Top Architecture Schools in 2018 by Region

Up one place to rank fourth in the world for architecture this year, Switzerland’s ETH Zurich - Swiss Federal Institute of Technology’s Department of Architecture was founded in 1854 and has around 2,000 students. Recognized as one of the most highly regarded faculties of architecture in the world, ETH Zurich owes its success to its outstanding teaching and research results, which focus on broadly defined built environment issues, achieved throughout its history.

More top architecture schools in Europe

Europe is home to many more top architecture schools, with two more UK institutions in the top 10: Manchester School of Architecture (seventh) and the University of Cambridge (eighth). On the mainland, Italy’s Politecnico di Milano climbed from 14^th to ninth for architecture this year, while Switzerland’s Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) climbed to 17^th and Spain’s Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya is up four places to rank 22^nd in the world for architecture.

Singapore’s National University of Singapore (NUS) is ranked 10^th in the world for architecture this year, achieving a very strong score for the number of citations per paper. Founded in 1969, NUS’s Department of Architecture of the School of Design and Environment offers a wide range of programs including landscape architecture, urban design, urban planning and integrated sustainable design, and offers you opportunities to choose from creative paths which fit your design talent and research interests.

China’s Tsinghua University retains its position of 11^th in the world for architecture this year, earning its best score for employer reputation. Tsinghua is known for having one of the most beautiful campuses in the country, with elegant traditional Chinese architecture mixed with Western styles.

Its School of Architecture was established in 1946 and has placed importance on the combination of research and practice since its foundation, having conducted research into concerning key issues of China’s urban and rural construction.

Ranked 12^th in the world for architecture this year, the University of Hong Kong (HKU) calls itself “Asia’s Global University” and its architecture department provides students with the chance to experience international study and travel, with study tours to sites of East Asian architecture and urbanism.

The department also offers programs in its Shanghai Study Centre, which provides a unique space for students to spend a semester studying special learning modules on local cultures.

The highest-ranked university in Oceania for architecture is the University of Sydney in 16^th place. Founded in 1920, the university’s School of Architecture, Design and Planning has around 1,300 undergraduate, postgraduate and research students. It offers three highly competitive undergraduate programs, and at postgraduate level has the widest range of programs of any similar faculty in Australia.

Ranked 21^st in the world for architecture this year and achieving a high score for its research impact, the University of Melbourne’s Melbourne School of Design (MSD) established one of the first bachelor’s degrees in architecture in 1927 and now offers a diversity of choice in its programs, reflecting the multidisciplinary aspects of architecture, as well as having a diverse faculty/student body of people from over 50 countries.

The University of New South Wales is ranked 23^rd for architecture this year, achieving the second highest score in Australia for academic reputation (after Melbourne). Among the architecture degrees available at UNSW is a unique dual degree offered in partnership with Tongji University in Shanghai, offering you an architectural education with an international focus, and preparing you for practice in both China and Australia.

Top architecture schools in New Zealand

Also included in the architecture ranking are three New Zealand universities, led by the University of Auckland at 51-100, followed by Victoria University of Wellington (101-150) and new entrant Massey University (151-200).

Up seven places to rank 28^th in the world for architecture in 2018, the Universidade de São Paulo (USP)’s Architecture and Urbanism College was founded in 1948 and offers courses at the university’s São Paulo and São Carlos campuses. Its main building was designed by prominent modernist architect Vilanova Artigas, and is considered one of the most significant representations of architectural modernism in Brazil.

Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC), located mainly in Santiago, Chile, is up four places to rank 33^rd in the world for architecture, gaining its strongest score for employer reputation. Its Faculty of Architecture, Design and Urban Studies has about 1,500 students and has educated a number of notable alumni, including Alejandro Aravena, winner of the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2016, and celebrated landscape architect Juan Grimm.

Mexico’s sole entrant in the architecture ranking, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) is ranked 49^th in the world for architecture this year and has the highest score in Latin America for employer reputation. If you study architecture at UNAM, you’re sure to find the main campus itself quite inspiring as it’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site, designed by prominent architects Mario Pani and Enrique del Moral, and boasts beautiful murals.

South Africa’s University of Cape Town is the highest-ranked university for architecture in Africa and the Middle East at 51-100. The university’s architecture programs share a strong contextual approach, with its School of Architecture, Planning & Geomatics aimed at nurturing critical thinkers and challengers of the status quo, as it engages with the transformation of South Africa.  

Other top architecture schools in Africa and the Middle East include two Turkish universities: Istanbul Technical University and Middle East Technical University, both ranked 101-150, as well as Egypt’s Cairo University and Israel’s Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, both also ranked 101-150.

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