The interior design program in the Department of Design and Merchandising at Colorado State University is ranked 8th among the nation’s 211 bachelor’s programs in the discipline, up from 9th last year.

It’s also number one among the 10 interior design programs in Colorado. The CSU program came in at 16th overall among all 365 programs rated by Interior-Design-Colleges.com.

“The program’s faculty and students have strived to achieve a level of excellence recognized by top firms in the country, through internships and job placements,” said CSU Professor Katharine Leigh, coordinator of the interior design program. “We’re excited to be among the top-ranked programs in the country. When you look at the other top schools, we’re in great company.”

“The Interior Design program at CSU has been highly regarded for many years,” said Nancy Miller, head of CSU’s Department of Design and Merchandising. “Students and faculty have been recognized by numerous awards, and graduates of the program are professionally established nationally and internationally. The high ranking of our program further broadcasts our excellence and provides a basis for comparison across educational organizations.”

Interior-Design-Colleges.com rankings are compiled from public data collected from the schools and issued by the U.S. Department of Education. The ranking algorithm is based on proprietary formulas that involve 67 academic, financial, and organizational factors and metrics, as well as faculty profiles, student retention rates and alumni job prospects, according to Interior-Design-Colleges.com. The factors are each weighted differently and are scored to reflect program ratings. The scores are then normalized so that consideration is given to other characteristics of each school, such as the present student body enrollment, relevant faculty and staff metrics, past ranking history of the specific college and its current trend.

The Department of Design and Merchandising is in CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.