Landscape architecture graduates again ranked among best in U.S.

For the sixth straight year, the landscape architecture degree programs at Texas A&M are rated among the best in the nation in preparing students for professional success in the field, according to rankings published annually by the [Design Futures Council] (http://www.di.net/about/board_advisors/) , a national interdisciplinary network of design, product and construction leaders.

In the 2013 report recently published by the DFC's [DesignIntelligence] (http://www.di.net/about/) newsletter, Texas A&M ranks fifth among the nation's 45 undergraduate programs in landscape architecture and seventh among 44 graduate landscape architecture programs, tying with the Rhode Island School of Design and Pennsylvania State University.

The rankings are based on a survey of professional practice leaders who have direct experience hiring and supervising the performance of recent graduates.

“The 2013 rankings underscore our most recent program accreditation reviews that found our BLA and MLA programs’ continued strength in all evaluated categories,” said Forster Ndubisi, head of the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning at Texas A&M. “Excellent students come to our programs because of the high quality education we provide them. Our sustained success is the result of the purposefully designed high-impact educational experiences we provide our students, the concerted hard work and dedication of the faculty in landscape architecture, as well as the support of our skilled staff and professional advisory council members.”

Survey respondents also ranked the Texas A&M landscape architecture programs among the top five nationally in each of five skill assessment categories: cross-disciplinary teamwork, computer applications, design, research and theory, and sustainable design practices and principles. Only four other schools in the U.S. had a similar presence in the skill assessments rankings.

The [Bachelor of Landscape Architecture] (http://laup.arch.tamu.edu/academics/undergraduate/bla/) at Texas A&M is a five-year professional degree program that prepares students to become professional landscape architects in private and public sector practice. Students learn to be leaders in the field, professionals who are intellectually active, broadly educated citizens and lifelong learners.

Texas A&M [Master of Landscape Architecture] (http://laup.arch.tamu.edu/academics/graduate/mla/overview/) graduates find employment in professional firms promoting the collaboration of landscape architecture, architecture, engineering and construction skills to resolve development problems, as well as public agencies at the federal, state and local levels.