November 10, 2015
Interior architecture and product design at K-State ranked at the top
Kansas State University's interior architecture & product design, or IAPD, is ranked one of the top graduate programs in the country by DesignIntelligence, a bimonthly magazine.
The America's Best Architecture & Design Schools ranking show Kansas State University's interior architecture & product design as the No. 1 graduate program in the Midwest region, No. 1 in construction methods and materials, and the number No. 1 graduate program at a public institution nationally.
The rankings survey is conducted annually and the research ranks undergraduate and graduate programs from the perspective of leading practitioners. The rankings are based on the responses from selected professional practice leaders who are asked, "In your firm's hiring experience in the past five years, which of the following schools are best preparing students for success in the profession?" In addition, the practitioners are asked about which programs are best in teaching skills such as design, communication, sustainability and technology.
"These rankings reflect the not only long trajectory of quality in our programs and the unwavering intensity of our students, faculty and graduates, but the uniqueness of the IAPD curriculum focused on designing and making at all scales of the interior environment," Tim de Noble, dean of the College of Architecture, Planning & Design.
Katherine Ankerson, interior architecture and product design department head, said, "We are pleased to see our continued efforts to remain at the leading edge of design education recognized in this fashion. IAPD students experience the varying scales of design in an interwoven curriculum and are engaged in a continual process of design plus make. Our graduates represent these values well in the workplace, the quality of our students is superb, and of course the quality of our faculty and staff represents an exceptional diversity. It is important to note the incredible support of the university's upper administration, the dean's tremendous support in our college, and an advisory council that continually devotes intellectual energy, relationship capital and excellent advice."