<p>Oy…quit trying to ‘rate’ schools of architecture. I doesn’t work. There are a few that suck (many of the random state schools) but most are quite good. If you want ‘progressive’ or ‘theory-based’, ‘engineering-based’ limits the list further. “Best” has little meaning, but if you want prestige (not all that useful since your portfolio speaks for you, but it might mean the school has more famous critics), the above list might be useful.</p>
<p>Also, it does totally depend on where you want to work. The northeast would be Cornell, Cooper; Chicago is IIT; LA is SciArc or USC; the south would be Rice. However, even at a less-known school you can stand out and work anywhere you want.</p>