The 2015 rankings of top architecture school programs undertaken by the Greenway Group reveal few surprises. On the undergraduate level, Cornell University's B.Arch. program came in No. 1. While last year, the University of California, San Luis Obispo, knocked Cornell off a perch it had long held, Cornell wrested back its prime spot for 2015.

And once again, Harvard University's graduate architecture program places at the top. How do schools maintain their position or, better, move up? Greenway's chair, James P. Cramer, explains there are many reasons for the ratings, which appear in detail in the firm's November/December issue of DesignIntelligence. Two important factors, he says, are the number of firms responding to the survey, and the involvement of those architectural offices with their alma maters.

Adding heft to the findings this year is the size of the sample: in its survey for 2015, Greenway received responses from 1,059 professional practices and corporations, almost double the 693 participants last year. To enrich its data, Greenway also obtained responses from 78 deans and chairs and 2,619 students regarding significant concerns facing educators and future architects.

It seems that architectural education is still attractive as a serious pursuit. The most recent data from the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB)'for the academic year 2012'13'lists 49 B.Arch. programs, down from 50 in the academic year of 2011'12. At the same time, the number of Master of Architecture programs, tallied at 102 for 2012'13, went up from 99 programs in 2011'12. Enrollment of students in B.Arch. programs, however, has decreased in the 2012'13 NAAB findings'to 14,418, down from 15,187 in the previous year. Nevertheless, at the graduate level, 11,412 students were enrolled in 2012'13, a slight rise over the 11,277 seeking an M.Arch. in 2011'12.

The reasons for fewer students' going after a B.Arch. last year could be many, says Andrea S. Rutledge, executive director of NAAB: it might stem from the higher cost of education, or a population dip in that age group. The growing popularity of four-year undergraduate architecture majors with a two-year master's'the so-called 'four-plus-two''also needs to be considered. Since undergraduate majors in preprofessional degree programs in architecture are not accredited by the NAAB, they are not ranked in Greenway Group's survey. However, Cramer says this would be high on Greenway's list to investigate for future rankings.

The Top 10 Undergraduate Programs

 
1
Cornell University
2
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
3
Rice University
4
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
5
Syracuse University
6
University of Texas at Austin
7
Rhode Island School of Design
8
Southern California Institute of Architecture
9
Pratt Institute
10
University of Southern California
The Top 10 graduate Programs
1
Harvard University
2
Columbia University
3
Yale University
4
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
5
Cornell University
5
University of Michigan
7
Rice University
7*
University of Pennsylvania
9
University of Virginia
10
University of California, Berkeley
10
Washington University in St. Louis

Comparison of previous rankings: Undergraduate

 
  2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007
Cornell University
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
2
1
5
4
4
3
3
4
6
Rice University
3
3
3
5
3
9
8
11
2
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
4
5
7
3
4
4
2
1
4
Syracuse University
5
6
3
7
2
2
4
3
3
University of Texas at Austin
6
4
6
2
7
5
6
6
9
Rhode Island School of Design
7
10
7
6
11
7
4
17
5
Southern California Institute of Architecture
8
9
2
7
6
--
19
--
--
Pratt Institute
9
11
11
10
9
15
12
9
14
University of Southern California
10
7
16
12
9
10
12
12
14
Note: Where more than one school receives the same number of votes, the schools are given the same numerical ranking, and the next rank is omitted.

Comparison of previous rankings: Graduate

 
  2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007
Harvard University
1
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
Columbia University
2
3
2
3
4
4
3
3
9
Yale University
3
2
3
2
3
2
4
13
3
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
4
4
4
6
5
3
4
2
4
Cornell University
5
5
5
6
6
7
6
3
6
University of Michigan
6
7
11
8
1
--
9
8
16
Rice University
7
5
15
14
16
15
16
10
6
University of Pennsylvania
7
14
15
8
8
11
--
18
11
University of Virginia
9
18
7
11
14
9
11
13
5
University of California, Berkeley
10
9
7
14
10
9
17
8
--
Washington University in St. Louis
10
11
9
4
9
11
6
5
6
Editor's Note: The original version of the charts omitted Washington University in St. Louis from the graduate school rankings. The school tied for 10th place, and the charts above have been updated.

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