K-STATE ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN PROGRAMS ONCE MORE AMONG AMERICA’S BEST

Academic programs in the K-State College of Architecture, Planning and Design were ranked as follows in the 2010 nation-wide survey of leading firms across the United States:

  • bachelor of interior architecture/design programs – third;
  • master of interior architecture/design program – seventh;
  • bachelor of landscape architecture program – third;
  • master of landscape architecture program – fourth;
  • bachelor of architecture program – sixth; and
  • master of architecture program – sixteenth.

 The College of Architecture, Planning and Design is currently nearing the end of a multiple-year transition from professional five-year bachelor’s degrees to offering only five-year professional master’s degrees in architecture, interior architecture and product design, and landscape architecture. This transition has resulted in the ranking of both the former undergraduate and the new graduate programs in the three disciplines.

 K-State’s programs in landscape architecture and interior architecture/design have continually ranked in the top eight of the survey. This is the ninth time the K-State architecture program has been in the ranking. The study has been conducted during the past 11 years for architecture and interior architecture/design, and during the past six years for landscape architecture.

 The 11th annual America’s Best Architecture & Design Schools study by DesignIntelligence on behalf of the Design Futures Council ranks accredited undergraduate and graduate programs from the perspective of leading practitioners. Respondents were asked to select from lists of undergraduate and graduate architecture programs accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board, from a list of undergraduate interior programs accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (K-State’s interior architecture and product design program is one of few CIDA-accredited graduate programs), and from lists of undergraduate and graduate landscape architecture programs accredited by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board.

 K-State’s architecture program was begun in 1903 and among the first in the US to earn professional accreditation. The interior architecture program was begun in the early 1970s and one of the first to be recognized by the Foundation for Interior Design Education and Research, CIDA’s predecessor. The landscape architecture curriculum dates to 1941 and was first accredited in 1964.

 The survey, conducted in mid-2009, tapped professional practice leaders who have had direct experience in hiring and evaluating the performance of recent architecture and design graduates.

Leading firms were queried about which college and university programs have best prepared students for professional practice. A cross section of US firms with disbursed geographic profiles were invited to participate; 381 professional practices were included in this research, comprising some of the largest architecture and design firms in the US as well as small- and medium-sized firms that rank among the most respected design organizations. Participating firms complete surveys for only those practice areas in which they have direct expert experience.

The 2010 study also queried participants about many issues in addition to preparedness for practice, such as admired educators, how programs rate in teaching various skill sets, and sustainability education trends.

K-State’s interior architecture/design program was ranked by surveyed firms as third in communication, and the landscape architecture program was ranked second in computer applications, fourth in design, and fifth in communications.

In addition to the best schools study, deans and department chairs from 166 academic programs participated in their own separate survey. In this survey, the K-State interior architecture and product design program ranked as the third most admired and was cited for its design-build studio, excellent student work, and technology. In the survey of most admired landscape architecture programs, the K-State undergraduate program was third and cited for its strong integration of research and teaching, construction skills, and diversity.

A part of the survey, The Cramer Report, looks at a longer history of performance than the best schools rankings to celebrate programs believed to be among the best in the world. The 2010 survey reviewed landscape architecture, and K-State’s landscape architecture program was listed as one of 15 schools “With Highest Distinction.” In 2009, The Cramer Report surveyed architecture, and the K-State architecture program was listed as one of 16 schools “With High Distinction.”

Tim de Noble, AIA, dean of the K-State College of Architecture, Planning and Design (CAPD), observes, “Of great significance is that ours is one of few schools with such high rankings in multiple programs, an indication of the continued strength of our programs and the potency residing in having the allied professions housed in one college. These rankings afford us an even greater opportunity to build upon on our recognized strengths in the future.”

“In my short time at K-State,” de Noble went on to say, “I have come to recognize and appreciate the incredibly talented and hard-working students, alumni, faculty and staff of our college. I congratulate them and join them in celebrating this well-deserved recognition of their current and past efforts.” de Noble has been dean since July 1, 2009.

“It is also worth noting,” de Noble concluded, “that we are a land-grant institution located in the Midwest, competing favorably with private or exclusive schools on both coasts.”

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 CIDA-accredited programs are combined for survey purposes.

Lastly, each year DesignIntelligence selects a team of educators and education administrators who exemplify excellence in design education leadership. The 2010 class of education role models was selected by DesignIntelligence staff with extensive input from hundreds of design professionals, academic department heads and students. Dennis Law, former dean of the K-State College of Architecture, Planning and Design and current professor of landscape architecture, was included in that list of 25 educators. This is the fourth time he has been selected.

According to its sponsors, the rankings derived from this survey provide feedback on where quality education is being delivered, valued, and communicated. The results can be used, along with other considerations, to help current and future students plan their educational paths.

There are approximately 148 accredited interior architecture/interior design programs, 151 accredited architecture programs, and 63 accredited landscape architecture programs in the U.S.

For more information, contact:
Susan Lannou, Director of Student Recruitment, 785.532.5047