AMES, Iowa -- Iowa State University's programs in landscape architecture, interior design and architecture are among the top 15 in the nation, according to a survey of practitioners by DesignIntelligence.
DesignIntelligence is a bimonthly publication for leaders in design professions. The magazine's annual report, "America's Best Architecture and Design Schools," is the only national college ranking survey that focuses exclusively on design. Rankings cover accredited programs in architecture, industrial design, interior design and landscape architecture. The report is aimed at design firms and organizations that recruit and hire recent college graduates.
For 2009, Iowa State's undergraduate landscape architecture program is ranked ninth among 42 accredited undergraduate landscape architecture programs in the United States. Last year the program ranked eighth. In an overall skills assessment of recent landscape architecture graduates, the Iowa State program tied for fifth place in the computer applications category with Ball State University, Muncie, Ind., and Pennsylvania State University, University Park.
Iowa State's undergraduate interior design program tied for ninth place with Arizona State University, Tempe; Art Center Design College, Tucson, Ariz.; Illinois Institute of Art, Chicago; Miami University, Oxford, Ohio; University of Missouri, Columbia; University of Oregon, Eugene; University of Texas, Austin, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg. The program was not ranked last year. There are 140 accredited programs in interior design/interior architecture in the U.S.
The ISU graduate interior design program tied for 10th place with Syracuse University, N.Y., and the University of Florida, Gainesville. This is the same ranking as last year. According to the Interior Design Educators Council, there are 52 interior design and related graduate programs in the U.S.
Iowa State's undergraduate architecture program tied for 12th place (up from 14th last year) with Auburn University, Ala.; Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago; Pratt Institute, New York City; the University of Arizona, Tucson, and the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. The ISU program has been ranked in the top 15 nationally for the past six years. There are 48 accredited undergraduate architecture programs in the U.S.
The DesignIntelligence rankings are based on ratings by practitioners. The publication contacted leaders in more than 200 professional firms and organizations that have direct experience with the hiring and performance of recent graduates. They were asked to indicate which schools have best prepared students for professional practice, as well as the programs that best educate and train students in specific skills.
New this year, the publication also issued a list of "America's World-Class Schools of Architecture." Rankings were based on five criteria: current rankings by professional practices; historic 10-year rankings by professional practices; rankings by academic department deans and chairs; overall campus environment and student evaluations; and program accreditation. The maximum possible score was 485; the schools on the list received scores between 435 and 477.
Iowa State is one of 16 schools, out of 122 schools with accredited programs, whose architecture program was recognized "with high distinction." The ISU architecture program earned a score of 455.
Landscape architecture, interior design and architecture are in Iowa State University's College of Design.