Graduate

Harvard University
University of Cincinnati
Columbia University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Yale University
Cornell University (M.Arch candidate)
Washington University in St. Louis
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State U.
University of Michigan
University of Texas at Austin

do you have undegrad as well?

i dont think much has changed since last year has it...any surprises?

yes undergrad please!!

Wow, UPenn is gone from that list completely?

on Boston Architectural College's website it says their ugrad program is in the top 10. anyone know where it ranks for grad?

Spend $40 and get the full report.

Undergraduate

Cornell University
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State U.
Calif. Polytechnic State U., San Luis Obispo
Rhode Island School of Design
Syracuse University
University of Texas at Austin
Carnegie Mellon University
Rice University
Boston Architectural College
University of Notre Dame

i think princeton should be on that list.

The methodology of the survey has a built-in bias towards large programs that produce large numbers of graduates. Princeton, being a relatively small program with a (real or perceived) focus on the academic side of the profession, simply doesn't have enough graduates working in the profession to earn a higher ranking.

Princeton would NOT be on the undergraduate list but they are tied for #11 at the graduate list.

I hope this helps.

dr. architecture,

who fills out the 11-15 or 11-20, whichever it is for grad?

May I inquire the strong interest in rankings? May I suggest that you determine YOUR own top ten; it will have more meaning. These along with most rankings are popularity contests.

pure curiosity homeboy.

i meant princeton SHOULD be on the undergrad list. they have the best undergrad program around. they treat you like you're a 3rd year m.arch student.

The rankings are only for professional B.Arch. and M.Arch. degree programs. Princeton's only professional architecture degree is the M.Arch.

I'm not entirely sure, but don't they pretty much just rank B.Arch institutions for undergrad?

The ranking measures "employability", if they haven't changed the methodology over the last few years.

Damn LIG - you draw too fast.

oh, in that case:

princeton undergrads are neither b.archs nor are they particularly employable.

but damn are they ready to be future academics.

I got a top ten list. And in no particular order, the greatest albums of all time!!!

Lou Reed: Lou Reed Live
Allman Brothers: Live at the Fillmore East
Fleetwood Mac: Rumors
Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin IV
Jonny Cash: Live at Fulsom Prison
Bob Dylan: The Freewheeling Bob Dylan
The Cure: Staring At The Sea: The Singles
U2: Rattle and Hum
Weezer: The Blue Album
Ramones: It’s Alive

Weezer: Pinkerton
Nine Inch Nails: Pretty Hate Machine
David Bowie: Hunky Dory
Depeche Mode: Violator
Elliot Smith: Either Or
Violent Femmes: Hallowed Ground
Sonic Youth: Daydream Nation
Guided by Voices: Bee Thousand
Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here
Neil Young: Harvest
Sublime: 40oz to Freedom
Talking Heads: Remain in the Light
The Smiths: The Queen is Dead
Hole: Live Through This
Phish: Rift
Radiohead: OK Computer
REM: Automatic for the People
Nirvana: In Utero
James: Laid
Travis: The Invisible Band
Jeff Buckley: Grace
Jesus & Mary Chain: Darklands
Joy Division: Closer
Velvet Underground: Loaded
Pixies: Come on Pilgrim
Meat Puppets: Up on the Sun
Pavement: Brighten the Corners
The Who: Quadrophenia
Modest Mouse: The Lonesome Crowded West

The Fall - This Nation's Saving Grace
Joy Division - Substance
New Order - Substance
Black Sabbath - Paranoid
Belle & Sebastian - The Boy With The Arab Strap
David Bowie
Rolling Stones
Roxy Music
Velvet Underground
The Kinks
The Buzzcocks/Pixies/Nick Cave/Love/Sam Cooke/The Zombies/Al Green/Otis Redding

lisaletostak,
I bet you're 39 years old.

how old am i?

26?

Ludwig Van Beethoveen, 9th Symphony
DJ Shadow, Endtroducing
Underworld, Second Toughest in the Infants
Angelo Badalamenti, Twin Peaks Soundtrack
Brian Eno, Music for Airports
Carl Orff, Carmina Burana
The Cure, Disintegration
Biggie Smalls, Ready to Die
Future Sound of London, ISDN
Wzt Hearts, Thread Rope Spell Making Your Bones

maxwonder, i'm 26

grid you are very close.

this is a long overdue response, but these rankings are ridiculous (and I strive not to use that word, because its recent overuse has led to a deflation in its meaning). there have always been hearty discussions about the quality of architecture schools, in response to DI's rankings, but i always found that all of the schools on these lists had at least some quality and repute - until this year.

i take deep issue with the fact that the Boston Architectural College would be on on the top ten UG list, above schools like usc, oregon, etc - quality state schools and private alike. maybe the flaw is that they only survey employers, which would work to the BAC's advantage since the graduation rate is less than 20%. i have been working part time at this school as a TA for both grads and undergrads and while there are definitely some talented, hardworking students, a constantly wonder how others could have graduated high school with the level - or lack - or education they have. there are no admission standards and some of the undergrads, literally, have been unable to demonstration an ability to write in complete sentences for academic purposes or comprehend the concepts of algebra.

i wish there was another, more respected resource for schools, students, employers, etc to use to evaluate an architecture program. i know from personal experience that many high schoolers applying for university or aspiring graduate students use these rankings in one way or another, and a more accurate picture needs to be provided - one that represents the quality of education that can be expected.

I don't like the rankings because it reinforces the the pipeline schools to certain firms. If your school doesn't meet that criteria but you get an excellent education it doesn't show up in these rankings. DI interviews large firms that recruit at large schools for their hiring pipeline. At least that is how I've always seen it.

archimorphic -

as for the BAC, it's really the only option (aside from Wentworth) for many people in the Boston area who either cannot afford or cannot get into schools like MIT or Harvard (I'm not counting Northeastern, because their masters program really isn't open to outsiders). I do agree that because of their open admissions policy, they tend to get some students who should spend some time at a community college first... however, I know some of those extremely talented, hard-working students were rejected from good schools because of minor faults in their credentials. keeping admissions open assures that local talent is actually given a fair chance at entering into the profession.

What I don't like about the BAC is the attitude that some of the instructors have towards their students. They believe they are "slumming it" at the BAC until they get their ivy-league positions - instead of seeing themselves as being very lucky that they are getting this opportunity to hone their teaching skills.

The face that there even exists an option of obtaining a M.ARCH degree at BAC & Lawrence Tech via ONLINE frightens me.

The fact that there even exists an option of obtaining a M.ARCH degree at BAC & Lawrence Tech via ONLINE frightens me.

damnit.

toaster,

Like I said, I agree that there are talented people that go through the B.Arch program at the BAC (which, FYI, because of the work/school program that it employs can easily cost as much as another private school), and I have had a few of them.

And you're right - there are no real alternatives in MA for students, especially since this I was referring to the B.Arch rankings, not the M.Arch rankings (btw, UMass just started a M.Arch program). My issue stems from the fact that DI does not factor in information pertaining to the education experience at all. Again, I can cite the poor graduation rate, the (as you mentioned) sometime less than dedicated professors, the lack of admission standards and questionable organization (yes, an online M.Arch does exist).

The BAC works extremely well for some students - especially the ones that need hands-on experience to complement the academic side. The DI rankings, however, have always given an incomplete picture about the quality of education that one can expect. In past years, every program that was ranked was a quality school that could foresee success for a good number of their applicants and graduates. By placing the BAC within the top 10 the periodical, for first time, made it stunningly clear that it wasn't looking at the schools themselves.

how do you put weezer above david bowie, pink floyd, neil young, the talking heads, radiohead, the velvet underground or any of the others on that list?

archimorphic - just be thankful you don't teach HS.

and - I'd like to point out that in my "top-10 ranked" program (no, I didn't go to the BAC), there were students who were also unable to string together a full sentence and full-time professors who were definitely not dedicated to their students' education.

weezer shouldn't be a top-tier band - they are third tier, at best.

does anyone know the rankings for top Landscape Architecture Grad programs for 2009 by any chance?

does "post-graduation hiring" ratios figure into the methodology?
how about a cost-effectiveness analysis of schools (tuition vs. post-grad pay)?

answering these types of questions would give the rankings legitimacy in today's context.

otherwise, what exactly are they gauging?

i think design intelligence does rank based on employer satisfaction surveys. beyond that i'm sure it has something to do with how many famous people are associated with the program.

DI used to send me this survey to fill out ... they've dropped me from their list because I never send it back in.

It's a silly survey. All they do is list all the schools and ask you to mark the ones you think are good schools. Most people filling it out know, at best, a handfull of schools well enough to gauge their quality. It's a beauty contest -- nothing more.

It's not to be taken seriously, no matter what DI might try to suggest otherwise.

well i don't think any of these surveys are really worth taking seriously...

it sounds like DI's methodology is too subjective to be useful. that's too bad; a critical ranking system could be really useful to people thinking about getting into $100k+ in debt...

so, how could we build a better ranking system?

I would love to see the correlation between department size and ranking, especially among undergrad. That list seems to have all the large architecture programs on it.

What kind of ranking is this ... SCIarc is the number 1