DesignIntelligence ranks Cal Poly LA Program 4th in Nation and Best in West

SAN LUIS OBISPO — The DesignIntelligence (DI) 2017-18 rankings placed Cal Poly's landscape architecture program fourth among the top 20 undergraduate programs in the nation, maintaining its spot as a top ten undergraduate landscape architecture program for the past eight years. The survey also once again ranked Cal Poly "Best in the West." Cal Poly's landscape architecture program has been rated as the top program in the 13-state western region every year since 2005, when the DesignIntelligence survey first began ranking public and private landscape architecture degree programs.

"We have an extensive and strong five-year curriculum as well as a highly qualified faculty with diverse expertise in all aspects of the profession," noted Omar Faruque, LA department chair. "It is no surprise that our program is ranked so high."

Based on a survey of 47 deans and department heads, Cal Poly ranked first among the most admired programs in the nation for its "well-rounded program with comprehensive focus on technical skills and theory."

In the "Landscape Architecture Design Education Focus Areas" (known as the Skills Assessment) section of the survey, Cal Poly ranked second in Project Planning & Management, Practice Management, and Construction Materials & Methods. The program ranked in the top five in the areas of Design Technologies, Engineering Fundamentals, Healthy Build Environments, Interdisciplinary Studies, and Sustainable Built Environments.  Practitioners judge each school by its strength in each skill set and combine both undergraduate and graduate landscape architecture programs in the rankings.

The ranking results are published in the 2017-2018 edition of “America’s Best Architecture & Design Schools” and are based on a survey conducted by DesignIntelligence on behalf of the Design Futures Council. Data was gathered from more than 2,600 practitioners from over 1,900 organizations and firms that hire recent graduates.  The DesignIntelligence rankings have become a tool for students choosing academic programs that will launch their design careers. DesignIntelligence is a bi-monthly journal published by Greenway Communications LLC for the Design Futures Council, an interdisciplinary network of design, product, and construction leaders exploring global trends, challenges, and opportunities to advance innovation and shape the future of the industry and the environment.

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