The Carnegie Mellon School of Architecture’s NAAB-accredited undergraduate B.Arch program achieved a ranking of #11 overall in the 2019-20 DesignIntelligence Ranking of Most Admired Architecture Schools. The SoA held its spot at #11 from the ranking in the 2018-19 survey. The SoA’s B.Arch program again placed top-ten in 9 of 12 focus areas this year.
The rankings, conducted annually by DesignIntelligence on behalf of the Design Futures Council, survey the design industry to compile rankings for architecture schools across the United States. See the full results on the DesignIntelligence rankings website.
Top Ranked Architecture Schools in 12 Focus Areas
In addition to the overall rankings, DesignIntelligence compiles rankings for the strongest architecture programs in each of 12 different focus areas. Architecture firms and other professional organizations are surveyed to evaluate programs from the perspective of the professional practitioners who hire and supervise graduates of architecture.
The SoA’s B.Arch program again placed top-ten in 9 of 12 focus areas in the 2019-20 survey:
Design Technologies: Carnegie Mellon University ranked #9
Engineering Fundamentals: Carnegie Mellon University ranked #6
Healthy Built Environments: Carnegie Mellon University ranked #8
Interdisciplinary Studies: Carnegie Mellon University ranked #7
Practice Management: Carnegie Mellon University ranked #8
Project Planning and Management: Carnegie Mellon University ranked #9
Research: Carnegie Mellon University ranked #8
Sustainable Built Environments / Adaptive Design / Resilient Design: Carnegie Mellon University ranked #5
Transdisciplinary Collaboration Across A/E/C: Carnegie Mellon University ranked #5
The B.Arch program also ranked #12 overall in the focus area of Design Theory and Practice.
Most Hired from Architecture Schools
DesignIntelligence also compiled rankings for the most hired from architecture schools in the 2019-20 School Rankings Survey. Schools were grouped into size categories based on the average number of graduates each year. For schools with 20-49 graduates, Carnegie Mellon University ranked #9 overall in most hired from architecture schools in the 2019-20 survey, up from #14 in 2018-19.
Most Admired Educators in Architecture
For the second year in a row, Stephen Lee, Professor & Head of the School of Architecture, was named one of the Most Admired Educators in Architecture in the annual DesignIntelligence survey. Steve most recently received the honor in 2018 and in 2015.
One of this year’s survey respondents commented that Steve takes a “multi-faceted educational approach, taking advantage of excellence in technical programs at other departments at CMU.”
Each year, DesignIntelligence honors excellence in architecture and design education, and education administration, by naming outstanding professionals from these fields. Educators and administrators from the disciplines of architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture are considered for inclusion. The most admired educators are selected by DesignIntelligence staff with input from thousands of design professionals, academic department heads, and students.