Students workig in the trays, March 2015DesignIntelligence’s 2016 ratings recognize the GSD for excellence in education and education administration. The architecture and landscape architecture programs were named first in the nation in its 2016 “America’s Best Architecture & Design Schools” ranking. Additionally, Dean Mohsen Mostafavi and three notable alumni were named to DesignIntelligence’s “25 Most Admired Educators” list.

DesignIntelligence’s annual survey, released in its November/December issue, has been the definitive school ranking in four disciplines—architecture, landscape architecture, interior design, and industrial design—for over 15 years. The GSD’s architecture program has held the top spot for graduate architecture schools for 14 of the last 15 years, and the GSD’s landscape architecture program has led its field for the last 11 years.

DesignIntelligence’s Most Admired Educators list was selected by staff with extensive input from thousands of design professionals, academic department heads, and students. “Deeply committed to advancing architectural education, Moshen Mostafavi brings a holistic, deep ecological and aesthetic to the design conversation,” writes DesignIntelligence about selecting Mostafavi for this honor. Additionally, three GSD alumni were spotlighted on this list. Amale Andraos MArch ’99 is the first female dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation and Co-Founder of WORKac, a New York-based architectural and urban practice with international reach. Structural engineer Guy Nordenson LF ’94 is Professor of Architecture and Structural Engineering at Princeton University and established Guy Nordenson and Associates, a structural engineering practice concentrating on collaborative design with architects and clients. Hashim Sarkis MArch ’89, PhD ’95 was appointed Dean of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Architecture and Planning in January of 2015; in addition to his academic work, Sarkis is Principal Architect in the Cambridge and Beirut-based firm, HashimSarkis Studios.

DesignIntelligence
The “America’s Best Architecture & Design Schools” survey is conducted annually by DesignIntelligence on behalf of the Design Futures Council. The research ranks undergraduate and graduate programs from the perspective of leading practitioners. The 2016 survey was conducted in mid-2015. According to DesignIntelligence, professional practice leaders with direct experience hiring and supervising recent architecture and design graduates are invited to participate in the research. A total of 1,426 professional practice organizations participated in the research for the four professions surveyed.

The GSD wants to thank alumni in the architecture and landscape architecture fields who shared their experience and perspectives with DesignIntelligence for this survey.

This support is a validation of GSD’s truly dynamic and exceptional educational experience. For more details about the 2016 rankings, visit DesignIntelligence’s announcement.