Landscape architecture programs again ranked among nation’s best

Texas A&M’s [landscape architecture] (http://laup.arch.tamu.edu/) programs were once again ranked prominently in an annual report on nation’s best design programs compiled by the [Design Futures Council] (http://www.di.net/articles/the_design_futures_council/) , a global network of design professionals.

In the lists, published in the Nov. – Dec. 2015 issue of DesignIntelligence, the council’s newsletter, Texas A&M’s undergraduate landscape architecture program tied for fourth in the nation and the graduate program ranked ninth.

The landscape architecture programs’ rankings are a step up from 2015, when the programs ranked ninth and 13th, respectively.

The rankings are compiled from a survey of professional practice leaders with direct experience hiring and supervising the performance of recent design graduates.

The survey, conducted in mid-2015, asked participants “In your firm’s hiring experience in the past five years, which … schools are best preparing students for success in the profession?”

A total of 1,426 respondents representing the survey’s four professional practice areas — architecture, landscape architecture, interior design and industrial design — responded to the survey.

Respondents also ranked Texas A&M’s landscape architecture programs among the nation’s top five in teaching several skill areas: construction materials & methods (tied for first); cross-disciplinary teamwork (third); communication skills (fourth); computer applications (fourth); planning (fourth) and sustainable design practices & principles (fifth).

Additionally, the university’s landscape architecture programs were ranked third overall in the 15-state southern U.S. region.