About CAP: Leading the Way

Excellence is the cornerstone and capstone of Ball State University's College of Architecture and Planning, providing both the foundation and the finishing touch. The college's programs and the achievements of its faculty, students, and alumni stand out as models for design and planning education and practice in the region, the nation, and beyond.

CAP was established by the Indiana Legislature in 1965 to meet the need for a state-supported architectural school. Nearly four decades later, the college and its interrelated programs and personnel have earned an international reputation and numerous national honors.

Notable achievements include these:

The Department of Architecture was ranked among the nation's top 15 architecture programs in the 2003 Almanac of Architecture and Design. The rankings were based on the hiring experiences of leading U.S. architecture firms, which cited programs that produced the most professional, best-prepared graduates over the past five years.
Ball State was cited as a national model for architecture education and practice in a special report by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.
Ball State is a three-time winner of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Education Honor Award.
Community-Based Projects earned a national Community Design Program Award from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture for combining "in-the-field" education with public service.
The Muncie Urban Design Studio became the only university-based studio featured in a national online catalog of affordable housing designs, and MUDS has shared Indiana's top preservation award.
Architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning are blended in a design college, and Ball State is unique in providing studios for urban planning.
Several CAP faculty members have been named fellows, presidents, officers, or board members of national professional organizations.

All of CAP's professional degree programs are nationally accredited. Many of the college's 700 students from across the country and abroad win design competitions and are models of dedication, leadership, and academic achievement on campus.

A number of CAP graduates are international award winners who can be found throughout the world in professional positions of prominence and leadership, often with their own offices and firms. Several alumni share their expertise on campus as adjunct faculty members, studio critics, design jurors, and guest lecturers.

See how CAP is changing the world.