The undergraduate program in the School of Architecture at The University of Texas at Austin was ranked 2nd in the nation for 2012, and its graduate program was ranked 11th by DesignIntelligence, a journal that produces the only national rankings for accredited bachelor’s and master’s programs in architecture in the United States.
In 2011 the undergraduate program was ranked seventh, and the graduate program was ranked 10th. Cornell University, with a long history of high rankings in its undergraduate program, ranked first in the nation for 2012.
According to information from DesignIntelligence, one of the factors considered in the rankings is the cost of an architecture education. The School of Architecture at The University of Texas at Austin has the lowest tuition and fee charges among all the institutions ranked in the top 10 in both its undergraduate and graduate programs.
“There are numerous reasons our undergraduate program is ranked No. 2 in the nation,” said Fritz Steiner, dean of the School of Architecture. “We recruit bright students. Our faculty is composed of award-winning design practitioners and leading scholars. Some of our best faculty teach our foundation (freshman and sophomore) studios. Our ‘sound building studio’ ensures that students can design buildings that actually function. Our residency program enables our students to work with leading architecture firms around the world, and we offer an outstanding architectural history sequence so our students understand traditions and theory.”
Two faculty members, Associate Professor Hope Hasbrouck and Professor (and former dean) Larry Speck, were also recognized as being among the nation’s top 25 “most admired educators of 2012” based on input from hundreds of design professionals, academic department heads and students.
DesignIntelligence is the bimonthly journal of the Design Futures Council, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank whose executive board includes representatives from some of America’s most widely known design firms, schools and manufacturers.