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Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California

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2023 Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California

11 Colleges
$56,106 Avg Salary
$24,515 Avg Student Debt

In 2020-2021, 823 degrees and certificates were awarded to architecture and related services students who went to a California college or university. This makes it the #19 most popular major in the state.

With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Grad Degree Search has created its Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 11 schools in California to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

The colleges and universities below are the best for architecture and related services majors pursuing a .

Our 2023 rankings named California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo the best school in California for architecture and related services students. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public college with a very large student population.

Read full report on Architecture & Related Services at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of California - Berkeley. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California list. Located in the city of Berkeley, UC Berkeley is a public school with a very large student population.

Full Architecture & Related Services at University of California - Berkeley Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California list. USC is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Newschool of Architecture and Design is a great place for architecture and related services students. Newschool of Architecture and Design is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of San Diego.

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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means University of California - Los Angeles is a great place for architecture and related services students. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a very large student population.

Full Architecture & Related Services at University of California - Los Angeles Report

With a ranking of #6, California State Polytechnic University - Pomona did quite well on this year’s best schools for architecture and related services students. Cal Poly Pomona is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Pomona.

Read full report on Architecture & Related Services at California State Polytechnic University - Pomona

#7

California College of the Arts

San Francisco, CA

California College of the Arts came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California ranking. California College of the Arts is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of San Francisco.

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University of California - Davis ranked #8 on this year’s Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California list. Located in the small suburb of Davis, UC Davis is a public college with a very large student population.

Full Architecture & Related Services at University of California - Davis Report

University of California - Irvine came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Architecture/Urban Planning Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of Irvine, UC Irvine is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Architecture & Related Services at University of California - Irvine

#10

Woodbury University

Burbank, CA

Woodbury University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best architecture and related services programs. Located in the large city of Burbank, Woodbury is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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Explore all the Best Architecture & Related Services Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 122
Oregon 141
Nevada 15
Hawaii 35

Major Annual Graduates
Architectural Sciences & Technology 3,366
Urban & Regional Planning 1,613
General Architecture 1,096
Landscape Architecture 285
Real Estate Development 223
Interior Architecture 169
Environmental Design 114
Architectural History 45
Architecture (Other) 33

Related Major Annual Graduates
Engineering 61,791
Computer & Information Sciences 60,971
Biological & Biomedical Sciences 28,851
Mathematics & Statistics 15,127
Physical Sciences 12,705

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 11 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
  • Credit for the banner image above goes to Lorenzo Cafaro.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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