All Programs in the School of Architecture + Design Ranked in Top 10
The School of Architecture + Design’s programs have again been highly ranked in the annual survey of design education in the United States by DesignIntelligence, which publishes the only national college rankings focused exclusively on design. This year, all programs in the School of Architecture + Design have been ranked in the Top 10 nationally.
Rankings are based on survey responses from 392 professional practice organizations that were asked, “In your firm’s hiring experience in the past five years, which of the following schools are best preparing students for success in the profession?” They were also queried about additional issues, such as how programs rate in teaching various skills. In addition to the school rankings by professionals, surveys were conducted of deans and chairs from 351 academic programs, the data from which is presented separately from the practitioner rankings.
For 2013, Virginia Tech’s undergraduate Landscape Architecture program is ranked #2 in the nation, and the graduate Landscape Architecture program is also ranked 2nd. In the Landscape Architecture Skills Assessment, the program is ranked #2 in Communication, #3 in Design, #1 in Computer Applications, #2 in Research and Theory, #1 in Cross-disciplinary Teamwork, and #5 in Sustainable Design Practices and Principles.
The undergraduate program in Industrial Design is ranked #3 in the nation. In the Deans’ Survey, the program is also ranked as the 3rd most admired program for its strengths in cross disciplinary teamwork, design, and prototyping.
The undergraduate program in Interior Design is ranked 6th nationally. In the Deans’ Survey, the program is ranked as the 5th most admired program for its leadership and consistently strong and innovative program.
The undergraduate Architecture program is ranked #7 in the nation, and the graduate Architecture program is ranked 18th. In a “Sampling of Architecture School Brand Strengths Based on Surveys and Interviews by DesignIntelligence editors,” Virginia Tech’s Architecture program is identified as strong in the following areas: “Crystal Clear Vision,” “Making a Strong Global Statement,” “Strong Integrator of Design Disciplines,” and “Environmental Stewardship.”
Prof. Robert Dunay, Director of the Center for Design Research and the T. A. Carter Professor of Architecture, has again been included in the list of the 30 “most admired” design educators from across the U.S.
Virginia Tech alumna and Advisory Board member Jane Cady Wright (B.Arch., 1980) of Hanbury Evans Wright Vlattas + Company is listed in the 2013 Design Leadership Index of leaders in 38 award-winning firms.
Source: DesignIntelligence: America’s Best Architecture & Design Schools 2013, Report 243: Vol. 18 No. 6; November/December 2012.