May 28, 2011

Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture & Design Continues to Rank Highly with DesignIntelligence



Once again, the Virginia Tech School of Architecture & Design was among a select group of programs recognized in the 12th annual America’s Best Architecture & Design Schools study conducted by DesignIntelligence in conjunction with the Greenway Group.

In the only national college rankings focused exclusively on design, Tech’s Landscape Architecture undergraduate program tied for third among programs accredited by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board (LAAB). Tech’s graduate program in Landscape Architecture—offered both in Blacksburg and the National Capital Region—tied for fourth with the University of Virginia, Cornell, and the University of Pennsylvania.

The DesignIntelligence survey tapped professional practice leaders who have direct experience hiring and evaluating the performance of recent architecture and design graduates. For the four professions surveyed—architecture, landscape architecture, industrial design, and interior design—a total of 226 organizations participated included in the study which analyzes which college and university programs have best prepared students for professional practice.


“At university, students’ experiences can significantly enhance or diminish their interests as well as their likelihood for success,” said James Cramer, chairman of the Greenway Group. “This gives schools both tremendous opportunity and huge responsibility, since what happens in them has the potential to change the careers of individuals as well as the architecture profession as a whole.”

Tech’s architecture program once again ranked fourth among undergraduate programs accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) and figured prominently in all areas of the independent architectural skills assessment.

In addition to the undergraduate program, Tech also offers an MS in Architecture and a PhD in Architecture and Design Research. The school also offers continuing education courses in architecture and design for alums as well as summer workshops for high school students interested in learning more about the field.

The top ten undergraduate architecture programs according to DesignIntelligence:

1. Cornell University
2. Syracuse University
3. Rice University
4. Virginia Tech
4. California Polytechnic State University
6. Southern California Institute of Architecture
7. Carnegie Mellon
7. University of Texas at Austin
9. Pratt Institute
9. University of Southern California

And the top ten undergraduate landscape programs.

1. Louisiana State University
2. Texas A & M University
3. Virginia Tech
3. Purdue University
3. University of Georgia
6. Ball State University
6. Pennsylvania State University
8. California Polytechnic State University
8. Cornell University
8. Iowa State University
8. Kansas State University
8. University of California at Davis.

More information on the DesignIntelligence study may be found on its website.


Photo courtesy of Flickr:SharedFerret

No comments:

Post a Comment