(Baton Rouge) – The graduate program in ceramics at the LSU School of Arts is ranked fifth in the nation by U.S. News and World Report, which annually ranks the country’s colleges and universities and their programs.

This is the second consecutive year in which LSU has rounded out the top five in graduate ceramics, a designation which places the program in the company of the top art schools in the country.

“To be ranked by U.S. News signifies that people across the country know about the quality of a particular school and view it in relation to other schools that offer the same discipline,” said Stuart Baron, director of the School of Art. “These rankings are very hard won and are not capriciously allotted.”

The ceramics program at the School of Art is equipped with over 10,000 square feet of studio space and a 400-square foot gallery space. The program focuses on creating, building and working with all types of ceramic structures and materials under the direction of professors Michaelene Walsh and Robert Silverman.

“I’m very pleased and proud of the faculty and students who maintain the rankings through their artistic abilities and hard work,” Baron said. “This is a testament to the commitment and outstanding effort they all make.”

The ceramics program ranking marks the second time this academic year that a program from the LSU College of Art and Design has been nationally ranked. The School of Landscape Architecture was named the top-rated program in the country this year by Design Intelligence, the leading academic journal of the design professions. U.S. News and World Report does not rate architecture programs.

“We’re very pleased that our increasingly competitive programs in the College of Art and Design are receiving the national recognition they deserve,” said Dean David Conrath. “It is a positive reflection of the caliber of our outstanding faculty and the quality students they are able to attract.”