Bergdoll graduated from Columbia University in 1977 and studied at Cambridge University on a Kellett Fellowship 1977-79 before returning to Columbia to complete his Ph.D in 1986.

Bergdoll's chief interest is architectural history, particularly that of France and Germany since 1750. He studies architecture from an art historical approach, however, tying it to history, sociology, and culture. He has studied cultural representation in architecture, the evolution of architecture as a profession, and the intersections between artistic genres such as architecture and film. He has also worked on the problems of museological exhibitions of architecture. Prior to joining MoMA, Bergdoll was the chair of the Department of Art History at Columbia. In 1993, he received a grant from the Graham Foundation for study on the impact of the fall of Communism on architectural teachings in Eastern Europe and Russia.

As a curator, Bergdoll has participated in several major architectural exhibitions, including "Mies in Berlin", shown in New York, Barcelona, and Berlin in 2001-3; "Le Panthéon: Symbole des Révolutions" shown in Montreal and Paris in 1989, and "Les Vaudoyers: une dynastie d'architectes" at the Musée d'Orsay in Paris in 1992. On January 1, 2007, Bergdoll succeeded Terence Riley as Chief Curator for Architecture and Design at MoMA.