Texas A&M landscape architecture
programs ranked among best in U.S.

Texas A&M's undergraduate and graduate landscape architecture programs are among the best in the country, according to 2011 rankings recently published by the Design Futures Council, a leading design industry collaborative.

Texas A&M’s Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, a five-year professional degree program, was ranked second in the nation in the DFC’s Nov./Dec. 2010 DesignIntelligence newsletter, which also ranked the university’s Master of Landscape Architecture as the nation’s third best graduate program in the discipline.

“Clearly, the ranking is a reflection of the sustained dedication of our talented faculty, staff, and students," said Forster Ndubisi, head of the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning. "It results from their relentless pursuit of excellence, the implementation of strong curricula, substantial investments in technology, as well as the unwavering support of our external advisory board and sustained efforts of the department and college to provide the best learning experiences for our students”

The DFC rankings are based, in part, on survey responses from leading practitioners who have direct experience hiring and evaluating the performance of recent design graduates. Survey participants, drawn from a database of leading firms throughout the United States, were asked which college and university programs best prepare students for professional practice.

DesignIntelligence editors compiled the rankings using data from the survey aided by information from several accrediting organizations, including the Landscape Architectural Accreditation Board.

Both Texas A&M landscape architecture programs have made a steady march upward through the rankings since 2006, when the undergraduate program ranked 11th in the nation and the graduate program ranked 12th. This is the sixth straight year for both programs to make the collaborative’s top-ranked programs list.

Texas A&M landscape architecture programs also ranked at the top of a related Design Futures Council survey assessing the preparedness of recent graduates in a range of vital skills. Those results, also published in the latest issue of DesignIntelligence, ranked the programs’ graduates first nationally for their communications and computer application skills, third in design skills and tied for second with California Polytechnic State University in sustainable design practices and principles.

“It is extremely rewarding to have a prestigious organization like the Design Futures Council independently verify the high quality of our landscape architecture programs,” said Jorge Vanegas, dean of the Texas A&M University College of Architecture. “The success of these programs and their continuous advance in the rankings over the last many years underscores the talent and dedication of our administrators, educators and current and former students. These very impressive standings, including two first place rankings in the skills assessments of our graduates,” he said, “elevates the prestige of the entire college and raises the bar for all of our programs in our ongoing quest for excellence.”

In addition to the program rankings, the recent DesignIntelligence newsletter recognized Jon Rodiek, a professor of landscape architecture at Texas A&M, as one of the nation’s 25 most admired educators. He is the fourth Texas A&M College of Architecture professor cited by the newsletter as an exemplar of excellence in design education leadership. Previous honorees were Forster Ndubisi, head of the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning, Michael Murphy, professor of landscape architecture, and J. Thomas Regan, professor of architecture and former dean of the college.

Details about Rodiek's honor and his distinguished teaching career are available online.

- Posted: Nov. 12, 2010 -

Contact:   Phillip Rollfing, prollfing@archone.tamu.edu or 979.458.0442.