Like Nowhere Else
Illinois Institute of Technology’s College of Architecture (IIT) offers students an educational experience that simply can’t be matched. From our location in Chicago—the city that invented American architecture, to our campus—designed by Mies van der Rohe, the most important architect of the 20th century, to our faculty—award-winning architects and scholars working at a student/teacher ratio of only 8:1, IIT is unique among its peers. But it’s our inquisitive, diverse, and remarkably talented students—from 50 US states and even more foreign countries—that truly distinguish us. We hope you’ll join them.
What We Believe
We believe architects, landscape architects, and urbanists are uniquely qualified to improve the way we live. As such, we must be innovative yet responsible stewards of the built and natural environments. We should be leaders in our communities and in our professions. We must strive to leave the world a better place than we found it. To do so requires a rigorous education, rooted in making, and in understanding first-hand the processes and practices that make good buildings, landscapes, and cities. We are research-driven and practice-oriented. We delight in understanding how and why things are made, how to honor and communicate that, and how to marshal the results for the greater service of humankind.
What We Practice
Our Degree Programs
Illinois Institute of Technology offers accredited professional degrees in Architecture and Landscape Architecture; advanced research degrees in our Master of Science, Tall Buildings and Vertical Urbanism, and High-Performance Buildings programs; and a Ph.D. in Architecture. Each program is distinctive and has its own requirements, but students have the opportunity to build minors and joint degrees, and participate in Illinois Institute of Technology’s unique “Co-Terminal” programs, which seamlessly link Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs in a way that substantially reduces the time it would require to complete both degrees separately.
Our Commitment
Zero Energy Design Designation (ZEDD)
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has named IIT College of Architecture a Zero Energy Design Designation (ZEDD) recipient in the 2024 cohort.
Designation recipients are chosen for going above and beyond basic building science education and preparing students to design and construct sustainable, energy-efficient buildings through exemplary zero-energy design curricula and practicums. 14 programs from 9 collegiate institutions were selected by DOE for the designation this year, joining 39 programs from 26 institutions that earned the three-year designation in 2022 or 2023.
“Our climate conditions are worsening year by year—we need schools to prepare the next generation to design for future conditions, not the past,” said Holly Jamesen Carr, Solar Decathlon director at the Building Technologies Office. “The programs recognized in this year’s ZEDD cohort are doing just that and should be commended for being on the forefront of tackling climate change.”
