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There are different lists. There's an annual publication called Design Intelligence that is similar to US News & World Report but focuses on design schools, that itemizes the best architecture programs in the country. Just like USNWR, Design Intelligence breaks down their list by how 'best' is measured. This year:
"Best" measured by employers for knowledge of construction methods & materials:
1. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
2. Kansas State University
3. University of Kansas
4. Syracuse
5. University of Cincinnati
"Best" measured by employers for research and theory skills:
1. Harvard
2. Yale
3. MIT
4. Princeton
5. SCI-ARC
'Best' for knowledge of sustainable design practices:
1. Kansas State
2. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
3. University of Oregon
4. University of California-Berkley
5. Auburn (in the rankings almost solely due to Samuel Mockbee's rural studio)
6. MIT
"Best" measured by greatest admiration by deans of architectural schools:
1 Cornell
2 Virginia Tech
3. Cooper Union
4. Syracuse
5. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
So you kind of need to think of what strengths you are looking for in a school. It's quite telling that most of the schools on the deans' list don't appear anywhere on the lists developed by employers. Personally, I'd be far more concerned with what an employer thinks of my degree, but every student has to decide for themselves what their priority is.
There is more information in the Design Intelligence book that is worth reading if you can get your hands on a book.
It also depends on if you want a B.Arch or a M.Arch. Most schools don't do both.
V.Tech and Cal Poly are usually the top 2 for B.Arch programs.
Ivy League schools are usually the top M.Arch programs.
How I've seen the "status" of degrees are like this:
Ivy League (Harvard, Yale mostly)
Top private schools (Cooper Union, MIT)
Top public schools (Berkeley, Michigan, UVa, Texas)
Top regional schools (Cal Poly is highly regarded in CA, but not so much on the East coast. Vice versa for VT)
That said, architecture school doesn't teach much about actually being an architect. Licensing and experience are paramount. Interns aren't expected to actually know anything about how a building is built when they start work.
Texas A&M does not offer a B.Arch - their students typically earn an Environmental Design degree. But their M.Arch is a top 10 program and they are particularly strong with digital imaging.
So don't just pay attention to the rankings for one degree level. Already pointed out above - I'm just adding to it.
Architecture is a dying career and highly recommend against doing it!!!!
Unemployment in the field is near 40-50% right now. Alot of the design has been outsourced to india.
oh puh-leeze. Architecture is not a dying field. 50% of the field was unemployed at the peak of the recession--in 2009--and a recession does not indicate that the profession is dying forever. It was the same in the 80s and early 90s--and the profession recovered each time. Anyone interested in entering a college program now is not likely to face a recession by the time they finish school.
Little is outsourced. Design is too personal, too hands-on. It has to be done locally. A few firms have tried outsourcing their drafting but have found little success--these days the pace of projects means design and drafting are done simultaneously so it's not possible to outsource. Some firms tried to outsource a little drafting during the last decade and found little success. It was too difficult to communicate intent and get accurate results back.
If anything is being 'outsourced' its that Autodesk, the maker of our drafting software continues to make their software more and more difficult, forcing companies to keep one of Autodesk's employees on contract at all times to do basic file setup for us because it's too complicated for a designer or architect to do. That makes the computer guys' jobs more stable than the rest of us. But that's hardly outsourcing to india.
Little is outsourced. Design is too personal, too hands-on. It has to be done locally. A few firms have tried outsourcing their drafting but have found little success--these days the pace of projects means design and drafting are done simultaneously so it's not possible to outsource. Some firms tried to outsource a little drafting during the last decade and found little success. It was too difficult to communicate intent and get accurate results back.
We outsource our renderings to China and Taiwan. It actually works out pretty good - send a model out to them during the day, they work on it during our night, and we get results in the morning.
Before deciding on the best school for you you have to know what route to take:
1. 4 year non arch. bachelors plus 3+ years Grad school leading to an M.Arch.
2. 4 years pre-arch bachelors plus 2+ years Grad school, leading to an M.Arch.
3. 5 years for a B.Arch.
1 and 2 may offer the best all around education, but obviously the 3rd is the most efficient way to get from point a to point b. Some rankings have already been posted so I'll just say that Cornell and Syracuse have traditionally been very strong, and if you think NYC is going to be your ultimate destination, there is a very strong network of grads from these two schools. In terms of value, Va Tech is hard to beat. Some people like Cincinatti because it has a strong internship program (working full time is part of the curriculum).
If you look at the rankings above you'll see some schools noted for their teaching of contruction technology. There is an on-going debate about just what one should be learning in school. My point of view is that technology is always changing, and while you can learn some of this in a school setting, most of what you will ever know you will learn in the field. In my opinion school is for learning how to think critically about architectural problems, and how to synthesize several criteria into a single architectural solution.
Its worth noting that the major architectural "stars" (for what thats worth) usually have multiple degrees including one from an ivy league school.
Regarding the economy and the future of the profession: you have to accept that there will be downturns every so often, and because it is not a lucrative field to begin with, accomodations need to be made. Its very tough to live a traditional lifetsyle as a young architect- by this I mean 1 income with kids and a mortgage.
Also the old notion of the heroic artist going into his studio and emerging with a masterpiece is a fantasy. The profession is increasingly collaborative (and global) and decreasingly artistic. However, I think if the profession can accommodate the changing landscape of business, there is a bright future ahead.
Last edited by stevo6; 01-05-2012 at 11:44 AM..
Reason: additional thoughts, typo
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