Auburn’s College of Architecture, Design and Construction and College of Human Sciences have been recognized in DesignIntelligence Magazine’s 2018 survey in a variety of categories.
DesignIntelligence conducts annual surveys to determine the country’s top-ranked architectural and design schools, programs and educators.
Under DesignIntelligence’s category of most admired schools, the undergraduate interior design program ranked ninth in the nation, and the undergraduate architecture program ranked 13th in the nation.
For graduate programs — also under most admired schools — the landscape architecture program ranked 20th in the nation.
Out of the individuals surveyed who contributed to Auburn’s rankings, there were over 6,100 hiring professionals, over 350 deans, chairs and department heads and over 5,400 students.
Additionally, three interior design faculty members were recognized under the magazine’s most admired educators category. Auburn is the only university to have three educators listed on such a survey.
Assistant professor Melanie Duffey and lecturers Anna Ruth Gatlin and Kelly Martin were chosen for this honor because of their excellence in architecture and design education and administration.
DesignIntelligence also ranks schools based on 12 focus areas, assigning them one through 10.
DesignIntelligence seeks to provide prospective students with current standings of programs across the nation to help guide them in their decision-making process of their future field of study.
These rankings prove that Auburn is a major player in such programs across the nation, going head-to-head with other big name universities. Not only do rankings as these help to sharpen and strengthen the reputation of Auburn, but they also help to recruit both top-notch students and faculty.
Vini Nathan, dean and McWhorter Endowed Chair for the College of Architecture, Design and Construction, echoed this sentiment.
“Rankings and other such distinctions help differentiate our programs at the national and international levels," Nathan said. "We increasingly find that our students, who come from all over the U.S. and the world, first hear about us through such rankings and recognitions. It also helps us recruit and retain incredible faculty and staff.”
Nathan attributes the graduate landscape architecture program’s rankings and undergraduate architecture program’s rankings to a curricula that is “robust and relevant.”
“We provide multiple curricular and co-curricular opportunities for our students to stretch their intellect, and that prepares them to be better thinkers, makers, doers and leaders," Nathan said. "We combine the classic with the contemporary without being faddish.”
June Henton, dean of the College of Human Sciences, noted that such prestigious rankings for the interior design program can be attributed to the “excellent technical skills, a positive, can-do attitude and a strong work ethic” of the students, graduates and faculty.
“Early and consistent connections with industry leaders keep [our] faculty and students attuned to emerging trends and on the leading-edge of change," Henton said. "There is no doubt that these attributions and experiences make for [an interior design] program that is a ‘cut above’ and give our graduates a competitive advantage in the marketplace.”
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