William Staffeld/AAP

Visiting faculty and critics participate in final reviews of students’ work in the Spring 2016 architecture studio Frontier Urbanities/Amazonia.

Cornell has retained its leading positions in the annual survey ranking top architecture programs, “America’s Best Architecture and Design Schools 2017.”

Cornell ranked No. 1 among undergraduate programs and No. 2 in graduate programs (tied with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) in the survey, conducted by DesignIntelligence and published in Architectural Record.

To arrive at the rankings, DesignIntelligence asked CEOs and principals of more than 2,000 firms to list the 10 programs that best prepare architecture students for success. Along with professionals selecting the best programs teaching design, sustainability, computer applications, and construction methods and materials, nearly 3,000 architecture students also were polled on the quality of their programs and their plans after graduation.

“I am obviously very pleased to see that our two professional degree programs have maintained their exceptional national rankings again this year,” said Department of Architecture Chair Mark Cruvellier, the Nathaniel and Margaret Owings Professor of Architecture. “This is certainly a testament to what we know to be true but perhaps get too accustomed to – the creativity and talent [and] the collective efforts of our students, faculty and staff.”

Caroline O’Donnell, director of the department’s Master of Architecture program, said: “We are delighted to have maintained [our] excellent ranking again this year. We have an incredible program, talented and hard-working students, and an extremely dedicated faculty, so although it is no surprise to us, it is great to see it acknowledged in the broader architecture community.”