Manchester School of Architecture ranked 5th in the world

Manchester School of Architecture (MSA) has been named as one of the top five architecture schools in the QS World Subject Rankings 2023.

MSA, a unique collaboration between Manchester Metropolitan University and the University of Manchester, is ranked 5th in the world and 2nd in the UK, climbing two places since last year and six places since 2021.

The prestigious QS World University Rankings highlight the world’s top performing universities in 54 individual subject areas.

They include almost 1,500 institutions from around the world, with rankings based on subjects, destination and graduate employability, and allowing prospective students to compare the top universities for architecture globally.

MSA’s ‘unparalleled’ opportunities for collaborative architectural research across the two universities were highlighted, as was its ‘wide range of interdisciplinary research and teaching interests’ within Manchester School of Art at Manchester Metropolitan University and departments at The University of Manchester.

It’s employer reputation scored a near-perfect 98.4%, maintaining its position at second overall, with citations per research paper hitting the heights at 95%, and an impressive overall score of 89.3%.

Professor Kevin Singh, Head of Manchester School of Architecture at Manchester Metropolitan University said: “We are naturally thrilled to have risen in the QS rankings. Securing a top five spot is extra special, especially as it is our highest ever ranking.

“We are proud to maintain our position at number two in the Employer Reputation category and delighted to have risen to 5th in the Academic Reputation category. This success reflects our ethos as a dual intensive School with both quality teaching and research activity.

“I’d like to congratulate our amazing staff team on this achievement, and our dedicated and talented students for the role they play in our success and global reputation.”

MSA unites two schools with more than 100 years’ experience, over 100 experts in their architectural fields and more than 1,000 students from over 80 countries, producing creative, challenging and academically rigorous work and research.

It offers a range of professionally recognised undergraduate, postgraduate and research degrees, and has gained a prestigious reputation following appraisals by professional bodies such as the Architects’ Registration Board (ARB), Royal Institute for British Architects (RIBA) and The Landscape Institute, alongside a number of prizes gained externally.

Manchester Met’s Art and Design offering also got a welcome boost in this year’s QS World Subject Rankings, climbing to the top 100 division for the first time. As the second oldest design school in Britain, Manchester School of Art offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses that are still very much influenced by the specialist needs of industry.