With the soaring cost of education in the United States—for both private and public architecture schools—it’s little wonder that the focus on rankings is intense. Architecture students may spend as much as $47,286 a year (Cornell University’s undergraduate tuition and activity fees in the B.Arch program), or $45,590 (Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design tuition and fees for an M.Arch.) Naturally, the next question is, How do these ratings correlate with incomes after graduation? Since Cornell and Harvard consistently place at the top of undergraduate or graduate programs compiled annually by DesignIntelligence, the research publication of the Design Futures Council, record has asked its chair, James B. Cramer, to discuss the connection between education costs, school ratings, and the future incomes of graduates. In the following pages, Cramer talks about his insights, while acknowledging that not everything can be quantified. Not all careers in architecture—such as teaching or designing socially conscious housing—are going to be as well compensated as other avenues. But there are deeper rewards.
Top Architecture Schools 2016
Students at the School of Architecture at the University of Texas, Austin, are fulfilling a special assignment: conquering public space by design. Here the 2015 summer academy proves it can build a bridge over untroubled waters.
