Architecture and Interior Design Programs Outclass the Competition: Ranked Number One in the Nation

In a survey of design employers across the country that was just released today, the University of Cincinnati stands second to none in undergraduate architecture and interior design education.

This year marks the fifth-straight year that UC’s interior design program, part of the College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning at UC, has stood at the head of the class as the nation’s best in the annual survey by DesignIntelligence, an industry publication of the Design Futures Council.  UC’s interior design program has consistently topped all others across the country, including those at Pratt Institute and Cornell University. 

The 2004 rankings mark the first time UC’s undergraduate architecture program is likewise ranked the nation’s best, ahead of undergraduate programs such as those at Cornell University, the Rhode Island School of Design, and the University of Notre Dame.   

The DesignIntelligence survey asked the straightforward question, “In your firm’s hiring experience, which schools do you feel have best prepared students for the…profession?” of architecture, interior design and engineering firm owners, partners or principals.  The survey was targeted to those having direct experience with the hiring and performance of graduates.

Michaele Pride-Wells, director of UC’s School of Architecture and Interior Design, said that the programs’ consistently high rankings reflect not only the demanding curriculum but also the quality of UC’s nationally ranked (number four in fall 2002 rankings by U.S. News & World Report) cooperative education program.  “Co-op” refers to the practice wherein students alternate academic quarters with paid work related directly to their major.  Thanks to “Co-op,” UC’s architecture and interior design students regularly work in design firms around the globe – Europe, Asia and throughout the U.S. – before graduation.

The just-released issue of DesignIntelligence also included other survey information, including what architecture/interior design skills are most lacking in new hires, salary information for the profession, and best “value picks” in terms of receiving an excellent design education at a reasonable cost.  UC’s programs ranked third on that list.