As reported by LAND Online from the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), DesignIntelligence, a news and research organization focused on all aspects of the design industry, has released its 6th annual edition of “America’s Best Architecture & Design Schools.” For the first time, the firm has added rankings of landscape architecture programs to its ongoing assessments of architecture and interior design programs.
“While no ranking system is perfect, this does provide a way to celebrate excellence toward a new ascendant condition in landscape architecture,” said James Cramer, chairman of Greenway Consulting, parent company of DesignIntelligence. “We want to aggregate the subjective views of individual practitioners, to inspire and inform local conversations about the components of a quality design education, and to help prospective students make arguably the single most important career choice they will ever make.”
In addition to the overall rankings for undergraduate and graduate programs, the survey includes regional rankings, and, at ASLA's suggestion, rankings by five specific areas of specialization: Design; Analysis and Planning; Construction Methods and Materials; Computer Applications; and Research and Theory. The issue also features the latest national salary estimates for the design professions, a commentary by Leonardo Alvarez, ASLA, and lists of survey participants.
“These rankings, whether you agree with them or not, will generate a great deal of debate about appropriate criteria and other educational issues, which is very healthy for the future of our profession,” said Patrick Miller, president of ASLA, who has taught in the Landscape Architecture Department at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University for the past 18 years. “The survey portrays landscape architecture as a progressive, dynamic and critically needed profession. We appreciate that DesignIntelligence followed up on our suggestion to include landscape architecture specializations in its survey and look forward to participating in the discussions it will be sure to generate.”
The introduction to the survey encourages serious evaluation of the results. “We recognize that there are some wonderful programs that are not on our top lists,” said Cramer. “Some of these are new programs; others are small and don’t produce a critical mass of research feedback, which is why we encourage prospective students to exercise caution before making a decision on where to go to school.”
The survey preface recommends that, at the very least, students should:
- Visit the campus and talk with students, faculty, and administration
- Talk with graduates about their real-world experiences
- Interview practitioners in the firms or industries where they would like to work
- Draw up a list of strengths and weaknesses on each school, based on the student’s preferences
The 2005 edition of “America’s Best Architecture and Design Schools” is available for download in a PDF format for $19.95 and in hard copy for $34.95.
