Architecture and Urban Studies programs rank high in the nation

The architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture programs in Virginia Tech's College of Architecture and Urban Studies are ranked among the very best in America.

In its 2006 report, DesignIntelligence, the only national college ranking survey focused exclusively on design, has ranked Virginia Tech’s undergraduate architecture program seventh nation-wide and fourth in the East. DesignIntelligence also ranks the university’s undergraduate landscape architecture eighth in the nation and second in the East, and graduate landscape architecture 14th in the nation. Virginia Tech’s graduate interior design program is ranked ninth in the nation.

Virginia Tech is listed as one of the architecture schools with the most faculty awards in the nation. Edward Dorsa, associate professor of industrial design in the School of Architecture + Design, was named one of the most admired industrial design educators of 2006.

The rankings reflect the results of a survey asking professionals to assess which, of the more than 100 National Architectural Accrediting Board-accredited architecture programs, best prepared students for practice. According to DesignIntelligence, the survey targets individuals in firms who have direct experience with the hiring and performance of graduates: design partners, managing principals, and human resource directors. To rank landscape architecture programs accredited by the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board, DesignIntelligence surveys professionals in leading national landscape architecture firms as well as public sector practitioners. Foundation for Interior Design Education Research-accredited interior design programs are assessed by interior design firms and interior design departments within architecture firms.

For more information about the 2006 DesignIntelligence report, click here.

The College of Architecture and Urban Studies is one of the largest of its type in the nation. The college is composed of two schools and the departments of landscape architecture, building construction, and art and art history. The School of Architecture + Design includes programs in architecture, industrial design and interior design. The School of Public and International Affairs includes programs in urban affairs and planning, public administration and policy, and government and international affairs. The college enrolls more than 2,000 students offering 22 degrees programs taught by 160 faculty members.