Located in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, Columbia University is a private, nonsectarian institution with more than 24,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The college ranked fourth in the nation among all universities in the United States in the "Best College 2011" ratings published by "U.S. News and World Report." The university offers a Master of Architecture degree program. A Bachelor's degree in any field is necessary for graduation, and students with no previous architecture experience must take a prerequisite class in the field and submit a portfolio of design work. Among the topics covered in the curriculum for the degree are architectural history and theory, materials, structure and fabrication techniques. All students complete six studio classes prior to graduation. Classes include field trips to New York City-area buildings to observe topics covered in class put to real-life use. The program lasts for approximately three years.
Columbia University
Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
1172 Amsterdam Ave.
New York, New York 10027
212-854-2522
arch.columbia.edu
A private, nonsectarian institution, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is in Troy, a community approximately 10 miles north of Albany. Home to more than 7,600 undergraduate and graduate students, the college received the 41st-place ranking among all universities in the United States in the "Best Colleges 2011" from "U.S. News and World Report." The college offers both a five-year Bachelor of Architecture and a three-year Master of Architecture degree program. Both programs require a portfolio for admission consideration. The university is home to the largest university-based research center devoted to lighting, allowing undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to participate in research surrounding the used of LED lights in architectural spaces. The undergraduate and graduate architecture programs include travel throughout New York to view architecture. Study abroad is also available in Italy, India and China with 12 to 22 students selected each year to participate.
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Greene Building
110 8th St.
Troy, NY 12180
518-276-6466
rpi.edu
With an enrollment of less than 1,000 students, The Cooper Union is in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The school is tuition-free with each student accepted to enroll receiving a full scholarship to attend. As a result, admission is highly competitive with less than 10 percent of those who apply receiving an invitation to enroll, according to the "2009 Barron's Profiles of American Colleges." The school received the second-place ranking among all regional colleges in the northern United States from "U.S. News and World Report" in its 2011 rankings. The college offers a five-year Bachelor of Architecture program, which features on-site study of numerous buildings in New York City. Required courses for the major include calculus, architecture history, building technology, town planning and construction management. All students complete a senior thesis project prior to graduation. To provide a high-degree of individualized attention, studio courses are team-taught, keeping the faculty to student ratio in such classes at one to five.
The Cooper Union
30 Cooper Square
New York, NY 10003
212-353-4120
cooper.edu