Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture + Design in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies is a leader once again in the 2017-2018 rankings of America’s Best Architecture & Design Schools by DesignIntelligence.

The school ranked in the top five nationally for its undergraduate programs in architecture and interior design, and the top 15 for landscape architecture. Three faculty members were honored among the nation’s “25 Most Admired Educators.”

The rankings, published annually by DesignIntelligence in its 2017-2018 Design Schools Rankings edition and in Architectural Record’s “Top Architecture Schools of 2018,” are the only national college ratings focused exclusively on schools of architecture and design. The results are based on survey responses from more than 7,000 hiring professionals, deans, department chairs, students, and recent alumni in 215 college architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture programs.

Virginia Tech’s undergraduate architecture program ranked  No. 4 the nation, rising one spot from last year. The program also earned recognition as No. 3 most admired by architecture deans and department heads. The graduate architecture program ranked 11th.

The studios in Burchard Hall, home of the nation's fourth-ranked architecture program.

Burchard Hall studios
The studios in Burchard Hall, home of the nation's fourth-ranked architecture program.

Two architecture faculty members were honored among the nation’s 25 Most Admired Educators. Jim Bassett, associate professor and foundation program chair, earned praise for “inspiring students to think in new and innovative ways using creative prompts and stimulating questions.”

Hilary Bryon, associate professor and assistant director for special projects, was cited for her “deep commitment to students … revealed through a sense of personal investment and ensuring students make the most of opportunities available to them.”

Wood shop at Burchard Hall

Student works in the wood shop.
A student works in the wood shop in Virginia Tech's School of Architecture + Design.

The interior design program, which celebrated its 50th anniversary this month, ranked No. 5 among U.S. undergraduate interior design programs. Professor Lisa Tucker, interior design program chair, was also named one of the 25 Most Admired Educators.

“Tucker is raising the bar on education,” DesignIntelligence said in the rankings summary. “Adapting coursework as changes emerge in the profession, this academic leader creates key learning opportunities for her students and prepares them well for practice.”

The undergraduate landscape architecture program ranked No. 15. 

Architecture student works on her model.

Architecture student working on model.
An architecture student works on her model in studio.

Each year, DesignIntelligence conducts the America’s Best Architecture & Design Schools survey, ranking undergraduate and graduate programs from the perspective of professional practitioners who hire and supervise graduates of architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture programs. The 18th annual survey was conducted April 17 through June 9, 2017. The rankings reflect responses from 2,654 design industry hiring professionals and practitioners representing 1,923 firms, 4,359 students and recent alumni, and 111 architecture school deans and program chairs.

“This is a further tribute to the professionalism of the faculty, staff, and students,” said A. Jack Davis, dean and Reynolds Metals Endowed Professor of Architecture in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies. “With over 200 programs surveyed, we are proud of their accomplishments.”

Survey respondents also rated Virginia Tech’s architecture program in the top 10 nationally for its focus on construction materials and methods, design technologies, engineering fundamentals, communication and presentation skills, interdisciplinary studies, project planning and management, and practice management.

The survey results can be found in the third quarter 2017 issue of DesignIntelligence Quarterly at https://di-publications.net/quarterly-q3-2017/#virginia-tech.

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