Rice’s School of Architecture ranks No. 3 in the nation

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RICE’S SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE RANKS NO. 3 IN THE NATION
School Ranks Second in the South

Rice University’s School of Architecture now ranks No. 3 in the nation and No. 2 in the South, according to the Design Futures Council’s 2005 review of America’s best undergraduate architecture programs.

Rice also placed in the top 10 graduate architecture programs, ranking ninth nationally and second in the South.

The rankings were determined by a survey of nearly 500 U.S. architecture firms of various sizes. In reference to graduates hired over the past five years, the firms were asked which schools best prepared students for real-world practice.  Only schools accredited by the National Architectural Accrediting Board were eligible.

Only Cornell University and University of Cincinnati ranked higher than Rice among undergraduate programs. In the southern regional rankings, Rice’s No. 2 placement was bested only by Auburn University for bachelor degree programs and by Georgia Institute of Technology for graduate programs.  Rice’s School of Architecture has consistently ranked near the top for the past six years.

Lars Lerup, dean of the School of Architecture and the William Ward Watkin Professor of Architecture, said Rice’s high ranking is especially noteworthy because the other top-rated schools have enrollments much larger than Rice, which graduates approximately 20 undergraduate and 20 graduate architecture students each year.

New to this year’s survey was a question asking participants to name three North American campuses that provided the best student experiences in reference to architecture, including overall campus design, site and planning. Rice made the top 10 of that list as well — ranking 7th.  Harvard University ranked first.

The Design Futures Council is a worldwide network of professionals involved with the design community, including industry leaders and innovators.  The council’s sixth annual ranking of U.S. architecture and design schools is the only national college-ranking survey that focuses exclusively on design.  The ranking is published in the council’s journal, DesignIntelligence, and on its Web site, http://www.di.net/.

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