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Top 20 Best US Architecture Schools

Architecture is a widely respected discipline in the world. Architects leave a lasting impact on the community that can be seen daily. The cherry on top is that a career in architecture pays really well. It takes passion and commitment to go through with architecture school. This because architecture as a course is equally demanding. However, no man is limited!

There is a huge number of architecture schools in US that offer a perfect curriculum. It is important that one gets a degree or a masters from a recognized and accredited institution. This increases your chances of getting a job since you are coming from a trusted background. Listed below are 20 of the best architecture schools in US. This is based on results and research. Enjoy!

1. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

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Location: Cambridge

 Massachusetts Institute of Technology School is one of the most pioneering STEM institutions in the world. Its Architecture course offers a general undergraduate program and four graduate programs in architecture, including a Master of Architecture.

Students can also earn a Master of Science in Art, Culture, and Technology or Building Technology; a Master of Science in Architecture Studies with a specialization in Islamic Architecture or Architecture and Art History is also available. Areas of specialization found in the doctoral program include theory and criticism in architecture and art, design and computation, or building technology.

2. Columbia University

Location: New York

Columbia University is one of the most prestigious Ivy League schools in the country. Its Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation offer a variety of relevant programs for students who are interested in architecture. Students can earn a PhD in Architecture, a Master of Architecture, or a Master of Science in areas that include Advanced Architectural Design as well as Architecture in Urban Design.

For undergraduates, there is an Introduction to Architecture summer program that confers college credits in two architecture majors offered in conjunction with Barnard College. Students can also pursue a certificate program to prepare for graduate school in the field. Columbia takes a more philosophical approach towards the subject, encouraging its students to consider architecture in relation to society, politics and culture.

3. Yale University

Location: New Haven

The Yale School of Architecture offers several undergraduate and graduate programs in architecture, as well as three joint degree programs.

In addition to a B.A. in Architecture, programs include a professional and post-professional Master of Architecture, Master of Environmental Design, and Doctor of Philosophy in Architecture. Students pursuing joint master’s degree programs can combine their study of architecture with business, environmental design, or environmental studies.

4. Harvard University

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Location: Massachusetts

Established in the mid-17th century, Harvard University is the oldest higher education institution in the US. It’s been consistently ranked as one of the world’s most prestigious universities of all time.

Harvard University’s architecture program offers the kind of revolutionary teaching practices and innovative course structure that you would expect from one of the world’s foremost educational institutions, with students able to focus on one of two main undergraduate routes: Design Studies or History and Theory. Note that Harvard’s acceptance rates are notoriously low, so you’ll need flawless grades, an array of strong references and an engaging entrance essay to be considered.

5. University of California, Berkeley (UCB)

Location: Berkeley

Based just east of the San Francisco Bay Area, UCB’s College of Environmental Design (CED) is a renowned and prestigious school that offers full-time places to around 1,000 graduate and undergraduate students.

Interestingly, unlike many other universities, you’re not required to submit a portfolio during the admissions process

6. University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

Location: Los Angeles

UCLA is a world-renowned university with a long list of Nobel laureates and MacArthur fellows under its belt. In order to be admitted to the School of Arts and Architecture, you’ll not only have to submit an impressive application but also a supplemental application meant to emphasize your interest in the specific school and subject.

As a major in Architectural Studies, your curriculum will focus on three main areas: critical studies, design and technology. Through this course, you’ll be able to build important foundations that will help you progress in your career afterwards.

7. Cornel University

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Location: New York

Cornell University in Ithaca (New York) is one of the largest universities in the United States. It also has the status of a leading research centre in the country. The University is a member of the Ivy League. Cornell University programs include more than 4,000 courses in a hundred academic disciplines.

The school’s College of Architecture, Art, and Planning at Cornell University is one of the world’s most highly regarded and prestigious schools of architecture. Department of Architecture offers a five-year professional program leading to a bachelor of architecture (B.Arch.) degree.

The architecture program is accredited by NAAB and is designated as a STEM program making international graduates eligible to extend their F-1 visas for up to three years in order to work in the United States.

8. Rice University

Location: Texas

Rice University is a small private research university located close to the Houston Museum District. The RU School of Architecture offers a Bachelor of Architecture degree. The degree is six years and includes two degrees in one, both a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture, as well as a BA degree.

The last two years in the program consist of participation in the Preceptorship program where students are placed in critical architectural offices or firms around the world, gaining invaluable experience in the field. Students have been placed with leading firms in New York, London, San Francisco, Genoa, and Boston, among many other places.

9. University of Texas

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Location: Austin

The University of Texas at Austin is considered a Public Ivy because of the high level of research output from faculty and students. UT offers a Bachelor of Architecture degree through the School of Architecture.

The degree is a five-year first professional degree which emphasizes design-thinking, and grounds students in the history, theory, and technology of architectural practice. Classes in the program include Urban Design History, Theory, and Criticism, American Dream: Status Quo and Alternatives, and Energy Modeling and The Design Process.

10. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Location: Virginia

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, or Virginia Tech, is a large public research university located in Blacksburg, VA. The School of Architecture & Design at VT offers a five-year Bachelor of Architecture degree.

During the first-year students in the program progress through a common foundations program with students in other majors like Industrial Design, and Landscape Architecture. After the first year, students take the Summer Qualifying Design Laboratory, which enables them to transfer into the program.

Students take classes like History of Architecture, The Art of Building, and Basic Principles of Structures. In the fourth year, students can take advantage of one of many off-campus study options in places like Chicago or Switzerland, or pursue a professional internship. The fifth-year rounds out the degree and is dedicated primarily to the research thesis project.

11. University of Michigan

Location: Michigan

The University of Michigan offers a Bachelor of Science in Architecture via the A. Alfred Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. The 124-credit-hour curriculum blends interactive studios, lectures, and seminars to reinforce the students’ analytical and conceptual problem-solving skills.

The blend of undergraduate architecture and liberal arts culminates into a pre-professional Bachelor of Science degree (B.S.) in Architecture. Most students pursue graduate studies in a professional Master of Architecture program, which further prepares them for architectural licensure.

12. University of Houston

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Location: Texas

The University of Houston offers a Bachelor of Architecture via its Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture & Design. The 160-semester credit hour curriculum leads to a five-year professional degree that enables students to pursue licensure as well as advanced studies in the field.

Accredited through the National Architectural Accrediting Board(NAAB), the program offers students access to resources involving research, building, and community components so that they can build their skills to succeed in the field of architecture. The curriculum emphasizes sustainability, inquiry, critical thinking, and technology.

13. University of Minnesota

Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota

The University of Minnesota offers a Bachelor of Science in Architecture, a pre-professional degree that introduces students to the diverse influences shaping constructed environments.

The 120-credit curriculum offers studio-based design education and a rigorous program of history, theory, and building technology courses. Students go on to work in a range of professional environments and also apply for the two-year Master of Architecture (M. Arch) degree program.

Students develop design processes in the studio courses, which leads to superior visual literacy and design thinking skills. They explore sustainability and resilience in technology courses, research historical precedents, and theoretical texts in history and theory seminars and learn spatial representation through analogue and digital drawing.

14. University of Wisconsin-Madison

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Location: Madison, Wisconsin

The University of Wisconsin-Madison offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Interior Architecture that emphasizes the process and communication of design and helps develop students’ creativity in the design and planning of interior spaces.

The four-year professional program is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA). It prepares students for advanced studies in the field through coursework, design review, and student mentoring by an expert faculty. Students learn to integrate the art of design with the social and the physical sciences, the history of design, and gain deep insight into professional practice through internship experiences.

15. Indiana State University

Location: Indiana

Indiana State University offers an affordable Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Architecture Design that holds triple accreditation from the Council for Interior Design Accreditation, the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, and the National Kitchen and Bath Association.

The well-rounded program blends theory, research, classroom lectures with practical, real-world learning opportunities. The comprehensive program requires 122 credit hours for completion, along with a sophomore portfolio review and a senior thesis for graduation.

The BFA in Architecture prepares students to become successful members of the International Interior Design Association, the American Society of Interior Designers, and the National Kitchen and Bathroom Association.

16. The University of Utah

Location: Utah

The University of Utah offers a B.S. in Architectural Studies via its School of Architecture. The 122-credit hour curriculum is designed to help students build fundamental knowledge of architecture through two two-year programs of study.

The program blends general education, with strong foundational courses in the graphic, technical, and design areas of architecture. As a design-centred curriculum, it involves a highly-focused study of architecture with innovation and engagement at the forefront of its mission.

It also includes consistent studio exploration with substantial digital work, technologies, and methods of making buildings, along with the history and theory of architecture.

17. Arizona State University

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Location: Arizona

Arizona State University offers a BSD in Architectural Studies via the Herberger Institute for Design & the Arts. The affordable 8-semester program requires sequential completion of studio coursework that teaches them to design sustainable and aesthetically pleasing buildings.

The curriculum blends the concepts of aesthetics and the science and technology of building with an understanding of people’s needs. Students develop foundational knowledge and skills in architectural design, landscape architecture, building technology, and professional practice. It is known as one of the top schools for architectural studies.

18. Florida Atlantic University

Location: Florida

offers a Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) that is accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board. The five-year, first professional degree prepares students for the profession of architecture through an interdisciplinary approach.

The 159-credit curriculum includes courses like Architectural Design, Pre-Modern Architecture History and Theory, Architectural Structures, Environmental Technology, Introduction to Digital Modeling, and Documentation, among others.

19. Kennesaw State University

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Location: Georgia

Kennesaw State University offers a Bachelor of Architecture program that is fully accredited by the National Architecture Association Board. The five-year, first professional degree is designed to lead to licensure in the field. The 150 credit hours of coursework fulfill the educational requirements to sit for the Architectural Registration Exam.

The affordable Bachelor of Architecture program requires students to take a series of studio sequences, complete an undergraduate thesis for graduation and a portfolio. They gain a holistic foundation of architecture education and training, along with a thorough understanding of how various aspects of the field are informed by each other.

20. The City University of New York

Location: New York

CUNY City College offers a Bachelor of Architecture via the Bernard and Anne Spitzer School of Architecture. The five-year first professional degree is a full-time course designed for students who want to learn to design individual and complex groups of buildings.

The 160-credit hour program helps them gain an in-depth knowledge of architectural history and explore the built environment. The affordable program helps students meet the educational requirements needed to become licensed architects as well as to pursue graduate studies. The curriculum blends lectures, research, design studios, practicum, portfolio reviews, and various study abroad opportunities to ensure comprehensive global learning.