Rice Architecture ranked No. 2 among undergraduate programs

Graduate program among top 10 on DesignIntelligence list

The Rice School of Architecture’s undergraduate program has risen to No. 2 in the nation according to new DesignIntelligence rankings, as reported by Architectural Record.

The graduate program climbed to No. 7, up nine spots from its No. 16 ranking last year.

The Rice School of Architecture has been ranked as one of the top ten programs in the country for both undergraduate and graduate programs.

Rice’s undergraduate program, a mainstay in the top 10 this decade, was ranked sixth last year. It surpassed California Polytechnic State Institute, San Luis Obispo; Syracuse University; Virginia Tech and the University of Southern California in the latest rankings. Cornell University retained its No. 1 spot for the fifth year in a row.

Dean Sarah Whiting, the William Ward Watkin Professor of Architecture, was listed first among the nation’s “25 Most Admired Educators in Architecture, Interiors and Landscape Architecture.”

“Given that we are a fraction of the size of all of the other top 10 schools, it’s particularly affirming to see our strengths recognized nationally like this,” said Whiting. “I’m very proud of the incredible education that our faculty provide here at the school.”

The annual DesignIntelligence rankings are based on survey responses from hundreds of leaders at architecture firms who have had direct experience hiring and judging the performance of recent architecture graduates. Participants were asked which accredited programs have best prepared their students for real-world practice.