United States is a top choice for MS in Design applicants, offering renowned universities, diverse campuses, and excellent post-study work options. Its high quality of life and career opportunities make it an ideal study destination.
Here is the list of 5 Best MS in Design Universities in United States along with details of their course duration, fee, eligibility requirements and more:
1. Carnegie Mellon University (United States)
Carnegie Mellon University is a private institution that was founded in 1900. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 7,022, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 155 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Carnegie Mellon University’s ranking in the 2021 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, #26. Its tuition and fees are $58,924. Carnegie Mellon University, founded by industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, is located in Pittsburgh, which offers dining and entertainment options as well as professional sports teams including the Penguins (hockey), Steelers (football) and Pirates (baseball).
Carnegie Mellon University offers a 2-year STEM-designated Master of Advanced Architectural Design (MAAD) through its College of Fine Arts. The program requires completion of a minimum of 165 units of coursework, including a 36-unit Design Research Project, and emphasizes computational design, fabrication, robotics, ecological thinking, and sustainability. Estimated annual tuition is approximately USD 41,000 for both domestic and international students, with living expenses around USD 34,200 per year.
2. University of California, Berkeley (United States)
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Founded in 1868 and named after Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkeley, it is the state’s first land-grant university and the founding campus of the University of California system. Berkeley is also a founding member of the Association of American Universities.
The University of California, Berkeley offers a 1-year STEM-designated Master of Advanced Architectural Design (MAAD) through its College of Environmental Design. The program comprises 24 credit hours and emphasizes experimental studio work, complemented by seminars and lectures in design theory, history, digital applications, and building technologies. Estimated annual tuition fees are approximately USD 31,916 for both domestic and international students, with living expenses around USD 36,300 per year.
3. University of Pennsylvania (United States)
The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The university, established as the College of Philadelphia in 1740, is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the U.S. Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Franklin, Penn’s founder and first president, advocated an educational program that trained leaders in commerce, government, and public service, similar to a modern liberal arts curriculum with a practical perspective. Penn is ranked as one of the top universities in the world.
The University of Pennsylvania offers a 1-year STEM-designated Master of Science in Design (MSD) with a concentration in Advanced Architectural Design through the Stuart Weitzman School of Design. The program comprises three semesters and emphasizes innovation and leadership in architectural design. Estimated tuition is approximately USD 61,020 for both domestic and international students, with living expenses around USD 29,000 per year.
4. Cornell University (United States)
Cornell University is a private Ivy League and statutory land-grant research university, based in Ithaca, New York. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach and make contributions in all fields of knowledge — from the classics to the sciences, and from the theoretical to the applied. These ideals, unconventional for the time, are captured in Cornell’s founding principle, a popular 1868 quotation from founder Ezra Cornell: “I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.”
Cornell University offers a 1.5-year STEM-designated Master of Science (MS) in Advanced Architectural Design through its College of Architecture, Art, and Planning. The program requires completion of three semesters, beginning in the summer, and provides a critical framework for investigating pertinent design concerns, practices, and technologies in 21st-century architecture and urbanism . Estimated tuition is approximately USD 68,380 per academic year, totaling USD 102,570 for the entire program , with living expenses around USD 26,300 per year .
5. West Virginia University (United States)
Bountiful opportunities, trusted friends, gorgeous sunsets over our West Virginia hills — we have much to be grateful for as Mountaineers. Warmest wishes to all of our WVU family this season!
West Virginia University offers a 2-year STEM-designated Master of Science (MS) in Agriculture, Natural Resources & Design through the Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design. This non-thesis program requires 30 credit hours, with at least 15 hours selected from graduate courses within two divisions of the Davis College, ensuring no fewer than six hours in either division. A three-hour problem report may be included at the student’s discretion and with approval from the graduate committee members.
If you’re planning to study in United States, check out our comprehensive guide covering everything you need to know from top universities and popular programs to career prospects, tuition fees, cost of living, scholarships, visas, and more.
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