A non-profit established to improve architectural education and research set out to uncover insights that would help boost application and enrollment rates among its member schools. Specifically, they were interested in learning: What drives interest in studying architecture at the post-secondary level? What matters most when selecting a particular school, and how do students perceive the field of architecture in general?

CSA designed survey research that targeted a representative sample of undergraduate and graduate students across the US, and crafted a questionnaire that uniquely positioned the inquiry for three distinct types of students: those who were currently enrolled in an architecture program, prospective students who were interested in enrolling, and those who had been admitted but ultimately declined acceptance into an architecture program.

The research contributed directly to the development of a new core positioning around the value of architecture education. Specifically, the finding that students most often described the field as creative, innovative, and influential was eventually translated into a new marketing campaign—I Made That—showcasing what can be created and accomplished with an architecture degree. Through research that was designed to measure the many dimensions around how a student might pursue a career in architecture, CSA provided the data needed to make informed and strategic decisions that will directly impact enrollment among member schools in the years to come.