<p>As you can see in the area where firms deemed which schools to be the strongest in different areas it is a combination of undergraduate and graduate programs.<br>
THE TOP 10 UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS
1 California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
2 Cornell University
3 Rice University
4 University of Texas at Austin
5 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
6 Syracuse University
7 University of Southern California
8 Auburn University
9 Southern California Institute of Architecture
10 Rhode Island School of Design</p>
<p>THE TOP 10 GRADUATE PROGRAMS
1 Harvard University
2 Yale University
3 Columbia University
4 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
5 Cornell University
5 Rice University
7 University of Michigan
8 Kansas State University
9 University of California, Berkeley
10 University of Texas at Austin</p>
<p>According to Design Intelligences report, these are the collegiate programs that hiring firms deem strongest in each of these skill areas:</p>
<p>DESIGN
Harvard University
Yale University
Columbia University
Southern California Institute of Architecture
University of Southern California</p>
<p>SUSTAINABLE DESIGN PRACTICES & PRINCIPLES
Calif. Polytechnic State Univ., San Luis Obispo
University of California, Berkeley
Auburn University
University of Oregon
University of Southern California</p>
<p>CROSS-DISCIPLINARY TEAMWORK
Harvard University
Auburn University
Calif. Polytechnic State Univ., San Luis Obispo
Kansas State University
University of Southern California</p>
<p>CONSTRUCTION METHODS & MATERIALS
Calif. Polytechnic State Univ., San Luis Obispo
Auburn University
Kansas State University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
<p>K-State does indeed rock but unless I’m reading their web site incorrectly, their program is 5-year MS degree from high school, with no opportunity to complete an MArch there if you have a BA Arch elsewhere unless you transfer as an undergrad. Am I reading the web site incorrectly?</p>
<p>K-State offers a 5 year NAAB accredited M.Arch degree. It’s a non-baccalaureate for highschool grads. The MS degree is for graduates seeking to study advanced topics in architecture and is a post-professional degree. It’s not NAAB accredited. I’d post a link but I don’t know if that’s permitted.</p>
<p>Another year, another list. Where are Princeton and Cooper? Could it be that because they are smaller programs they don’t get so many votes? Also, the fluctuations from year to year are mighty suspicious…for instance, Michigan is ninth one year, unranked the next, and first the year after. “Test is not reliable…”</p>
<p>About K-State, I was thinking the graduate rankings were for schools where one can actually attend as a graduate student :D. I think there’s a couple of schools where you do 5 years from HS and get a graduate degree with no undergrad degree at all.</p>
<p>I have visited the architecture schools at Cal Poly SLO and Cornell, good schools both. However, Cornell’s facilities are extraordinary and far more impressive. I understand from a cost-benefit point of view that Cal Poly may make more fiscal sense than Cornell, especially for a California resident, but if family circumstances make both options viable, I’d go with Cornell in a heartbeat. </p>
<p>On location, that’s a pretty subjective thing. I love California, but Ithaca has plenty of beauty as well. </p>
<p>Ithaca and Cornell are indeed gorgeous, but I find the winters unspeakably harsh. However, I wouldn’t let the weather influence my decision about where to attend school. Especially architecture school, where you are inside working nearly all of the time. All that said, the undergrad rankings (however irregular & unreliable they may be) matter even less to me because I’d only attend architecture school as a graduate student.</p>
<p>Let me say first that the Greenway group is a very reputable group that not only publishes Design Intelligence, but they also organize the Design Futures Council which includes some of the most distinguished members of the profession. They put on some of the best conferences in the country.</p>
<p>I do find that the results of this survey are getting distorted. Deans have realized that this survey is important and they have started lobbying the alumni to ‘vote for your school’. It is the same as when schools start trying to tweak their statistics to get a better Newsweek ranking. I think SLO is a good solid school that produces very productive graduates, but it’s not Cornell, Rice, or even UT Austin. Look at the survey over a number of years and you will see the schools that consistently rank near the top. Also be aware that they only rank professional degrees in the undergraduate category. So schools like Princeton, Columbia, Virginia, Clemson, etc will not show up in the undergraduate rankings.</p>
<p>So I still think the rankings are useful, just dig a little deeper and look at them as a general guideline.</p>
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