Architecture and Design: BE OPEN'S Ranking of Educational Programmes in CIS, Central Asia and Oceania

- BE OPEN foundation, a humanitarian organisation set up by the international businesswoman and philanthropist Elena Baturina with the aim to foster creativity and innovation, has finished the Ranking of Educational Programmes in Architecture and Design in CIS and Central Asia, Oceania and Australia. The comprehensive study involved analysis of more than 160 programmes selected from 75 schools from the target regions. In accordance with BE OPEN's research methodology, top programmes have been arranged into groups according to specific sets of criteria: Unlike most of the research in the educational sphere, the system developed by BE OPEN evaluates not the schools and their material resources, but the value of educational programmes 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. Elena Baturina, founder of BE OPEN, says: "With this stage of the research BE OPEN has finalized its global ranking, and created a comprehensive picture of creative education largely in every part of the world. What we have been trying to do is not only to provide a handy tool for aspiring creatives that would help them find their perfect path into profession, but also to emphasize the importance of developing a new approach to education - one that is more multifaceted, more dynamic and yet, at the same time, more responsible". The Ranking is part of BE OPEN's educational initiative Inside the Academy and was conceived for two main groups: applicants to academic programmes in design and architecture around the world, and potential employers. It has already mapped 83 creative educational programmes in Europe, 208 programmes in North America, 34 in Africa, 102 in South America, and 96 programmes in Asia. The next step of the project is systematizing the results obtained from all the world regions into a single database that will further on be revaluated and updated regularly. The CIS, CENTRAL ASIA AND OCEANIA research is now available for downloading at beopenfuture.com.