Top Ranked
Architecture Schools — Focus Areas
Architecture firms and other professional organizations were surveyed regarding America's Top Ranked Architecture & Design Schools,
which ranks undergraduate and graduate programs from the perspective of the professional practitioners who hire and supervise graduates of
architecture. Rankings are compiled for the strongest programs in each of 12 different focus areas.
1 — Communications and presentation skills
School Name |
2019-20 |
Cornell University |
1 |
Cooper Union |
2 |
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo |
3 |
Syracuse University |
4 |
Southern California Institute of Architecture |
5 |
Rice University |
6 |
Virginia Tech |
7 |
Pratt Institute |
8 |
University of Texas, Austin |
9 |
Rhode Island School of Design |
10 |
University of Southern California |
10 |
School Name |
2019-20 |
Harvard University |
1 |
Columbia University |
2 |
Cornell University |
3 |
Yale University |
3 |
Southern California Institute of Architecture |
5 |
Princeton University |
6 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
7 |
Virginia Tech |
8 |
Syracuse University |
9 |
University of Texas, Austin |
10 |
2 — Construction materials and methods
School Name |
2019-20 |
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo |
1 |
Virginia Tech |
2 |
Cornell University |
3 |
Auburn University |
4 |
Syracuse University |
5 |
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
6 |
University of Texas, Austin |
7 |
Southern California Institute of Architecture |
8 |
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona |
9 |
Rice University |
10 |
School Name |
2019-20 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
1 |
Harvard University |
2 |
Cornell University |
3 |
Columbia University |
4 |
Virginia Tech |
5 |
Yale University |
5 |
Southern California Institute of Architecture |
7 |
Georgia Institute of Technology |
8 |
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona |
9 |
Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS |
9 |
3 — Design technologies (BIM, AI, VR, AR, etc.)
School Name |
2019-20 |
Cornell University |
1 |
Southern California Institute of Architecture |
2 |
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo |
3 |
Virginia Tech |
4 |
Syracuse University |
5 |
Pratt Institute |
6 |
Cooper Union |
7 |
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
8 |
Carnegie Mellon University |
9 |
University of Southern California |
10 |
School Name |
2019-20 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
1 |
Columbia University |
2 |
Harvard University |
3 |
Southern California Institute of Architecture |
4 |
Cornell University |
5 |
Virginia Tech |
6 |
Yale University |
7 |
Georgia Institute of Technology |
8 |
University of California, Los Angeles |
9 |
Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS |
10 |
Syracuse University |
10 |
4 — Design theory and practice
School Name |
2019-20 |
Cornell University |
1 |
Cooper Union |
2 |
Southern California Institute of Architecture |
3 |
Rice University |
4 |
Syracuse University |
5 |
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo |
6 |
Rhode Island School of Design |
7 |
Virginia Tech |
8 |
Pratt Institute |
9 |
University of Texas, Austin |
10 |
University of Southern California |
11 |
Carnegie Mellon University |
12 |
University of Notre Dame |
13 |
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
14 |
Auburn University |
15 |
School Name |
2019-20 |
Harvard University |
1 |
Columbia University |
2 |
Princeton University |
3 |
Yale University |
4 |
Cornell University |
5 |
Southern California Institute of Architecture |
6 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
7 |
Virginia Tech |
8 |
Rice University |
9 |
Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS |
10 |
University of California, Los Angeles |
11 |
University of Pennsylvania |
11 |
Syracuse University |
13 |
University of Southern California |
14 |
Clemson University |
15 |
5 — Engineering fundamentals
School Name |
2019-20 |
California Polytecnic State University, San Luis Obispo |
1 |
Virginia Tech |
2 |
Cornell University |
3 |
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
4 |
Illinois Institute of Technology |
5 |
Carnegie Mellon University |
6 |
Syracuse University |
7 |
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona |
8 |
Pennsylvania State University |
9 |
University of Texas, Austin |
10 |
School Name |
2019-20 |
Cornell University |
1 |
Columbia University |
2 |
Harvard University |
3 |
Georgia Institute of Technology |
4 |
Virginia Tech |
5 |
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
6 |
Illinois Institute of Technology |
7 |
Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS |
8 |
Southern California Institute of Architecture |
8 |
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona |
10 |
6 — Healthy built environments
School Name |
2019-20 |
Cornell University |
1 |
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo |
2 |
Virginia Tech |
3 |
University of Oregon |
4 |
Southern California Institute of Architecture |
5 |
Syracuse University |
5 |
Cooper Union |
7 |
Carnegie Mellon University |
8 |
Auburn University |
9 |
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona |
10 |
School Name |
2019-20 |
Harvard University |
1 |
Cornell University |
2 |
Columbia University |
3 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
4 |
Southern Califormia Institute of Architecture |
5 |
Virginia Tech |
5 |
Yale University |
5 |
University of California, Berkeley |
8 |
Clemson University |
9 |
University of Oregon |
10 |
7 — Interdisciplinary studies (awareness of, and collaboration with multiple disciplines impacting the built environment)
School Name |
2019-20 |
Cornell University |
1 |
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo |
2 |
Virginia Tech |
3 |
Cooper Union |
4 |
Syracuse University |
5 |
Southern California Institute of Architecture |
6 |
Carnegie Mellon University |
7 |
Rice University |
8 |
University of Texas, Austin |
8 |
University of Southern California |
10 |
School Name |
2019-20 |
Harvard University |
1 |
Columbia University |
2 |
Cornell University |
3 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
4 |
Yale University |
5 |
Virginia Tech |
6 |
Georgia Institute of Technology |
7 |
University of California, Berkeley |
8 |
Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS |
9 |
Syracuse University |
9 |
University of Southern California |
9 |
8 — Practice management
School Name |
2019-20 |
Cornell University |
1 |
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo |
2 |
Virginia Tech |
3 |
Syracuse University |
4 |
University of Southern California |
5 |
Southern California Institute of Architecture |
6 |
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona |
7 |
Carnegie Mellon University |
8 |
Rice University |
8 |
Pratt Institute |
10 |
School Name |
2019-20 |
Harvard University |
1 |
Columbia University |
2 |
Cornell University |
3 |
Yale University |
4 |
Virginia Tech |
5 |
Southern California Institute of Architecture |
6 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
7 |
Georgia Institute of Technology |
8 |
Syracuse University |
9 |
Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS |
10 |
9 — Project planning and management
School Name |
2019-20 |
Cornell University |
1 |
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo |
2 |
Virginia Tech |
3 |
Syracuse University |
4 |
Rice University |
5 |
University of Southern California |
6 |
University of Texas, Austin |
6 |
Southern California Institute of Architecture |
8 |
Carnegie Mellon University |
9 |
Auburn University |
10 |
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona |
10 |
Pratt Institute |
10 |
School Name |
2019-20 |
Harvard University |
1 |
Columbia University |
2 |
Cornell University |
3 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
4 |
Southern California Institute of Architecture |
5 |
Virginia Tech |
6 |
Yale University |
7 |
Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS |
8 |
Georgia Institute of Technology |
9 |
University of Southern California |
10 |
10 — Research
School Name |
2019-20 |
Cornell University |
1 |
Cooper Union |
2 |
Southern California Institute of Architecture |
3 |
Virginia Tech |
4 |
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo |
5 |
Rice University |
6 |
Syracuse University |
7 |
Carnegie Mellon University |
8 |
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
9 |
Pratt Institute |
10 |
School Name |
2019-20 |
Harvard University |
1 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
2 |
Columbia University |
3 |
Cornell University |
4 |
Princeton University |
5 |
Yale University |
6 |
Southern California Institute of Architecture |
7 |
Virginia Tech |
8 |
Georgia Institute of Technology |
9 |
University of California, Los Angeles |
10 |
11 — Sustainable built environments/adaptive design/resilient design
School Name |
2019-20 |
Cornell University |
1 |
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo |
2 |
Virginia Tech |
3 |
University of Oregon |
4 |
Auburn University |
5 |
Carnegie Mellon University |
5 |
Syracuse University |
7 |
Southern California Institute of Architecture |
8 |
Rice University |
9 |
University of Texas, Austin |
10 |
School Name |
2019-20 |
Harvard University |
1 |
Columbia University |
2 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
3 |
Cornell University |
4 |
University of California, Berkeley |
5 |
Southern California Institute of Architecture |
6 |
University of Oregon |
7 |
Virginia Tech |
8 |
Yale University |
8 |
Georgia Institute of Technology |
10 |
12 — Transdisciplinary collaboration across A/E/C
School Name |
2019-20 |
Cornell University |
1 |
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo |
2 |
Virginia Tech |
3 |
Syracuse University |
4 |
Carnegie Mellon University |
5 |
Auburn University |
6 |
Southern California Institute of Architecture |
7 |
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute |
8 |
University of Texas, Austin |
9 |
Cooper Union |
10 |
School Name |
2019-20 |
Harvard University |
1 |
Columbia University |
2 |
Cornell University |
3 |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
4 |
Virginia Tech |
5 |
Georgia Institute of Technology |
6 |
Southern California Institute of Architecture |
7 |
Yale University |
8 |
Syracuse University |
9 |
California State Polytechnic University, Pomona |
10 |