CLEMSON — Clemson University's graduate architecture programs have been named among the nation's best in two separate rankings released last week.

DesignIntelligence magazine has ranked Clemson 16th overall nationally in the annual publication "America's Best Architecture and Design Schools,” rising from 20th place last year, and seventh among public institutions. Clemson was ranked Clemson fourth in the South overall and third in the South among public university programs.

DesignIntelligence also named professor David Allison, director of Clemson’s Graduate Studies in Architecture + Health, one of the nation's 30 Most Admired Design Educators for 2014. In honoring Allison as an exemplary role model in architecture education, the publication stated, “Thanks to his knowledge and connections to the workforce, he knows that his students are in demand, and pushes each one to be the best. Employers praise Allison’s students, saying they are well rounded with excellent verbal, written, technical and design skills.”

“This is especially good news for our architecture graduates because, in the DesignIntelligence poll, employers were asked which schools do the best job of preparing students for success,” said Clemson University President James F. Barker. “We have to celebrate a high ranking on that list.”

In a separate, new national survey of graduate students published by the website graduateprograms.com, Clemson's architecture program is ranked 13th overall and ninth among public institutions. The graduateprograms.com survey was compiled using data gathered between Sept. 1, 2012, and Sept. 30, 2013. It encompasses reviews posted by more than 40,000 students participating in more than 1,300 graduate programs nationwide.

“We are very proud that Clemson’s graduate program in architecture is ranked in two separate polls to be among the nation’s best by our two most important audiences: our students and their employers. What could be better?” said professor Kate Schwennsen, who chairs the School of Architecture. “We are also proud, and not surprised, that professor David Allison has been selected as one of the most-admired design educators for 2014.”

The DesignIntelligence ranking is created largely by employers’ response to a single question: “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?” 

“We believe our graduates are well well-prepared to enter the architecture profession, but it is extremely gratifying to have that belief confirmed by the leading practitioners who hire them,” said Richard E. Goodstein, dean of the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities.

Now in its 14th year, the DesignIntelligence survey is conducted annually by Greenway Communications for the Design Futures Council, an interdisciplinary network of design, product and construction leaders. Nearly 400 professional practice firms participated in this year’s survey.

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Clemson University School of Architecture
In addition to the undergraduate and graduate degree programs on the main campus, the School of Architecture has programs in Charleston; Barcelona, Spain; and Genoa, Italy. In 2013, the school celebrated its centennial of architecture education with a yearlong slate of events, including lectures, symposia and exhibitions. Learn more at clemson.edu/architecture.