(Baton Rouge) – For the fifth consecutive year, the LSU Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture is ranked among the top five schools in the nation by Design Intelligence, the leading journal of the design professions. According to the results of the 2009 survey, the School has the No. 2 undergraduate program in the U.S. and the third-ranked graduate program.

“We are proud to once again be recognized for excellence in this design field,” said David Cronrath, dean of the College of Art and Design. “One of the criteria for the LSU National Flagship Agenda is to have academic units recognized by national organizations for exceptional quality. Since this survey inception our landscape architecture program has consistently been included in the top five. To have such a high ranking for so many years is truly significant. It is a testament to the outstanding faculty and students.”

While U.S. News and World Report has established a nationally recognized ranking system for universities and many university programs, the magazine does not rank design schools. To fill that void, Design Intelligence began its own ranking of accredited programs in architecture, landscape architecture and interior design several years ago. Since then, the Design Intelligence survey has become the established ranking system for design programs across the U.S.

Rankings in the Design Intelligence survey are based on statistical information, professional surveys and academic surveys. Practitioners at leading U.S. landscape architecture firms complete the survey, which asks them which schools have produced the best-prepared graduates during the past five years.