Best Schools for Architectural Engineering in 2026
These are the top schools offering Architectural Engineering, ranked by DegreeWorth Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Architectural Engineering graduate earns $72,122/yr across 12 schools.
All Architectural Engineering Programs Ranked
Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.
| # | School | DW Score | Earnings | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, CA · Public |
73
70–74 |
$80,481/yr | 20.9x |
| 2 |
Auburn University
Auburn, AL · Public |
72
69–73 |
$77,115/yr | 18.9x |
| 3 |
The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX · Public |
72
70–73 |
$73,510/yr | 20.6x |
| 4 |
Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS · Public |
70
68–71 |
$74,091/yr | 19.1x |
| 5 |
North Carolina A & T State University
Greensboro, NC · Public |
69
67–70 |
$67,152/yr | 27.3x |
| 6 |
University of Wyoming
Laramie, WY · Public |
68
67–69 |
$66,497/yr | 25.6x |
| 7 |
Missouri University of Science and Technology
Rolla, MO · Public |
67
65–69 |
$73,274/yr | 14.3x |
| 8 |
University of Colorado Boulder
Boulder, CO · Public |
66
64–68 |
$72,567/yr | 12.8x |
| 9 |
University of Kansas
Lawrence, KS · Public |
58
56–60 |
$76,353/yr | 15.3x |
| 10 |
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
Cincinnati, OH · Public |
56
54–57 |
$72,691/yr | 12.4x |
| 11 |
Drexel University
Philadelphia, PA · Private nonprofit |
56
54–57 |
$76,272/yr | 2.8x |
| 12 |
Texas A & M University-Kingsville
Kingsville, TX · Public |
53
52–54 |
$55,459/yr | 13.0x |
Methodology
Programs are ranked by DegreeWorth Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (10-year projected earnings vs. 4-year tuition).
Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.