Clemson University
College of Architecture, Arts, and Humanities School of Architecture
Clemson, S.C.
clemson.edu/caah/architecture
B.A. Arch., M.ARCH, M.ARCH (ARCHITECTURE + HEALTH CONCENTRATION), M.S. Architecture, Ph.D.
The idea that defines and guides Clemson’s School of Architecture is “Fluid Campus,” which might be described as study abroad on steroids. Fluid Campus elevates what were once satellite study centers—in Barcelona; Genoa, Italy; and the less distant Charleston, S.C.—to full-fledged campuses on par (or nearly) with the home base of Clemson. Currently, 70 percent of architecture students spend at least one semester somewhere besides Clemson, and the school is striving for 100-percent participation. The school also boasts one of the country’s few programs dedicated to the critical (but overlooked) specialty of healthcare architecture—even in this economy, graduates are sure to be in demand.
Undergraduate Admissions: Avg. SAT: 1304; Avg. ACT: 29; Avg. GPA: 4.4 Applied: 455; Accepted: 209; Enrolled: 66
Undergraduate Demographics: Minority: 32%; Female: 47%; International: 0%; Financial aid: 78%
Graduate Admissions: Avg. GRE: 1250; Avg. GPA: 3.7; Applied: 213; Accepted: 115; Enrolled: 45
Student/Faculty Ratio: 11:1
Tuition: Undergraduate, $11,078 (resident), $25,388 (nonresident); Graduate, $8,074 (resident); $16,066 (nonresident)
University of Southern California
School of Architecture
Los Angeles
arch.usc.edu
B.ARCH, B.S. Arch. Studies, M.ARCH, M.ARCH/MASTER OF PLANNING, Master of Building Science, Master of Historic Preservation, Master of Landscape Architecture, various certificate programs
Already known for the quality of its undergraduate program and a couple of, ahem, successful alums (Frank Gehry and Thom Mayne), USC refuses to rest on its laurels. Since Dean Qingyun Ma’s appointment in 2007, the school has been expanding and deepening its graduate-level offerings and, increasingly, looking East as well as West for global engagement. Students can study abroad in Malaysia, China, Korea, or Japan; the new USC American Academy in China is envisioned as the premier destination for U.S. students to study architecture, urbanism, and the arts and humanities in China. “A program that was long referred to as a sleeping giant, has at last awoken,” commented one faculty member.
Undergraduate Admissions: SAT (middle 50%): 1930 to 2150 (out of 2400 points); ACT (middle 50%): 29 to 32; Avg. GPA: 3.7; Applied: 958; Accepted: 286; Enrolled: 141
Undergraduate Demographics: Minority: 54%; Female: 46%; International: 8%; Financial aid: 60%
Graduate Admissions: GRE (middle 50%): 1090 to 1300; Avg. GPA: 3.4