News and Media

Published: Dec 3, 2009

SAVANNAH, Ga.—The Savannah College of Art and Design’s interior design and industrial design programs are among the top in the nation, ranked by DesignIntelligence in the 2010 edition of “America’s Best Architecture and Design Schools.”

The SCAD interior design graduate program was rated No. 4. The graduate program also ranked No. 3 in the Deans’ Survey of “programs most admired by deans and department chairs” for “preparing students for practice, its excellent faculty, and rigorous application of theory.” In DesignIntelligence’s skills assessment survey of design firms, SCAD’s interior design program was rated No. 3 for communication.

SCAD’s industrial design undergraduate and graduate programs both ranked among the top. The undergraduate program earned the No. 7 position, and the graduate program was ranked No. 11. In DesignIntelligence’s skills assessment survey of design firms, SCAD’s industrial design programs ranked No. 4 for sustainable design practices and principles, No. 4 for communication, and No. 5 for computer applications. In addition to the rankings, SCAD industrial design professor Robert Fee was named one of DesignIntelligence’s “Most Admired Educators” of 2010.

For the 2010 “America’s Best Architecture and Design Schools,” DesignIntelligence examined the leading design schools and “revealed the programs that practitioners cite as the best—those preparing students for the future of professional practice.”

Brian Wishne, dean of SCAD’s School of Building Arts, said, “It is an especially meaningful recognition of SCAD’s commitment to its mission of preparing students for successful careers in the creative arts and design industries, as the ranking represents the opinions both of our peers in design education programs and those of leaders in the interior design profession nationwide. Students graduating in interior design from either of SCAD’s locations in Savannah and Atlanta are recognized as among the most talented, most professionally prepared and most highly employable in the nation.”

Victor Ermoli, dean of SCAD’s School of Design, added, “We are honored to receive this recognition for our outstanding students and faculty. Driving sustainable practices, communicating the role of design and business, and fostering innovation and cutting-edge technology are key components of the industrial design program at SCAD. Upon graduation, our students are fully prepared to contribute in these invaluable ways and are emerging leaders in their fields.”

DesignIntelligence’s rankings acknowledge the high level of quality and professionalism of SCAD’s interior design and industrial design programs. The career preparation of each student is nurtured by professors with outstanding academic credentials and valuable professional experience. Students also benefit from advanced learning resources in well-appointed facilities equipped with leading-edge technology.

SCAD students are in demand by employers from around the world, whose recruiters visit the university regularly to conduct interviews and review portfolios for internships and full-time positions. Employers of SCAD interior design graduates include Callison, Gensler, HOK, NBBJ, Perkins+Will, Rockwell Group and TVS Design, among others. Industrial design graduates are employed at such companies as VTech, BMW Group DesignworksUSA, Newell Rubbermaid, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, General Electric, and many more.