America's Best Architecture & Design schools

College Majors Architecture Major
21

<p>From the Arch Ed 2009 put out by Architecture Magazine.
[Architecture</a> Schools Guide 2009 - Education, Research - Architect Magazine](<a href=“http://www.architectmagazine.com/education/arch-ed-2009.aspx]Architecture”>http://www.architectmagazine.com/education/arch-ed-2009.aspx)</p>

<p>I think this is a much more useful than the Design Intelligence rankings since it is more objective in dealing with the different emphasis of the diverse programs out there. </p>

<p>Schools that excel in practice:
Boston Architectural College
Drexel University
Northeastern University
Philadelphia University</p>

<p>Schools that excel in traditional architecture:
Andrews University
University of Miami
University of Nortre Dame</p>

<p>Schools that excel in Sustainable design
California State Polytechnic University Pomona
University of Oregon
University of Texas Austin</p>

<p>Schools that excel in integration of city and landscape
University of Florida
University of Maryland
Louisiana State University
Penn State
University of Utah
Woodbury University</p>

<p>Schools that excel in design build
Auburn University
Louisiana Tech University
University of Kansas
UNC Charlotte
University of Washington</p>

<p>Schools that excel in community design
Mississippi State University
Tulane University
University of Arkansas</p>

<p>Schools that excel in distinctive specialties
Dury University
Miami University
FLW School of Architecture
Judson University
Texas A & M
UT Arlington
SIU, Carbondale
University of Hartford
University of Minnesota</p>

<p>Schools that excel in history and theory
Rice University
University of Illinois, Chicago
U Penn
Yale</p>

<p>Schools that excel in global outlook
Clemson
University of Southern California
Virginia Polytechnic Institute</p>

<p>Schools that excel in digital design and fabrication
Ball State
SciArc
University of Michigan</p>

<p>Schools that excel in building construction and technology
Georgia Tech
NYIT
Renssalaer Polytechnic
University of Illinois Champagne Urbana</p>

<p>Schools that excel in art college setting
Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Pratt Institute of Technology
Rhode Island School of Design</p>

22

<p>My s is a seior in hs…he is interested in architecture…trying to find the best path for him to take. His overall CUM is about 86 (honors, college and AP courses)…his SAT results are very poor(can’t use them)…ACT 19…We didn’t know if the best bet is a prep school first, or a 2 year program then transfer…or is his grades can get him in somewhere decent. Can anybody advise us?
-mary</p>

23

<p>Mary -
Your son might look at schools that don’t require applicants to apply directly to the architecture program. For example, Iowa State has a good arch program, but you only need to apply to Iowa State. If you get into the university, you take GE courses along with design courses during your freshman year and then apply to the arch program after the freshman year. Many of the architecture programs that require pre-freshman admittance to the architecture departments are highly selective. Iowa State allows students to prove themselves during freshman year. I believe Montana State is similar.</p>

24

<p>Mary,</p>

<p>Your son might also consider what is known as the 4+2 program. He can get a BS in Architecture Studies (4 years) and then apply to grad school for the MArch degree which would be 2 years. Another alternative is to get a BS in any subject and then apply to grad school for the MArch which I think is about 3 years.</p>

25

<p>My daughter is a high school senior and trying to decide between two architecture schools. </p>

<p>Can anyone tell me about school reputation and/or potential for finding a job after graduating from the architecture program at Iowa State and/or Drury University?</p>

26

<p>I think school rankings are super helpful, but for Architecture NAAB accreditation and ARE pass rates are also super important. </p>

<p>I would suggest looking at the ARE pass rates for all of the colleges you are considering in addition to any rankings. If a school can’t prepare you to pass the professional Architecture Licensing exam you will be wasting your time and money going there, IMHO.
[NCARB</a> - ARE Pass Rates by School - 2008 (4.0)](<a href=“http://www.ncarb.org/ARE/ARE-Pass-Rates/Pass-Rates-by-School/2008-v4.aspx]NCARB”>http://www.ncarb.org/ARE/ARE-Pass-Rates/Pass-Rates-by-School/2008-v4.aspx)</p>

<p>Also, make sure the program you are considering is an accredited program. If it is a NAAB(National Architectural Accrediting Board) accredited program you will be able to graduate, work for about 3 years, and then sit for your AIA(professional licensure exam through ARE).
If it is not an NAAB-accredited collegiate program you will need to complete the BS/BA program, complete an accredited masters program, and then work for 3 years before you are eligible to sit for the professional licensure exam.
NAAB has a list of all accredited programs in the country:
[NAAB:</a> ARCHITECTURE PROGRAMS](<a href=“http://www.naab.org/architecture_programs/]NAAB:”>http://www.naab.org/architecture_programs/)</p>

<p>I hope this info helps!</p>

27

<p>Mary,
For your son I would suggest he apply to schools with forgiving admissions requirements, but has a NAAB-Accredited program like Philadelphia University in PA or Catholic University in DC. I will say that first year studio is brutal! If he has not been a good student thus far, he should brush up on his study skills in math and physics in order to survive.</p>

28

<p>I thought you maybe would like to take an online degree. So I suggest you visit [online</a> interior design](<a href=“Top Quality Essay Writing Tips For Free Use”>Top Quality Essay Writing Tips For Free Use). They offer great courses through online such interior design program.</p>

29

<p>The link to passing rates for the architectural exam is really interesting. What is a little frightening are the raw numbers. If you look at a large state such as Florida there are only 25 to 30 people in the entire state taking the exam. Most states are much less than that. There is a huge generation of architects getting ready to head out the door, where is the next generation coming from? I know this economy has distorted everything, but I think we are going to have a shortage of architects in the next 10 years. It also seems that allowing complete flexibility for taking a computer based exam sections has eliminated the urgency of an annual exam and reduced the number of people who take the exam.</p>

<p>It makes me wonder if we have made the educational and testing requirements too difficult relative to the rewards offered by the profession.</p>

<p>rick</p>

30

<p>Rick12, you are very perceptive. The testing requirements are intense and long. However, AIA feels they have streamlined the process a bit to now 7 tests where there used to be 9 to take for licensure via the new 4.0 test, while there are only 2 tests required for PE(professional engineering) licensure. I think the disparity is enough that you really need to weigh potential benefit of becoming an Architect vs. an Engineer if you are on the fence. I would not want to discourage anyone, however I have found the benefit to being a PE has outweighed the benefit of AIA registration in income and independence. I do think there will be a shortage of Licensed Architects, but plenty of unlicensed work bots.
What is upsetting is that there are generations of Architects who will never be licensed and will never be able to earn the income or have the independence they may have been falsely promised. If you are not licensed your options in this field are extremely limited and that is just a fact. This really needs to be over-emphasized in the collegiate level and not glossed over. You need to work towards licensure as soon as you graduate via studying and taking practice tests. Letting the years slip by without making licensure your ultimate goal would be a costly mistake.</p>

31

<p>"I know this economy has distorted everything, but I think we are going to have a shortage of architects in the next 10 years. "</p>

<p>From your lips, to G-d’s ears.</p>

<p>I am not counting on it though.</p>

32

<p>My daughter has scholarship offers from 2 schools. </p>

<p>One school is a small private liberal-arts school (Drury), which costs more, but after 5 years she’ll have a Masters degree in Architecture. (They’re just converting from a 5 year Bachelors to a 5 year Masters program.)</p>

<p>The other school is Iowa State. Cost is less, but after 5 years, she’ll graduate with a Bachelors degree in Architecture.</p>

<p>For her future employability, is it better to have a Bachelors degree from a well-known school, or a Masters degree from a lesser-known school?</p>

33

<p>RitaRF, for my money if I were your daughter and knew then what I know now… I would definitely spend a bit more money to have a MArch. This degree will give your daughter more options upon graduation particularly if she ends up working within any gov’t entity or considers teaching at the CC level or as an adjunct. Think of it as saving 3 years of her life, which is the amount of time it typically takes to earn a Master’s degree after a BArch.
Hope that helps!</p>

34

<p>Does the school matter? Is a M-arch from a small non-top 20 school as employable as a B-arch from a top-20 school (ISU)?</p>

35

<p>It may be different if you want an academic position, but for practice, whether the school you attend decides to call your five year degree a BArch or an MArch makes no difference. What matters is what you have accomplished while you are in school; the quality of the work in your portfolio. The better the school, the more firms will recruit there, and the stronger the alumni base. However ultimately it comes down to the quality of your work. You need to go to a school that provides you with the best faculty and allows you to develop outstanding skills and a portfolio to match. That is what most of the top 20 rankings are based on.</p>

<p>rick</p>

36

<p>Hey everybody,
I am currently a second year mathematics major at a liberal arts college in Los Angeles who would like to get into an architecture program (B.arch, M.arch). The college I am at does not have any sort of architecture course offerings, so I would like to transfer somewhere, preferably somewhere in California. I’m not sure how important grades are, but for what it’s worth, highschool gpa was about 3.7ish, SAT was about 2200, and my current GPA is 3.3-3.4ish. I guess I should mention that I’m willing to start over as a freshman in a B.arch program if necessary. So, I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions/insight into what range of schools I should be looking at?</p>

37

<p>Rita, I agree with Rick that if you are applying for a standard beg Architect/draftsmen position it won’t matter. However, if you are applying for federal, state, or local government positions OR if you want to do any adjunct or Community college teaching having an MArch will help because to everyone else it is a Masters Degree and that is how it will be viewed outside of an Architecture firm. As far as the big well-known college over smaller college, I would still recommend the MArch program. However, I live in Va so I know East Coast colleges and graduates, and really after you graduate it is the strength of your ability and creativity that gets you employment. I’ve seen alumni help each other get interviews, but its not always guaranteed that they will get the job.
Also, some smaller colleges have a very tight-knit alumni network. Ask the department about this, if this is your main concern.
I hope that makes sense???</p>

38

<p>I am looking into become a Civil Engineer/Architect. I am getting my major while I am in high school. My parents want me to go to a college instate. Do any of you know of a good college in South Carolina? I really want to find a college now, so I can look into scholarships that that college offers. Plus if any of you know any scholarships for Asperger’s</p>

39

<p>Pisceschick, staying in state and majoring in Architecture will be a challenge for you. There is only one college that offers a NAAB accredited program… Clemson University. It is a MArch program, and in-state, its your only choice.
<a href=“http://www.naab.org/architecture_programs/[/url]”>http://www.naab.org/architecture_programs/&lt;/a&gt;
Good luck!</p>

40

<p>hi~~I will enroll in Gatech this fall and really want to major in architecture.
Gatech is the only school admitted me that provides archi major, so no matter how GT’s archi valued, I think it’s my only choice to go to Atlanta for studying archi.
I browse the COA website but it’s really hard to get something valuable for my to judge it. I do hear some of the most famous buildings were designed by graduates of GT and some my friends told me that its archi is pretty ok.But it only offer bachelor of science in architecture. I’m not sure whether attending it will good for my future career.
So I do consider about transfer, but still not sure about it. I really want to hear more about archi program in GT. Does anyone would like offer some ur comments or ideas about it ??</p>

<p>Thanks a lot~~~:D</p>