Design and Architecture Courses Ranking

This comprehensive 5-year study involved analysis of university courses in creative disciplines in various regions of the world. The Ranking is part of BE OPEN’s educational initiative, and was conceived for two main groups: applicants to academic programmes in design and architecture around the world, and potential employers.

It mapped 83 creative educational programmes in Europe, 208 programmes in North America, 34 in Africa, 102 in South America, 96 programmes in Asia, and 75 in Central Asia and Oceania.

Unlike most of the research in the educational sphere, the system developed by BE OPEN evaluated not the schools and their material resources, but the value of educational courses they offer, i.e. the unique opportunities with which each particular course endows its graduates – not so much in terms of its prestige, as in the breadth of horizons and connections.

The research took into account a number of variables. Statistics relating to the universities’ educational and research activities were complemented by the opinions of key reference groups: namely, employers, professors and graduates.

In preparation, BE OPEN conducted interviews with key decision makers and industry leaders in design, including representatives of the best design studios and architectural bureaus. For the research, BE OPEN reviewed both customary curricula – such as Architectural Design, Interior Design and Product Engineering – and the relatively new and developing disciplines of Industrial, Multimedia and Interactive Design, Sound Design and Communicative Design.

The findings of BE OPEN global ranking became the basis for BE OPEN Academy, a universal source of information on both traditional and online educational opportunities, enriched with space for expert opinion, mentoring, discussion, special projects, and BE OPEN’s own unique content.