List of the Best Architecture Schools

What is the best architecture school?

What is the best architecture school? In the world, there are numerous excellent architecture schools, each with its own unique faculties, resources, and strengths. The ideal architecture school for a given person will change based on their unique interests, professional objectives, geography, financial situation, and other personal aspects.

It’s crucial to conduct your own research and take into account different criteria, including the school’s reputation, professors, curriculum, facilities, location, pricing, and student support services, in order to choose the finest architecture school for your specific needs.

It might also be helpful to talk to current and former students of the institution to find out what they think about the curriculum.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Harvard University, the Bartlett School of Architecture at University College London, ETH Zurich, and the Architectural Association School of Architecture in London are a few of the top-ranked architecture schools worldwide.

But, because not every student will find these schools to be the ideal fit, it’s crucial to conduct your own study and take into account your own requirements and preferences.

List of the best architecture schools in the world

Is there a list of the best architecture schools in the world? Few facets of civilization have been known to evoke in other lands as much awe as its architectural accomplishments.

The technological and aesthetic accomplishments of society are encapsulated in towering skyscrapers made of steel and glass, as well as colossal masonry and concrete constructions. The world’s architectural wonders are well known to almost everyone, whether they were erected centuries or even millennia ago, like the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, or more recently, like the Empire State Building and Burj Khalifa.

Several people have been motivated to try to produce their own magnificent works that will endure the test of time like these iconic buildings and structures.

Others will be inspired to create their own architectural marvels to compete with and join those already known around the globe, while many may draw inspiration from these magnificent works of architecture to use in other artistic mediums.

As they consider the wonders of the future, the upcoming generation of designers must overcome the extraordinary challenge posed by climate change. These new wonders must be created with ethics and sustainability in mind, according to the requirements.

Future architects will look for the greatest education and training available to them to face these difficulties, and they must select from a wide selection of universities. It can be difficult to choose the school that is the best match for a student and provides the finest education when there are so many options available.

We, at AdmissionSight, have put together this list of the best architecture schools in the world to aid students in their difficult decision. The 10 best architecture schools worldwide are listed below:

Politecnico di Milano in Milan, Italy

Politecnico di Milano is the oldest university in Milan and the largest technical institution in the country. Polytechnic University of Milan is considered by experts to be one of the best architecture schools.

Among other studies, the institution offers the Laurea and Laurea Magistrale degrees, which are equivalent to a bachelor’s and master’s degree in science, respectively.

The School of Architecture, Urban Planning, Construction, and Engineering is in charge of administering the three-year undergraduate architectural design program. The program’s courses are available in both Italian and English.

While being a pre-professional degree, the Bachelor of Science in Architectural Design does prepare students for graduate study, which is regarded as a professional degree. Students from outside of Italy who want to get a Master of Science degree must follow the steps on the school’s page for international students and know a basic amount of Italian.

Landscape and urban architecture, engineering, design, and history are some of the options for graduate students who want to study architecture for the Bachelor of Science degree.

Tsinghua University in Beijing, China

The School of Architecture at Tsinghua University gives students the choice to study the subject under one of five major research focuses, including history, design, urban design, technology, and society.

English is the primary medium of instruction at the school’s English Program for Master in Architecture (EPMA), which offers courses in five different categories to foreign architecture students. The program’s student-to-professor ratio is normally 6:1, and several of its studios offer the opportunity to work in significant Chinese architectural growth centers.

The graduate program only takes 20 students at a time; thus, entrance is hard. Candidates must have a recognized professional bachelor’s degree in architecture. The university’s Master’s Degree in Architecture—Future Human Habitat Design also provides an interdisciplinary alternative.

University of California – Berkeley in Berkeley, California

University of California – Berkeley is one of the best architecture schools in the world. Their undergraduate students have the option of earning a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture or adding it to another degree through the College of Environmental Design.

Prior to concentrating on architecture explicitly, the first three years of the program create a broad base of essential knowledge. Students select one of two junior-year paths that emphasize either design research or studio studies. Students who get this degree can go on to get a Master of Architecture or work in the public or private sectors of the economy.

Anyone with a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree can apply to the Master of Architecture program at UC Berkeley. However, people without a specific pre-professional degree in architecture will need an extra three years to finish the program.

With examination and acceptance by the admissions committee, students who have already completed an undergraduate architecture degree in its entirety may pursue a Master of Architecture with Advanced Standing.

Manchester School of Architecture in Manchester, England

In order to offer a recognized architecture curriculum, the Manchester School of Architecture combines programs from two universities, Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Manchester.

In order to prepare students for continued study in one of its numerous graduate architecture programs, the school provides a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) in Architecture degree.

The Bachelor of Arts curriculum incorporates studio and fieldwork to give its graduates an education that makes them highly sought-after in industry or ready for additional professional degrees. It does this by combining the resources, faculty, and facilities of its two member universities.

The institution offers master’s degrees in a variety of fields, including research, landscape architecture, and urban design. The Master of Architecture program can be completed in two years of full-time study or in four years of part-time study.

Before creating a design thesis and receiving a degree that is accredited by a professional organization, students have the opportunity to visit and work with other foreign institutions.

National University of Singapore in Queenstown, Singapore

National University of Singapore is known to be one of the best architecture schools in the world. A Bachelor of Arts in Architecture and a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture are the two undergraduate degrees in architecture offered by the Department of Architecture.

A solid foundation of fundamental knowledge and abilities is built throughout the first year of the Honors Bachelor of Arts in Architecture program. This is expanded upon in the second and third years as students learn about ideas like site structure and examine architectural methods.

Students might start specializing in the fourth year of the program to get ready for additional study.

The university’s Department of Architecture offers a variety of master’s degrees, including programs that focus on integrated sustainable design and architectural conservation.

Two years are spent on the Master of Architecture program. The curriculum places a strong emphasis on design knowledge, and it concludes with a design thesis that enables students to form their own opinions about design based on their own independent research.

Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts

The Harvard University’s Harvard Graduate School of Design gives out two Master of Architecture degrees, as well as a number of other graduate and post-graduate degrees in the field, making it one of the best architecture schools in the world.

The school’s professional program, the Master of Architecture I degree, admits applicants with any Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree. Depending on the courses they’ve already taken, students may need to finish certain prerequisites before moving on in the program.

The program can be completed in two and a half years for students who have been admitted with advanced standing and who have a pre-professional degree in architecture.

To become a professional architect, a student must do an internship in an architectural office and pass a registration exam.

The Master of Architecture II program is a post-professional study that professional architects can sign up for if they want to learn more and get better at what they do.

ETH Zurich in Zurich, Switzerland

Three areas make up the ETH Zurich undergraduate architecture program, and they are spread out over the course of the degree. The majority of the curriculum is made up of design and construction, science and technology, humanities, and the arts, with a focus on design and building.

The academic courses for the undergraduate program are finished in three years. In addition, six months of professional experience in the field of architecture are needed to finish the degree.

As part of the graduate architecture program at ETH Zurich, students must complete two focused works in different fields of architecture and a master’s thesis. These build on the basic knowledge and skills they learned as undergraduates.

German is used as the program’s major language of instruction, and students can complete the Master of Science ETH in Architecture program in two years.

University College London in London, England

Undergraduate architecture at University College London, one of the best architecture schools in the world, concludes with a Bachelor of Science degree after three years of full-time study.

Students are placed in design studios throughout their first year of study with the intention of teaching them the fundamentals of observation, critical thinking, and working in three dimensions.

The school’s Design Units, which are groups of about fifteen students that work together on design projects and give them the chance to develop their own approaches to design, are the focus of the program’s second and third years.

There are seventeen choices for postgraduate study in architecture at University College London’s Bartlett School of Architecture. At the school, students learn about bio-integrated design, digital theory, history, and historic urban environments, among other things.

The school’s Master of Architecture in Architecture program takes two years and is the second part of what you need to do to get a professional degree in architecture.

Delft University of Technology in Delft, Netherlands

While even the undergraduate program at Delft University of Technology has a cap of 400 students, aspiring architects there are among the most promising future professionals in the industry.

Students who earn the university’s Bachelor of Science in Architecture, Urbanism, and Building Sciences degree are among the best in their industry, according to the university’s difficult admissions process.

Dutch is used as the primary language of instruction throughout the three-year, full-time program. The master’s degree in architecture, urbanism, and building sciences at the university requires graduate students to study full-time for two years.

Graduate students take classes in English and choose one of the five tracks in the program to focus on one of their favorite fields.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts

Massachusetts Institute of Technology is known to be the best architecture school in the world. Its Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree, which prepares students for the next stage in becoming licensed architects, is where undergraduate students start their careers in architecture.

Undergraduate students may start particular architectural disciplines in their first semesters, depending on their Advanced Placement credit totals and placement test results. The Master of Architecture program at Massachusetts Institute of Technology takes three and a half years and is made up of six studios and a semester for writing a thesis.

The Master of Architecture and Master of City Planning degree is the only official dual master’s degree offered by the school. Graduate students can combine architecture and a related field to make their own dual degrees, as long as their academic advisor agrees.

Now that we have discussed the best architecture schools, let’s move on to the admission requirements.

Architecture admission requirements

What are the architecture admission requirements? Depending on the institution and program, different candidates may be admitted to architectural programs. Nonetheless, the following requirements are typically used for both undergraduate and graduate admission to architecture programs:

About undergraduate courses:

• High school graduation or its equivalent
• requirement for a minimum grade point average (GPA) (varies by school)
• a completed application form;
• a personal statement or essay, and
• certified copies of all high school transcripts attended
• Standardized test results (such as the SAT or ACT);
• A portfolio of artwork or design (which may be required by some schools)
• Recommendation letters
• Results of tests for English language proficiency (for international students)
• A portfolio for interview review (which may be required by some schools)

Graduate-level programs:

• A minimum GPA is required.
• Bachelor’s degree in architecture or a closely related discipline (varies by school)
• Completed application form, essay or personal statement, official transcripts from each college or university attended, and test results (like GRE or GMAT).
• A portfolio of artwork or designs (which may be required by some schools)
• Recommendation letters
• Results of tests for English language proficiency (for international students)
• A portfolio for interview review (which may be required by some schools)

The requirements for admission can differ from school to school, so it’s always a good idea to check with the particular program you’re interested in to be sure you meet all of their prerequisites.

Having all the information at hand before making any decisions and getting to know the best architecture schools in the world are vital for college admissions. With AdmissionSight, our college admission experts will provide the necessary guidance every step of the way.

AdmissionSight is the world’s leading Ivy League and college admission consulting company. You may obtain all the necessary advice from the team by making an appointment. Book your consultation today!