Architecture is all about designing buildings for beauty, functionality, and optimization of space. The top architecture universities in the world are the best places to acquire this vital skill which can help one excel, and gain renown as an authority in this field.
Architecture is not a new endeavor; from the pyramids of Egypt, the temples of Greece, and the Coliseum of Rome; mankind has loved to build imposing structures. The most advanced schools of architecture therefore teach the students how to combine cultural building styles with their own genius, so that the present civilization can leave monuments behind for future generations to marvel at.
While all of these are famous schools of architecture, they each bring a different flavor; the building culture of their individual localities.
100 Best Architecture Universities In The World
1. Massachusetts Institute Of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, also known as MIT is one of the world’s most important hubs for the development of technology. As it turns out, Architecture is a form of technology; the technology of designing buildings. MIT was established in 1861, and has become the birth place of many of the technological innovations that humanity enjoys today.
Architecture is one of the strong points of this university; the MIT media lab is part of the School of Architecture and Planning. This lab is known for its unconventional research, especially as it comes to maximizing the use of space so as to accommodate the rising populations in the world’s major cities.
2. Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University was established in 1900; it is a private research university- one of the finest in the world. This university has satellite campuses in far away locations including Silicon Valley, Qatar, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Japan, China, Mexico, and Italy; as well as Kigali, Rwanda.
Carnegie Mellon University has a strong leaning towards research and development of new things; it is with that approach that Architecture is taught in this institution.
Carnegie Mellon University has made many contributions to humanity in the area of science and technology; this has resulted in the creation of new things and new markets. It is therefore a great place for the incubation of a great mind, which will create architectural designs.
3. University Of California – Berkeley
The University of California, also known as the U of C, was founded in 1868. It is perhaps the world’s most important hub of proprietary knowledge in medical research. The university is well known around the world for its accomplishments in genomics, computer science, sports, and social engineering.
This is also one of the top universities for architecture in the world; the school has over the years been involved in research to develop smart buildings with lower energy consumption.
This will enhance the chances of survival of future generations; as the world’s population continues to soar, there is need to manage resources more efficiently.
4. Stanford University
Stanford University is a private university with a strong culture of research and development. It is considered one of the most prestigious universities in the world. This university is one of the best for the technology industry; it built Silicon Valley, and continues to be one of its foremost contributors.
Architecture is all about designs- something that Stanford University excels at. Furthermore, you can expect to see the advancement of modern technology integrated in the building designs taught at Stanford.
Stanford itself has a particular architecture as per the wishes of the founders; the buildings are done in the old styles of Western Europe, with red tile roofing.
5. Georgia Institute Of Technology
Georgia Institute of Technology is a public university with a strong culture of research and development. This university was established in 1885, as a place to learn mechanical engineering. However, the institution soon commenced the study of electrical and civil engineering as well as other fields of study.
This university is one of the most selective in the country; most students see their applications turned away. This is because the university endeavors to bring in only the best prospective students to study within its walls.
The strategy has worked quite well; Georgia Institute of Technology is ranked very highly in most fields; including Aerospace Engineering, Environmental Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering.
6. University Of Oxford
The University of Oxford is one of the most prestigious institutions in England. It was established in 1096; making it one of the oldest universities in continuous operation in the world. The university is best known for the arts, and also for producing brilliant politicians. Nevertheless, it is ranked very highly for architecture, and for a dozen other sciences.
The University of Oxford has built a reputation of excellence; everything that passes through Oxford comes out great. The University of Oxford is a great place to learn the art of creating exquisite building designs.
7. Harvard University
Harvard University is perhaps America’s most prestigious university. Harvard University was established in 1636, which explains why the institution is so well respected. Harvard has produced many notable men and women in many different fields of endeavor, including politicians, artists, musicians, authors, physicists and economists.
This is one of the most sought after places of learning; the however, the university has a limited acceptance rate. Architecture is one of the courses for which this university is rated very highly. Other courses include computer science, economics, medicine, arts, and biomedical research.
8. University Of Michigan – Ann Arbor
The University of Michigan was established in 1817. It is a public university with a strong culture of research. This university has produced nine Nobel Prize winners, and thirty four Pulitzer Prize awardees. The university is also very ideological; it has produced many politicians who have held various important political positions both in America and in other countries.
The Taubman College of Architecture which is the University’s school of Architecture and Urban Planning is one of the most respected in the country- it has consistently ranked among the best. This school has over the years had some of the most admired deans in the industry.
The schools programs have been rated some of the best, especially Analysis and Planning, Sustainable Design Practices, and Construction methods and materials.
9. University Of Southern California
University of Southern California is a private research university which was established in 1880. The university has grown to quite a formidable stature as seen by the number of accolades it has garnered over the years. This university has produced 10 Nobel Laureates, one Turing Award winner, and several other notable people, in several fields of endeavors- including sports.
This is one of the highest rated universities for the study of architecture, as well as for the study of engineering, physics, computer science, economics, and so many other courses.
10. University College London
The University College London is a public research university located in London, the UK. It was established in 1826, and was instrumental in setting up many universities in the former British colonies, especially in Africa. This was the first university in London, and has been essential to the city’s academic culture.
The University College London is highly rated for the quality of education it offers; in architecture and many other fields, this is the institution of choice for many people.
Below is a more extensive list of the world’s architecture universities in the world, their locations, as well as one’s chances of getting accepted to those prestigious institutions.
| Position | Institution | Country | Acceptance Rate | Average SAT |
| 1 | Massachusetts Institute of Technology | United States | 7% | 1545 |
| 2 | Carnegie Mellon University | United States | 17% | 1510 |
| 3 | University of California – Berkeley | Unites States | 17% | 1420 |
| 4 | Stanford University | United States | 5% | 1495 |
| 5 | Georgia Institute of Technology | United States | 21% | 1450 |
| 6 | University of Oxford | United Kingdom | 18% | Enrollment
27,500 |
| 7 | Harvard University | United States | 5% | 1520 |
| 8 | University of Michigan – Ann Arbor | United States | 26% | 1430 |
| 9 | University of Southern California | United States | 16% | 1435 |
| 10 | University College London | United Kingdom | Enrollment
42,000 |
|
| 11 | University of California – Los Angeles | United States | 14% | Enrollment
44,589 |
| 12 | University of Washington – Seattle | United States | 56% | 1327 |
| 13 | Delft University of Technology | Netherlands | 65% | Enrollment
24,703 |
| 14 | Polytechnic University of Milan | Italy | Enrollment
43,965 |
|
| 15 | University of Cambridge | United Kingdom | 21% | Enrollment
22,500 |
| 16 | University of Illinois at Urbana – Champaign | United States | 63% | 1330 |
| 17 | Tsinghua University | China | Enrollment
48,739 |
|
| 18 | Catholic University of Leuven | Belgium | Enrollment
62,693 |
|
| 19 | Pennsylvania State University | United States | 55% | Enrollment
40,363 |
| 20 | University of California – Irvine | United States | 30% | 1330 |
| 21 | California Institute of Technology | United States | 7% | 1555 |
| 22 | Princeton University | United States | 6% | 1510 |
| 23 | University of Toronto | Canada | 43% | Enrollment
95,055 |
| 24 | University of Melbourne | Australia | 70% | Enrollment
49,000 |
| 25 | Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich | Switzerland | 27% | Enrollment
23,420 |
| 26 | Beihang University | China | Enrollment
37,500 |
|
| 27 | University of Sheffield | United Kingdom | 14% | Enrollment
32,500 |
| 28 | Nanyang Technological University | Singapore | Enrollment
33,000 |
|
| 29 | University of Maryland – College Park | United States | 51% | 1375 |
| 30 | Technical University of Madrid | Spain | Enrollment
37,500 |
|
| 31 | University of Edinburgh | United Kingdom | 51% | Enrollment 32,500 |
| 32 | University of Sydney | Australia | 30% | Enrollment
63,602 |
| 33 | Purdue University | United States | 67% | Enrollment 1295 |
| 34 | National University of Singapore | Singapore | Enrollment
30,098 |
|
| 35 | Vienna University of Technology | Austria | Enrollment
29,341 |
|
| 36 | Polytechnic University of Turin | Italy | Enrollment
32,500 |
|
| 37 | University of Texas – Austin | United States | 32% | 1340 |
| 38 | Cornell University | United States | 11% | 1470 |
| 39 | Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne | Switzerland | Enrollment
11,449 |
|
| 40 | Columbia University | United States | 7% | 1515 |
| 41 | Polytechnic University of Valencia | Spain | 29% | Enrollment
30,317 |
| 42 | University of Pennsylvania | United States | 9% | 1515 |
| 43 | Peking University | China | Enrollment
35,915 |
|
| 44 | Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications | China | Enrollment
27,500 |
|
| 45 | Imperial College London | United Kingdom | 15% | Enrollment
17,565 |
| 46 | University of California-San Diego | United States | 37% | 1375 |
| 47 | Technical University of Munich | Germany | 8% | Enrollment
44,000 |
| 48 | Arizona State University – Tempe | United States | 88% | 1210 |
| 49 | Zhejiang University | China | Enrollment
54,000 |
|
| 50 | Shanghai Jiao Tong University | China | Enrollment
47,000 |
|
| 51 | Normal Superior School | France | Enrollment
2,400 |
|
| 52 | Sapienza University of Rome | Italy | Enrollment
100,155 |
|
| 53 | Karlsruhe Institute of Technology | Germany | 25% | Enrollment
23,321 |
| 54 | National University of Defense Technology | China | Enrollment
17,500 |
|
| 55 | Technical University of Catalonia | Spain | 75% | Enrollment
22,397 |
| 56 | University of Bologna | Italy | 55% | Enrollment
79,999 |
| 57 | MARA University of Technology | Malaysia | Enrollment
45,000 |
|
| 58 | Eindhoven University of Technology | Netherlands | Enrollment
7,500 |
|
| 59 | Lancaster University | United Kingdom | 19% | Enrollment
12,500 |
| 60 | Texas A&M University – College Station | United States | 63% | 1270 |
| 61 | University of Seville | Spain | 75% | Enrollment
45,000 |
| 62 | Harbin Institute of Technology | China | 45% | Enrollment
45,000 |
| 63 | University of New South Wales | Australia | Enrollment
45,000 |
|
| 64 | University of Amsterdam | Netherlands | 5% | Enrollment
31,123 |
| 65 | University of Manchester | United Kingdom | Enrollment
42,500 |
|
| 66 | University of Waterloo | Canada | 53% | Enrollment
35,900 |
| 67 | Islamic Azad University, Shirvan | Iran | 85% | Enrollment
1,702,231 |
| 68 | University of Cincinnati | United States | 76% | 1225 |
| 69 | University of Sao Paulo | Brazil | 5% | Enrollment
97,964 |
| 70 | University of Florida | United States | 31% | 1375 |
| 71 | University of Tokyo | Japan | 35% | Enrollment
28,171 |
| 72 | McGill University | Canada | 47% | Enrollment
40,036 |
| 73 | Indiana University – Bloomington | United States | 80% | 1235 |
| 74 | University of Southampton | United Kingdom | 84% | Enrollment
21,335 |
| 75 | University of Wisconsin – Madison | United States | 57% | 1360 |
| 76 | University of Minnesota – Twin Cities | United States | 70% | 1350 |
| 77 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | United States | 66% | 1270 |
| 78 | University of Colorado Boulder | United States | 84% | 1240 |
| 79 | George Mason University | United States | 89% | 1200 |
| 80 | University of Pittsburgh | United States | 64% | 1332 |
| 81 | University of Queensland | Australia | Enrollment
48,771 |
|
| 82 | University of British Columbia | Canada | 53% | Enrollment
59,659 |
| 83 | University of Technology Sydney | Australia | 19% | Enrollment
42,500 |
| 84 | University of Virginia | United States | 23% | 1415 |
| 85 | North Carolina State University – Raleigh | United States | 46% | 1320 |
| 86 | KTH Royal Institute of Technology | Sweden | 45% | Enrollment
12,500 |
| 87 | Technion – Israel Institute of Technology | Israel | Enrollment
12,500 |
|
| 88 | Darmstadt University of Technology | Germany | 29% | Enrollment
25,840 |
| 89 | RMIT University | Australia | Enrollment
45,000 |
|
| 90 | Wuhan University | China | Enrollment
60,000 |
|
| 91 | Rutgers University – New Brunswick | United States | 67% | 1295 |
| 92 | University of Lisbon | Portugal | Enrollment
49,769 |
|
| 93 | University of Florence | Italy | Enrollment
45,000 |
|
| 94 | University of Calgary | Canada | 15% | Enrollment
33,000 |
| 95 | Brown University | United States | 8% | 1500 |
| 96 | Cardiff University | United Kingdom | 20% | Enrollment
32,500 |
| 97 | University of Nottingham | United Kingdom | 11% | Enrollment
32,500 |
| 98 | Ohio State University | United States | 68% | 1320 |
| 99 | RWTH Aachen University | Germany | 10% | Enrollment
44,517 |
| 100 | University of Twente | Netherlands | Enrollment
12,500 |
|
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Closing
The world’s best architecture universities have earned their status through years of work in the field of building designs. While the world still loves to see huge monuments, built to be pleasing to the eyes, architecture is rapidly shifting towards the incorporation of technology to make life easier. This involves minimal use of energy, conservation or recycling of water, incorporation of greenery into city life, and many other features that ensure sustainable living for the benefit of humanity.