What Are the Best Architecture Schools in the US in 2024?

As an education consultant, I’ve seen more and more of my students choose architecture as their target major. It’s an increasingly popular degree, and the students wanting to study architecture generally have a similar list of target schools — for good reason!

In this blog, I’ll explore the best colleges for architecture based on my 6+ years of experience as an education consultant, as well as other factors such as licensing, ranking, and program.

Architecture is a really strange major for a couple of reasons; it’s skill-based like computer science, but it’s more difficult to find a college at the bachelor’s level that allows you to practice as soon as you graduate.

There’s a higher barrier to entry because not all schools allow students to practice right after graduation — it’s basically a career path the minute you choose it, and it’s more limiting than choosing English as your major, or even a major like computer science.

What You Should Look For: B Arch Certification

A lot of schools would have an architecture major, but they won’t be B Arch-certified - which is basically the National Architectural Accrediting Board saying “this bachelor’s degree will allow you to become an architect immediately after graduation.”

That's why it's the first thing I tell my students upfront: if your goal is to study architecture, you’re going to want to look at a B Arch-certified school. You don’t have to, there are some phenomenal schools that aren’t B Arch-certified — you’ll just have to do a master's in architecture afterwards.

In this list, I only chose B Arch-certified schools. When a student asks me for recommendations, they typically want options where they don’t necessarily need to do a masters to start practicing.

Keep in mind that accredited B Arch schools could change every single year. You can check what schools are certified on the NAAB website's school search function.

Best Architecture Schools in the US

1. Cornell

Cornell is definitely one of the best in general — but they’re also excellent in architecture.

The resources they put towards their architecture program are unmatched. Out of all the top schools in the US, they’re the ones I’d recommend as the top for architecture specifically. Most other programs in the range of top 10-15 schools in the US are not as strong in architecture.

As an Ivy League, Cornell is an excellent choice if you’re aiming for prestige — it’s a very well-known university.

You really can’t beat Cornell's resources. At the College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, they have world-class faculty. But the most interesting point for me about Cornell is the funding and fellowships for the architecture department.

They highlight them pretty prominently on their website. For example, they’ve got Hart Howerton Travel Fellowship, a $7,000 research grant for students to go abroad and conduct research in architecture. They’ve got 5 or 6 of these depending on the year.

Cornell is really great with resources and they have an excellent international lens.

2. Syracuse

Syracuse is pretty notable, even if it may not be as prestigious as Cornell, but they’re very very technical in their architecture program. It’s very robust, and they’re deeply selective. It’s one of their more competitive majors as a school.

The thing about Syracuse is, it’s a math majors’ architecture school. For a student that’s really interested in the engineering aspect of architecture, this is the school that’s going to give you that unique lens.

I remember from working with my student last year, Syracuse was one of the only programs that required multiple high-level math courses. Because they’re setting you up to really be able to engage with engineers — and that is definitely one of their focuses.

Something I’ve been seeing increasingly more often is that a lot of the students that I work with have an environmental lens. For example, they want to be supporting climate-resistant infrastructure or build flood-resistant systems in flood-prone areas.

What I really like about Syracuse is it’s probably one of the early adopters of taking this specific type of lens and looking into sustainable architecture.

Another thing of note about this school is that while a lot of architecture programs are heavily regimented, Syracuse isn’t.

Syracuse is pretty flexible for their fourth and fifth years. They do a pretty good job at getting you the intensive courses that you need to be an architect in your first three years, so that you can start branching out into your own niche in your fourth and fifth years.

3. Georgia Tech

What I really like about Georgia Tech is that their architecture program is a lot more integrated into the rest of the school. Georgia Tech has a really big research arm — even if it’s not abroad.

Their focus tends to be on a lot of city planning research, much more than historical preservation research. They’re also really big on integration of material science, building technology into architecture, which really sets them apart.

If you have an innovative mindset, you’ll definitely enjoy the architecture major at Georgia Tech. In fact, it should probably be your top choice.

You get exposed to experimental architecture with most architecture programs, but Georgia Tech probably has the most emphasis on the experimental part. Just by virtue of being able to interact with design tech students a lot easier, for example, since you’ll be in the same labs.

I've heard of architecture students at Georgia Tech working in the digital fabrication lab — they’ll work together to create mixed reality and augmented reality work. Really out-there architectural thinking!

4. Tulane

Tulane is another school that I recommend a fair amount to students actually. They have a really great program, and they have multiple distinct pathways for architecture students, which is rare.

You have design, historic preservation, landscape engineering, real estate development, social innovation, listed all under the same school of architecture.

You’d have to major in architecture, of course, but a lot of these options are minors or part of the major, some of them are even master degree programs.

They’ve got a really good breadth of programming, and it’s a school that’s typically overlooked.

You’ll notice that a lot of these schools aren’t really Ivies — it really matters what your goal is here. If your goal is prestige, then yeah, Harvard is always a great option regardless of the major.

With a degree like architecture, you’ll usually have to go on and do your masters. But Tulane offers a robust program and allows you to practice right after graduation!

5. Pennsylvania State University

A lot of students come into architecture late, it’s not a course you take in the first grade! So some students will find architecture in the 11th or 12th grade, and they’ll realize they don’t have a lot of experience in this major, but they really like it.

In that event, Penn State is an excellent choice, because it doesn’t require an architecture portfolio for admission.

Penn State has a great architecture program and it’s not especially competitive. So it’s an excellent choice for a student just starting out in this major, relatively late in the game — like if you didn’t work with Crimson for example!

Honorable Mentions

UC Berkeley

Let me quickly clarify something: the only reason UC Berkely isn’t in the top 5 on this list is because it’s not B Arch-certified. With that out of the way, let’s talk about Berkeley’s Architecture program.

Architecture is one of these majors that students go into thinking it's only art. But it's actually a very mathematically heavy major. It's engineering in a sense!

Obviously there’s some pretty stark differences between it and engineering, but you need that same skill set to succeed. So a lot of the schools that tend to have really strong STEM programs, also tend to have strong arch programs.

You’re not gonna get as much in the experimental department at UC Berkeley, it's a lot more traditional. But UC Berkeley probably has the best research arm in the country.

Their faculty tends to be deeply involved in that area of research. They pride themselves on having  phenomenal teachers, so if you’re aiming to get a sense of key leaders in the field, Berkeley is your choice.

They’re generally a good overall school for architecture, I don’t think any one factor particularly stands out, because everything is well-rounded. Their faculty is phenomenal, their research is excellent, and it's a school that sets you up for success.

So if you don’t really know what your niche is in architecture, this is a great school.

California Polytechnic State University

Architecture programs are deeply intense. What sets Cal Poly schools apart is that they allow you to pick and choose instead of just doing a bachelor’s that leads to a master’s.

They’re very flexible, don’t require a portfolio, and not nearly as competitive as the aforementioned schools.

If you have your heart set on architecture but don’t have the portfolio or profile for it, Cal Poly schools' architecture programs are a great option.

Final Thoughts

Top schools in architecture is a very subjective thing, and different lists will name different top schools.

For some of my students, Penn State is the top choice because they’re new to architecture. My other students who have known they wanted to be an architect throughout all four years of high school would tell me they’re aiming for Cornell. It’s all down to your individual needs and profile.

If you need help deciding on the perfect college for you, work with me or our other expert strategists. Students working with Crimson are 7 times more likely to get admitted to their dream school!