How to Become an Interior Designer: Everything You Need to Know

Table Of Content

• University Core Requirements
• C. Interior Design Supportive Requirements (27 credits)
• Choosing a Great Interior Design School for Your Bachelor's Degree
• Best Colleges for Interior Design Majors
• Best Online Interior Design Degree Programs of 2023
• The Fashion Institute of Technology - New York City, New York
• Learn More & Apply
• How many years does it take to be an interior designer?

While mastery of drawing and perspective are fundamental for every interior designer, computer-aided design now is as well. Virtual Designing- Today technology can be used to help designers and clients plan out interior designs virtually. Virtual design will use software and apps to help clients see how different design ideas will look in their space. Because many clients want this type of service, the best online interior design degree will train you to use this technology and software.

University Core Requirements

This compensation does not influence our school rankings, resource guides, or other editorially-independent information published on this site. Interior architecture and interior design are closely related fields but differ in focus. Interior architecture primarily deals with the structural aspects of interior spaces, such as layout, building systems, and safety codes.

C. Interior Design Supportive Requirements (27 credits)

Online Interior Design Degree - U.S. News & World Report

Online Interior Design Degree.

Posted: Mon, 02 Jan 2017 17:43:58 GMT [source]

Interior design students frequently seek out experiential learning opportunities in the larger context of Southwestern Virginia. Additionally, students may study abroad in various countries overseas—both long and short term. Virginia Tech’s best bachelor of interior design will make the design come alive in and outside of the classroom.

Choosing a Great Interior Design School for Your Bachelor's Degree

In 2022, 34 Interior Design students graduated with students earning 34 Bachelor's degrees. In 2022, 54 Interior Design students graduated with students earning 46 Bachelor's degrees, and 8 Master's degrees. University of Wisconsin-Madison offers 1 Interior Design degree programs.

Best Colleges for Interior Design Majors

Students will gain all of the necessary competencies to qualify for the California Council of Interior Design Certification Exam (IDEX), as well as the National Council for Interior Design Qualification Exam (NCIDQE). A bachelor’s degree in any field is a prerequisite requirement for the program. Most master's of interior design degree online programs require students to take about 60 credits of advanced coursework. It typically takes two to three years to complete these programs, although some colleges and universities offer accelerated formats. Individuals who have earned a master's in interior design have ample career opportunities creating dynamic spaces for their clients. This field is growing quickly and also pays relatively well; the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that interior design professionals bring home a median salary of $49,810 per year.

Best Online Interior Design Degree Programs of 2023

Research different interior design jobs, and become well-informed about distinct roles within a design firm so that you see which types of positions are most in line with your background and skill set. Learn about the company culture, the workforce, and upper management at the design firms you are targeting for employment, and pay attention when visiting workplaces for interviews. Ask yourself if you can see yourself working in this office among these colleagues. It would behoove recent grads or those looking to get started in the industry to seek junior design positions that will help develop the skills needed to grow in the profession.

Successful professionals use technology and incorporate best practices into their work, while also maintaining a sense of creativity as they design spaces for the 21st century. Interior designers tend to be passionate about what they do and spend time looking for new ways to meet the needs and desires of the individuals, businesses, and organizations they serve. When exploring potential master's in interior design programs, it's important to make sure that a program or school is regionally or nationally accredited. This signifies the school has undergone a rigorous certification process, ensuring that it offers quality academic programming to its students. The Interior Design faculty is committed to bringing the highest quality educational experiences to the students.

Learn More & Apply

Below you will find helpful information related to what you can expect to experience while earning an online graduate degree in interior design from an accredited college or university. While no two programs are exactly alike, many of the top programs in this field share some common components. California State University Long Beach is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). NASAD, founded in 1944, is an organization of schools, colleges, and universities.

You can also increase your earning potential by understanding digital marketing and using the tools of digital marketing to share your work and skills with the world. The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements. The following retention and attrition rates are for Master of Interior Architecture students who began the program per calendar year. Millions of dollars in free money is available to U.S. military personnel, but much of it goes unused. Learn more about grants, scholarships, and other financial aid opportunities available to veterans, active-duty service members, and reservists.

In 2007 they grew a new designation as “Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University,” by their Board of Regents. They are one of two special mission institutions in the system providing programming that is distinctly connected to careers in industry, home economics, technology, helping professions, and applied professions. Their campus is situated on a 124-acre rural campus Menomonie, Wisconsin. Their offerings include over 50 undergraduate majors, 26 graduate disciplines, and two advanced graduate majors, as well as one doctorate. The MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts at Goddard College is a student-centered degree, which teaches art as a transformational practice.

Some of the core courses offered in the program include Design Methods, Art and Design, Philosophical Foundations of Design, Housing and Apparel, Facility Management and Design, Housing Neighborhood Design and Sustainability, among others. Instructors are practicing professionals, actively engaged in producing real-world equivalents of the types of projects completed in studio classes. This fosters a sense of relevance and immediacy in the learning process, and enables students to organically pursue internships and job placements. Due to the similar skillsets, which emphasize a combination of creativity and technical skills, many people with master's degrees in interior design go on to become industrial designers. These professionals create concepts for a range of products, including automobiles, consumer goods, home appliances, and heating and air conditioning systems. They must often combine knowledge from numerous areas—including business, art, and engineering—to develop these products.

Goddard College is a private low-residency model undergraduate and graduate college. The campus is located in Plainfield, Vermont, 20 miles east of the state capital of Montpelier. Students at Goddard engage in a learning style that is based on John Dewey’s principles of self-guided education. Dewey’s educational philosophy is informed by the idea that people learn only what they inwardly accept, thus encouraging students to forge their path of studies.

With guidance from artist faculty, MFA students will complete coursework that is within their chosen area of study. The MFA is a self-directed degree and, as such, is best suited for students who have a background in Interior Design as a practice before enrolling. Students will be expected to complete coursework and self-guided studio work, submitting artwork as well as written coursework over the five-semester, 60-credit terminal degree program. There is a mandatory 9-day residency that begins each semester on the Plainfield, VT campus, or the sister campus at Port Townsend, Washington.

To that end, we have built a network of industry professionals across higher education to review our content and ensure we are providing the most helpful information to our readers. Interior design is a good fit for people who are detail-oriented, artistic, creative, and have strong visualization skills. Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Interior Design Bachelor's Degree Schools list, to help you choose the best school for you. Many faculty members at the New York School of Interior Design are practicing designers at firms such as Gensler, HOK, and Perkins+Will.

We evaluated each school’s program on tuition costs, admission, retention and graduation rates, faculty, and reputation as well as the student resources provided for on-campus students. Each year, the BestColleges Ranking Team evaluates hundreds of programs to produce our annual Best Bachelor's in Interior Design ranking. In 2022, the team sourced the most recent data available from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System and College Navigator, both of which are hosted by the National Center for Education Statistics. We identified 180 schools that qualify for our ranking list based on the following criteria. The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to interior design. This of course varies depending on which interior design career you choose.