The University of Oregon’s architecture program is No. 1 in the nation for sustainable design education, says America’s Best Architecture and Design Schools 2015.  The top-ranked program has been recognized multiple times as leading sustainable design education among the 154 accredited architecture programs in the U.S.

Sustainability and climate change are seen as the most important issues for design professionals according to the survey results. “As populations increase and the world urbanizes, demands for a more environmentally responsive built environment grow,” says Brook Muller, acting dean of the School of Architecture and Allied Arts.  “The UO’s programs have been committed to teaching and research on energy-efficient design, reuse and adaptive design, ecological design, and green products and practices for decades,” he adds.

The accredited undergraduate architecture degree program is ranked overall at number 16, and in the top five of programs at public universities. The Interior Architecture Program’s undergraduate and graduate programs are ranked number one in the schools in the western United States; and the graduate program is ranked in the top ten in the nation. The UO’s accredited degree in landscape architecture is in the top five programs in the western U.S.

Associate Professor Kiersten Muenchinger, director of the Product Design Program, was voted as one of the nation’s Top 30 most admired educators. This is the fifth UO faculty member chosen since 2007.

“These rankings reflects our deep commitment to rigorous and thoughtful design and the capacities of our incredible students,” continues Muller.

The rankings were published in America’s Best Architecture and Design Schools 2015, which ranks both undergraduate and graduate programs from the perspective of leading practitioners who complete survey forms coupled with reviews from deans and heads of all programs. A total of 1,426 professional practice organizations participated in the research this year.

The University of Oregon has over 840 students studying architecture, interior architecture, landscape architecture, and product design in its Eugene and Portland locations.