It is worth noting national differences.
North American PhDs, focused primarily on training
future academics (rather than being research-focused
degree programs irrespective of final destination),
generally have more coursework than Commonwealth
PhDs (in substantive areas of content concerning the
canon of the discipline). Candidates only select their
'research topic' mid-way through the doctorate, after
passing 'qualifying exams' demonstrating expert
knowledge in their field.
Consequently, applying to a PhD Program in the US
more often than not does not require articulation of a
'research question' in the way applying to a PhD Pro-
gram in Commonwealth countries often does, precisely
because in the case of the latter an accepted candidate
is almost immediately commencing research on that
topic (on the presumption that they received research
training in a prior masters-level degree).
The relaunched PhD Program at the School of Design
at CMU is adopting a more Commonwealth-like version
of the PhD (less coursework - faster into the research
phase) and the current application process indicates
that there is some 'cultural education' needed to convey
all this to the applicant pool.
This, and other national differences, were the subject
of small Symposium with primarily non-North American
participants, at CMU last year. See the perhaps-overly-
polemical (in hindsight) briefing paper:
https://www.academia.edu/5193409/Critiquing_the_North_American_Design_PhD_Symposium_Briefing
Cameron
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