NEWEST RANKINGS CONFIRM PRATT’S REPUTATION AS TOP SCHOOL

Interior Design remains #1 program in the nation as Institute places among Top 20 in the region in U.S. News and World Report rankings  

Pratt Institute's Interior Design program was once again ranked #1 in the country by U.S. News & World Report in its 2013 Guide to America's Best Graduate Schools. Pratt Industrial Design and Communications Design degree programs were ranked fifth and 12th, respectively.    

In addition, Pratt’s undergraduate ranking has risen to #20 in the region in U.S. News and World Report's prestigious Best Colleges 2013 publication. The rankings, which were published on September 12, rank Pratt #20 out of the 98 peer institutions in the publication's Regional Universities North category, which ranks institutions that provide a full range of undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Pratt was the only independent college of art and design on the list. In 2012, the Institute ranked #26 in the Regional Universities North category.  

Pratt Provost Peter Barna said: "We are thrilled to again be recognized as having some of the best art and design programs in the nation. The U.S. News & World Report rankings reflect the skills of our talented students, many of whom go on to be leaders in their fields as graduates, and our inspired faculty members and departmental chairs, who provide our students with a wealth of professional knowledge and expertise."  

U.S. News & World Report's #1 ranking of the graduate Interior Design program acknowledges continued achievements. Anita Cooney, chair of the Department of Interior Design, said that given the department's illustrious history as a pioneer of interior design education in the United States, it is fitting that the Institute continues to set the national standard for excellence in the field. "The program has established a tradition of excellence that challenges students to create new approaches to design as demanded by the impact of modern technology and evolving societal issues," she said. "It continually graduates some of the most provocative, creative, and engaged designers in the nation."

Among the Interior Design department's prominent alumni are Samuel Botero (B.F.A. '68), principal of Samuel Botero Associates in New York, NY; Joe D'Urso (B.F.A. '65), president of D'Urso Design in Santa Monica, CA; Laura Bohn (B.F.A. '76), principal of Bohn Design Associates in New York, NY; and the late Naomi Leff (M.S. '73), who created elegant spaces for celebrities and retailers like Ralph Lauren, Ferragamo, Gucci, and Giorgio Armani. 

Text: Amy Aronoff