K-State Architecture and Design Programs Highly Ranked in New Survey

Not only did four of K-State’s architecture and design programs once again rank in the overall top 12 (see related story), but the programs and faculty are highly rated in a number of other subject areas in the 2007 annual nation-wide survey of leading firms across the United States.

The K-State bachelor of architecture, bachelor of interior architecture/design and bachelor of landscape architecture programs rank second of schools located in the Midwest. The K-State master of landscape architecture program was tied for third in the Midwest.

Employers ranked the K-State landscape architecture program first in analysis and planning as well as construction methods and materials, and tied for first in security design principles. It was ranked second in design, tied for third in research and theory, and tied for fourth in sustainable design practices and principles.

Professors Dennis J. Day and Dennis L. Law were among eight practitioners named as 2007 landscape architecture educators of the year. Law is dean of the K-State College of Architecture, Planning and Design.

K-State’s interior architecture/design program was tied for third and its landscape architecture program tied for seventh in a survey of the deans and department heads of the 84 participating schools as to which design programs were most admired. This listing is of schools perceived by academicians to be model programs and programs worthy of repeated mention by professionals defining design curricula.

Each year, DesignIntelligence and the Design Futures Council conduct the study, in conjunction with the Almanac of Architecture and Design, to determine the top 15 colleges and universities for architecture and design in the United States. A cross-section of U.S. firms with a disbursed geographic profile as well as public sector practitioners were asked to indicate which accredited programs in the past five years produced graduates most prepared for real-world practice.

The survey was targeted to those individuals in each firm-directors of design, managing principals and human resource directors-who have direct experience with the hiring and performance of graduates. Approximately 102,047 employees were represented by organizations participating in the 2006 survey.

The rankings by employment region stemmed from the trend toward national, not solely regional, recruitment of employees in the architecture and design disciplines.

There are approximately 114 accredited interior architecture/interior design programs, 111 accredited architecture programs, and 45 accredited undergraduate and 30 accredited graduate landscape architecture programs in the U.S.

Although K-State offers separate programs in interior architecture, through the College of Architecture, Planning and Design, and in interior design, through the College of Human Ecology, both programs are combined for survey purposes. Entering students in both K-State programs share design fundamental content in their first-year courses.

According to its sponsors, this survey is the only such study of its kind for the design disciplines and can be used, along with other considerations, to help current and future students plan their educational paths.

For more information, contact:
Dennis L. Law, Dean, 785.532.5950
Susan Haug, Director of Student Recruitment, 785.532.5047
Diane Potts, Assistant to the Dean, 785.532.1090