The reputation design students have gained as workaholics – spending countless hours day and night to finish projects and stressing out about the tiniest details – has proved it has been well-worth their time.

According to DesignIntelligence, a monthly publication for design professionals, Iowa State’s design programs in the fields of architecture, landscape architecture and interior design rank in the top 15 programs nationwide.

The interior design program is in a tie for 10th in the new rankings, while the architecture and landscape architecture programs are also tied for 14th and 15th, respectively, in their lists.

The magazine has been ranking “America’s Best Architecture & Design Schools” for eight years and is currently the only national ranking system that looks solely at design.

This isn’t the first year Iowa State has been ranked highly by this publication. The good news is that the feedback is consistent, said Calvin Lewis, professor and chair of architecture.

“Not only is [Iowa State] in the top 15, but one of only eight to be ranked consistently over the last five years,” Lewis said.

The publication bases its rankings on information provided by firms about their hiring experiences and preparedness of recent graduates.

The design program at Iowa State is unique in that all the design programs are in one college.

Each program also follows a core system in which there is no differentiation in course work for the first year, which is important for the ongoing focus on interdisciplinary work.

The core program has been officially in place for two years, Lewis said.

“Overall, I think [the core program] is a success,” said Chelsea Klocke, junior in pre-architecture. “There were some things I didn’t understand why we were doing it, but it’s nice to have that versatility.”

After the first year of core classes, students go through a portfolio review process to be accepted into the programs.

“After hearing the numbers and seeing the talent around you, it gets you pretty scared, but the competition brings out the best work,” said Katlyn Harvey, freshman in art and design. “The professors know what they are talking about and get you doing things you never thought you’d be doing.”

Recently, there have been great strides made in the interdisciplinary work, partly because Iowa State has such a great design faculty, said Mark Engelbrecht, the dean of the design administration.

Iowa State is unique in the way the college is organized.

“There are relatively few colleges like this in the country where all the programs are nested,” Engelbrecht said. “I think that is one of our great strengths.”

Lewis said that the quality of students and their work ethic make ISU students highly sought after.

“The thing I think is most impressive is the dedication of faculty to serve students, [as well as] the quality of students,” Lewis said. “[The students] are very intelligent and eager.”

One reason the survey results carry such a sense of accomplishment is that the Midwest is not traditionally seen as a leader in design.

“I think the things to feel most proud of is the East and West Coasts are ranked continuously, and Iowa State tends to sneak in there,” said Frederic Malven, associate professor of art and design.