DI ranks 3 college degree programs among nation’s best

Bachelor and master’s degree programs in landscape architecture and the Master of Architecture program at Texas A&M were recently ranked among the nation’s best at preparing students for professional success in the Design Futures Council’s publication “America’s Best Architecture & Design Schools 2012.”

The council is an interdisciplinary network of design, product, and construction leaders who explore global trends, challenges and opportunities to advance innovation and shape the future of the industry and the environment. The annual rankings, the result of a survey of professional practice leaders with direct experience hiring and supervising the performance of recent architecture and design graduates, are published in the council’s bi-monthly newsletter, DesignIntelligence.

In the 2012 list, Texas A&M’s BLA program tied with California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo and Purdue University as third-best in the nation, while its MLA program tied in eighth place, fifth among public universities, with the University of California-Berkeley.

“The 2012 rankings underscore our most recent program accreditation reviews that found our BLA and MLA programs strong in all evaluated categories,” said Forster Ndubisi, head of the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning at Texas A&M. “Our continued success can be attributed to excellent students, talented and dedicated faculty, and the active role played by our professional advisory council members who provide program guidance and support to our students through lectures, engagement with professional projects, and internship and job placement opportunities."

Texas A&M’s Master of Architecture program tied with Princeton University at 19th place in the nation, or 10th among programs at public universities. In a survey of firms from the southern U.S., the architecture programs at Texas A&M and the University of Texas tied as second best, with Texas Tech University taking the top spot and Harvard and Rice tied at fourth place.

“It is gratifying to know the profession continues to hold our graduates in high regard as we continue to strive to prepare them for the ever-changing challenges in architecture,” said Ward Wells, interim head of the Department of Architecture.

Landscape architecture graduates from Texas A&M made the top five national rankings in two skill categories: tied at third in cross-disciplinary teamwork and fifth place in research and theory.

Students graduating from top ranked programs in the DesignIntelligence report, said James P. Cramer, founding editor and publisher of the newslettter, are able to tackle complex and difficult work, create and share knowledge and invent new design solutions in their fields.