As opposed to the abilities involved in construction, architecture is the art and practice of planning and creating. It is the act of planning, creating, designing, and erecting buildings or other structures and the result. When architectural works take the physical form of buildings, they are frequently regarded as artistic and cultural icons. The architectural achievements that have survived over time are frequently used to identify historical civilizations.
In India, architecture is a lively and diverse discipline that offers a multitude of educational opportunities to potential students. Three-year diploma programs in architecture, five-year B.Arch programs, and two-year M.Arch programs are available. Let’s look around at some of the known best government colleges for architecture in India.
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Best Government Colleges for Architecture in India
The following list of government colleges for architecture in India is based on the NIRF listing.
IIT, Roorkee
The Indian Institute of Technology, the Technological University of Roorkee is situated in Uttarakhand, India. Established in 1847 as the College of Civil Engineering in North-Western Provinces by Lieutenant-Governor James Thomason, it is the oldest engineering institution in India. Proby Cautley, the canal’s designer and architect, renamed it the Thomason College of Civil Engineering in 1854, following the canal’s completion and Thomason’s passing. In 1949 and 2001, it had two name changes: University of Roorkee and IIT Roorkee. With a focus on scientific and technological education, the university offers programs in engineering, applied sciences, humanities and social sciences, and management through its 22 academic departments.
The Department of Architecture and Planning at IIT Roorkee offers Ph.D., Master’s, Bachelor’s, and Master of Urban and Rural Planning (MURP) programs in addition to providing top-notch instruction in the professional domains of architecture and planning. In 1956, the B. Arch. program began. The department holds the unique distinction of being the first in India to establish two master’s degree programs: MURP in 1973–74 and M. Arch. in 1969–70. The IIT Roorkee was ranked 1st at the NIRF ranking, making it the best college for architectural education.
National Institute of Technology, Calicut
A public technical university, the National Institute of Technology Calicut was earlier known as Regional Engineering College Calicut. Established in 1961 as Regional Engineering College Calicut (CREC), the National Institute of Technology, Calicut was the first to be founded during the Third Five-Year Plan period. It was the ninth of its kind overall. The institute was connected to Kerala University until Calicut University was established in 1963.
The Department of Architecture and Planning seeks to provide a solid academic foundation for successful architecture and urban planning careers. They provide an undergraduate (5-year B.Arch.) degree program in architecture and a postgraduate (2-year M.Plan) program in urban planning. The program aims to produce generalist planning professionals who are of international quality, adaptable, and capable of using geo-informatics in urban, regional, and environmental planning. The department also offers a PhD program with more than 100 study areas. The department has routinely rated among India’s top ten schools, finishing fifth in 2017 and sixth in 2016 and 2015. Recently, it has been placed second in the NIRF ranking.
IIT, Kharagpur
Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur is a public institute of technology and research university that was founded by the Government of India in Kharagpur, West Bengal. created in 1951, the institute was the first of the IITs to be created and is recognized as an Institute of National Importance. The Government of India recognized it as an Institute of Eminence in 2019. IIT Kharagpur is one of the most famous academic institutions in India.
The institute was founded to train engineers after India gained independence in 1947. However, over time, the institute’s academic offerings expanded to include business, law, architecture, humanities, and other disciplines.
The Department of Architecture, founded in 1952, is known for its undergraduate and graduate programs, research projects, and professional activity. It combines modern architectural science and technology with Indian vernacular and traditional themes. The department actively participates in capacity building, architectural and planning consulting, and social employment generation projects. It is currently developing its interdisciplinary expertise through international collaborations, fellowships, internships, and seminars led by top professionals.
National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli
The National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli (is a national research university located in the city of Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu, India. The governments of India and Tamil Nadu established Regional Engineering College Tiruchirappalli in 1964, with affiliation to the University of Madras. The Government of India recognizes NIT Trichy as an Institute of National Importance under the National Institutes of Technology, Science Education, and Research (NITSER) Act, 2007, and it is a member of the National Institutes of Technology (NITs) system, a group of centrally funded technical institutes (CFTIs) governed by the NITSER Council.
From 2016 to 2022, the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) ranked NIT Trichy first among NITs for seven consecutive years. NIRF also ranked the institute fourth in architecture, ninth in engineering, 35th in management, 22nd in research, and 21st overall among Indian academic institutions in 2023.NIT Trichy was named the “Best Industry-Linked NIT in India” by the Confederation of Indian Industry in 2015 and the “University of the Year” by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry in 2017.
The Department of Architecture at the National Institute of Technology Tiruchirappalli was established in 1980-81. The Vision of the Department is to Create a world-class learning environment to meet the challenges of the built environment. The Department aims to develop competent architects with human values, enhance knowledge and skills via research, and provide meaningful relationships with society.
School of Planning and Architecture New Delhi
The School of Planning and Architecture Delhi (SPA Delhi) is a federal higher education institute in Delhi, India, that specializes in instruction and research while also serving as a national center of excellence in planning and architecture. The institute primarily provides undergraduate, postgraduate, doctoral, and executive education programs.
Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi
Mohammad Ali Jauhar, Hakim Ajmal Khan, Mukhtar Ahmed Ansari, Abdul Majeed Khwaja, and Zakir Hussain founded Jamia Millia Islamia on October 29, 1920, in Aligarh, under Mahmud Hasan Deobandi’s presidency. It was formed mostly in response to the demand of certain Aligarh Muslim University students for a new National Muslim University free of government influence, as they perceived Aligarh Muslim University’s administration to be pro-British.
Jamia Millia Islamia is the only Central University with a full-fledged Faculty of Architecture and Ekistics. Though the Jamia has a lengthy history, the Architecture program was begun in 2001-2002. In a very short period, Jamia has made history by establishing its ‘Faculty of Architecture & Ekistics’, which aims to establish a seat of excellence for the education of architecture and related disciplines, as well as to facilitate multidisciplinary research to deal with the complexities of human settlements in general.
The Faculty of Architecture and Ekistics has a vision of training students to build architecture with spirit, rather than architecture with cosmetic faces.
Architects are more than just dream merchants, who are driven by a desire to create a better-built environment that supplements the natural environment for a better life. To produce architects who are sensitive to the pain, struggle, joy, happiness, comfort, leisure, aspirations, and expectations of people. Responsive to nature, society, and nation. Alive to Indianness and Human Values.
Centre for Environmental Planning and Technology University
The Ahmedabad Education Society (AES) founded the Centre for Environment Planning & Technology as the School of Architecture in 1962, followed by the Schools of Planning, Building Science and Technology, and Interior Design in 1972, 1982, and 1991, respectively, with funding from the Ministry of Human Resource Development, the Government of Gujarat, and the Ford Foundation.
The Faculty of Architecture was founded in 1962 as the ‘School of Architecture’. It focuses on design in the private sector. It provides a Master’s in Landscape Architecture, a study developed by the Landscape Department in 1993.
The curriculum provides students with the skills needed to be effective professional architects while also exposing them to the aesthetic, technical, social, political, and ethical aspects of the built environment. Although a B. Arch degree is adequate for professional registration with the CoA, many architects pursue postgraduate and doctoral degrees. When doing so, one can continue to focus on architecture, specialize in subjects such as architectural conservation or urban design, or pursue linked careers such as urban planning or construction management.
National Institute of Technology Rourkela
National Institute of Technology Rourkela, previously Regional Engineering College. Rourkela is a publicly sponsored engineering, scientific, and technology institute located in the steel city of Rourkela, Odisha, India. It is one of India’s 31 National Institutes of Technology, designated as an Institute of National Importance under the National Institutes of Technology Act of 2007. It is placed 16th in the 2023 NIRF Rankings of Indian Engineering Universities.
Aligarh Muslim University
Aligarh Muslim University’s history began with the Aligarh movement, which sought to establish a Western-style education for Muslims in British India. Sir Syed Ahmed Khan, who founded Aligarh’s Muhammadan Anglo-Oriental College, was a pioneer in the movement. Sir Syed retired to Aligarh and took on the responsibility of obtaining college finances and directing the campus building.
The Department of Architecture specializes in Islamic architecture, energy efficiency, urban design, and sustainable architecture and development. Its goal is to prepare young architects with intellectual qualities to address global issues. The department offers large-scale self-employment prospects to B.Arch. graduates, as well as chances for skilled and unskilled labor. Students can work for commercial companies, government/semi-government/PSUs, or start their consultancy. The department’s mission is to develop professionals who will benefit society via sustainability and social justice. The objective is to retain inclusion, creativity, critical inquiry, excellence, and leadership while also promoting collaborations and organizing outreach activities to raise awareness about sustainable design principles.
Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur
The Indian Institute of Engineering Science and Technology, Shibpur, is a public technological university in Howrah, West Bengal, India. The Government of India recognizes it as an Institute of National Importance under the MHRD, having been established in 1856. The NITSER Council controls it. It is India’s fourth oldest engineering institute, behind the College of Engineering, Guindy, IIT Roorkee, and the College of Engineering, Pune.
The Departments of Architecture, Town, and Regional Planning were eventually combined in 1952 to establish the Department of Architecture, Town, and Regional Planning, which was chaired by Joseph Allen Stein. The postgraduate program was expanded in 2019 to include Urban and Regional Planning. Since its foundation, the Department has produced more than 1,000 graduate architects and 300 postgraduate planners worldwide. The first PhD degree was conferred in 2010, and researchers have obtained approximately 20 PhD degrees during the last decade. The Department has a vision to become a center of excellence.
