SU’s interior design program named among top 10 nationwide, by Design Futures Council

SU’s interior design program named among top 10 nationwide, by Design Futures CouncilJanuary 07, 2004Amy Schmitzaemehrin@syr.edu

Syracuse University’s interior design program, part of the art and design department of the College of Visual and Performing Arts, is ranked 10th nationally among architecture and design schools, according to the latest survey by the Design Futures Council. The rankings were recently released in the 2004 edition of “America’s Best Architecture and Design Schools” and on the Council’s Web site, www.di.net. It is a national survey of leading interior design practitioners that evaluates architecture and design schools based on the performance of their graduates in the workplace.

“This is quite a significant ranking because we are rather geographically removed from the design employment market,” says Mary Ellen Letterman, associate professor of design and department chair. “Many other high-ranking programs are larger in number and closer to the centers of design employment. Additionally, SU’s interior design program has always received the highest possible accreditation during reviews, and we have ranked in the top 10 since 2000. This is really a testament to the faculty who have built the program up from almost nothing to this extraordinary level.”

Over 1,000 firms received the survey and 22.8 percent participated. The Design Futures Council is a Washington, D.C.-based think tank that explores trends in design, architecture, engineering and building technology. Theirs is the only college ranking program for design schools.