MIT. Image Courtesy of Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Time Magazine and MONEY have released a new 2018 ranking that identifies the affordability and education quality of more than 700 leading institutions across the United States. The ranking looked at colleges that have a strong record of helping students graduate and preparing them for jobs at which they’ll earn enough to pay off student debt. Of the top 25 schools, over half offer either unaccredited or NAAB accredited architecture degrees for undergraduate students.
While programs and states differ, most of the 54 United States licensing boards require that architects hold a professional degree from a NAAB-accredited program, which includes bachelor of architecture, master of architecture, and doctor of architecture programs. The following list explores undergraduate degrees offered to high school and transfer students interested in pursuing architecture and its related fields.
Here, presented in MONEY’s order of ranking, are some of the most affordable and top quality schools that also have architecture programs.
Princeton University
Rank: #1
Princeton University. Image Courtesy of Princeton University
Estimated Price 2018-19 Without Aid: $67,700 | Estimated Price 2018-19 With Avg. Aid: $19,000
Has an architecture department/program: Yes
The Princeton School of Architecture has programs for undergraduates and graduates. The undergraduate program leads to an A.B. with a concentration in architecture and offers an introduction to the discipline of architecture within the framework of a liberal arts curriculum.
University of California-Los Angeles
Rank: #4
UCLA. Image Courtesy of University of California-Los Angeles
Estimated Price 2018-19 Without Aid: $34,700 | Estimated Price 2018-19 With Avg. Aid: $15,300
Has an architecture department/program: Yes
The UCLA Architecture and Urban Design offers a Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Studies. The B.A. in Architectural Studies is a two-year major that begins in the junior year of residence.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Rank: #6
MIT Media Lab. Image Courtesy of Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Estimated Price 2018-19 Without Aid: $69,000 | Estimated Price 2018-19 With Avg. Aid: $23,200
Has an architecture department/program: Yes
MIT‘s Architecture School offers two different degrees: the Bachelor of Science in Architecture (BSA) and the Bachelor of Science in Art and Design (BSAD). Annually, around 30 undergraduates enroll in the department.
University of California-Berkeley
Rank: #7
University of California Berkeley. Image Courtesy of University of California-Berkeley
Estimated Price 2018-19 Without Aid: $37,900 | Estimated Price 2018-19 With Avg. Aid: $18,400
Has an architecture department/program: Yes
If you’re thinking about minoring in Architecture, Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design offers 8 concentrations, including Architecture, City Planning and History of the Built Environment. Want to get a Bachelor of Arts? The CED has degree programs in architecture, landscape architecture, sustainable environmental design and urban studies.
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
Rank: #9
Taubman College. Image © James Haefner
Estimated Price 2018-19 Without Aid: $30,200 | Estimated Price 2018-19 With Avg. Aid: $17,300
Has an architecture department/program: Yes
Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning offers a Bachelor of Science degree (B.S.) in Architecture. For high school students who are certain of their calling to be an architect, they can apply in their senior year of high school. Transfers from within and outside of the university are allowed.
University of Virginia-Main Campus
Rank: #10
University of Virginia. Image Courtesy of University of Virginia
Estimated Price 2018-19 Without Aid: $33,000 | Estimated Price 2018-19 With Avg. Aid: $17,100
Has an architecture department/program: Yes
UVA’s School of Architecture offers a Bachelor of Science in Architecture as a 4-year undergraduate degree. Students who complete the 7th semester of the undergraduate degree with a 3.3 GPA are invited to continue their studies and complete their graduate degree at UVA.
Rice University
Rank: #13
Rice University. Image © Nash Baker
Estimated Price 2018-19 Without Aid: $64,700 | Estimated Price 2018-19 With Avg. Aid: $23,700
Has an architecture department/program: Yes
The undergraduate program at Rice University provides students with the opportunity to work in a renowned office for nine months. Firms like Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Johnston Marklee, Diller, Scofidio + Renfro and SHoP pay students normal wages so that they can be exposed to the professional practice of architecture.
University of Pennsylvania
Rank: #14
U.Penn School of Design. Image Courtesy of University of Pennsylvania
Estimated Price 2018-19 Without Aid: $73,400 | Estimated Price 2018-19 With Avg. Aid: $24,600
Has an architecture department/program: Yes
The University of Pennsylvania offers and undergraduate Bachelor of Arts in Architecture degree. The undergraduate program in Architecture resides in the College of Arts & Sciences (CAS). All CAS students enroll in general courses during their freshman year and declare a major during their sophomore year.
Yale University
Rank: #15
Yale University. Image Courtesy of Yale University
Estimated Price 2018-19 Without Aid: $73,000 | Estimated Price 2018-19 With Avg. Aid: $19,700
Has an architecture department/program: Yes
The School offers an undergraduate major in architecture exclusively to students enrolled in Yale College. The curriculum includes work in design; in history, theory, and criticism of architecture; and in urban studies. As a liberal arts major in Yale College, the program leads to a bachelor of arts degree with a major in Architecture.
Harvard University
Rank: #16
Gund Hall. Image Courtesy of Harvard University
Estimated Price 2018-19 Without Aid: $71,300 | Estimated Price 2018-19 With Avg. Aid: $17,400
Has an architecture department/program: Yes
As an undergraduate in the Architecture Studies track at Harvard University you can choose to concentrate in either History & Theory or Design Studies. The program is jointly administered by the History of Art and Architecture and the Graduate School of Design.
Texas A & M University-College Station
Rank: #17
Texas A&M University. Image Courtesy of Texas A & M University-College Station
Estimated Price 2018-19 Without Aid: $29,200 | Estimated Price 2018-19 With Avg. Aid: $16,600
Has an architecture department/program: Yes
The undergraduate curriculum in Environmental Design at Texas A&M University is offered through the Department of Architecture. The four year Bachelor of Environmental Design (B.E.D) degree prepares students for challenging careers in industries supporting the built environment.
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
Rank: #19
Hinman Research Building. Image Courtesy of Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus
Estimated Price 2018-19 Without Aid: $29,500 | Estimated Price 2018-19 With Avg. Aid: $14,300
Has an architecture department/program: Yes
The Bachelor of Science in Architecture program at Georgia Tech is a four-year, pre-professional degree program that immerses students in the world of design and introduces them to the field, to material culture, and to creative approaches to problem finding and problem solving.
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Rank: #19
University of Washington. Image Courtesy of University of Washington-Seattle Campus
Estimated Price 2018-19 Without Aid: $27,200 | Estimated Price 2018-19 With Avg. Aid: $10,800
Has an architecture department/program: Yes
The Department of Architecture at the University of Washington offers two different options for undergraduate students interested in the field of architecture. The Bachelor of Arts in Architecture is a non-studio based degree that provides a liberal arts foundation. The Bachelor of Arts in Architectural Design is a pre-professional degree that prepares most students for graduate study in architecture and a professional career in the field.
University of Florida
Rank: #23
University of Florida School of Architecture. Image Courtesy of University of Florida
Estimated Price 2018-19 Without Aid: $21,600 | Estimated Price 2018-19 With Avg. Aid: $15,800
Has an architecture department/program: Yes
The University of Florida’s Bachelor of Design in Architecture (BDes Arch) program leads to a pre-professional undergraduate degree. Bachelor of Design students follow a four-year curricular track that combines general education and architecture courses.
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Rank: #30
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Image Courtesy of University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Estimated Price 2018-19 Without Aid: $30,800 | Estimated Price 2018-19 With Avg. Aid: $17,900
Has an architecture department/program: Yes
The Illinois School of Architecture Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies (BSAS) curriculum combines a comprehensive design education with a broad perspective.The BSAS degree prepares students to enter a two-year NAAB-accredited Master of Architecture degree program, or to pursue a graduate degree or career in an allied discipline.