and satisfaction.
- The users of environments are diverse and have different needs. Individual characteristics such as culture, gender, stage in the life course, family structure, role or task affect environmental needs.
- Organizational culture, goals, and structure help shape building design and use.
- The planning, design, and management of good environments require consideration of all users.
- Understanding organizational and human needs is no less critical than understanding financial, technological and aesthetic factors influencing the planning, design, and management of our physical surroundings.
- Multidimensional spatial experiences are heightened through an understanding of design elements, such as circulation, materials, lighting and acoustics.
- Theory provides a foundation that both informs and is informed by research and practice.