Interior design ranks 14th

A study of 150 U.S. accredited interior design programs has ranked the UW–Madison program 14th in a tie with the University of Nebraska. UW–Madison is the only Big Ten University to be ranked in the top 15.

The Almanac of Architecture & Design and the newsletter DesignIntelligence announced the results of their third annual ranking last month. The University of Cincinnati ranked first, followed by Kansas State University, Pratt Institute, Cornell University, and Auburn University.

Many of the nation’s leading interior design institutions are private, not public, institutions, making UW–Madison’s achievement all the more remarkable, says Wei Dong, interior design professor.

UW–Madison’s interior design program resides in the Department of Environment, Textiles and Design in the School of Human Ecology. Its presence on this list is “thanks to the interior design faculty’s vision, department and school’s support,” Dong says. “This ranking also reflects the commitment of the school’s students and the quality of their work.”

To compile the ranking, the survey asked 300 leaders of interior design firms to name those schools accredited by the Foundation for Interior Design Education Research from which they have had the best experience hiring employees in the past five years. The ranking provides a guide on how design schools affect career prospects.