As we discuss in the articles inside DesignIntelligence, you could argue that design education is pretty good the way it is. In fact, it is most likely the best that it has ever been. But according to educators, students and practitioners that we’ve interviewed, it’s not good enough. This year’s rankings by deans, administrators, students and practitioners show that there is considerable quality in design schools but also reveals an unrelenting and increasingly dynamic restlessness for renewed strength and fresh relevance. Any drifting away from quality expectations is most certainly the enemy to the design professions of the future.

In this year’s DesignIntelligence rankings we study several new areas including the strongest branded schools in 22 categories. We have learned, for instance, that the top branded schools for construction leadership are now perceived to be Iowa State, Clemson University and Cal Poly, San Louis Obispo. The strongest branded schools for best campus building and facilities are the University of New Mexico, University of Minnesota and the Savannah College of Art and Design. Leading practitioners in North America believe the top Canadian architecture programs are now the University of British Columbia, Dalhousie University (Halifax) and Carleton University. Let’s take a closer look.1

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• 1. source: http://www.di.net/articles/just-released-design-school-rankings-for-2014/