If you’re thinking about applying to interior design schools, you should do your homework first. Formal education is becoming more crucial in the interior design field as more states continue to mandate licensing for interior designers, which often consists of a mix of classroom instruction, professional experience, and passing a standardized test.
The Council for Interior Design Accreditation, or CIDA, has recognized some of the schools on this list, indicating that they have been found to meet the highest standards for interior design education—a designation that may help ensure that students are learning what the industry considers to be the fundamentals.
Regardless of a prospective designer’s specific professional path or if licensure is a goal, the proper undergraduate interior design or interior architecture schools are guaranteed to offer the kind of rigorous training and internship opportunities that will put a student up for success. Here are 16 programs that you should be aware of.
Savannah College of Art and Design
One of the better interior design colleges with excellent degree programs. Savannah College of Art and Design is on top rankings for interior design institutions all over the country; in fact, it was ranked first on DesignIntelligence’s list of best interior design schools for the eighth time in 12 years in 2020. In addition, in 2019, SCAD was placed second in the coveted Red Dot Design Rankings.
Collaboration, creativity, critical thinking, effective communication, and professional ethics are all encouraged throughout the curriculum. SCAD’s programs, of course, go beyond the classroom. SCADstyle, a three-day event including industry-renowned designers, architects, and editors, takes place every year.
In addition, SCADpro, the university’s collaborative design studio, allows top students to get real-world experience. Career preparation is also important; the program includes résumé and portfolio construction, practice interviews, and self-promotion. Students may also get a worldwide education at satellite campuses in Atlanta and Lacoste, France.
University Of Cincinnati
The School of Architecture and Interior Design at the University of Cincinnati roots students in academics while preparing them for the ever-changing requirements of professional life with a curriculum centered on problem-solving, formal design abilities, and historical and technical knowledge.
This five-year program is related to the university’s College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP), with the first three semesters sharing a shared curriculum. Students will then be assigned to a variety of projects, ranging from residential and commercial to cultural and health facilities including hospitals, theaters, and places of worship.
Though the interior design program at the university provides a thorough curriculum, it also includes a co-op program and an optional portfolio assessment during the admission process.
Syracuse University
Environmental and Interior Design students at Syracuse University study the art and architecture of design in a studio setting that mirrors professional situations.
Syracuse’s Environmental and Interior Design Program (EDI), named one of the “Most Admired Interior Design Schools” by DesignIntelligence, encourages students to become creative problem solvers by challenging the status quo, understanding the various impacts of design, and embracing a keen sense of social responsibility.
In addition to a wide liberal arts education, the emphasis is on cross-disciplinary concepts and initiatives. Along with in-depth technical methodologies, Syracuse’s interior design program offers visualization and communication abilities.
Students are encouraged to study abroad in London or Florence during their junior year, as well as undertake internships in Syracuse, New York City, and elsewhere.
Cornell University
Interior design is taught at Cornell via the Design and Environmental Analysis program, which is part of the Human-Centered Design Department in the College of Human Ecology. The STEM-certified program has a flexible curriculum that encourages students to finish basic courses before concentrating on electives that help them achieve their educational objectives.
Design strategy and innovation, sustainable futures, and health and well-being are the three core research issues that these specialties are grouped around.
Tools and procedures prevalent in the humanities, social sciences, and physical sciences are included in each program in the Human-Centered Design Department, providing a comprehensive and academic approach to design. Students may also pursue a minor, an honors thesis, or off-campus study in addition to their selected field of study.
The D+EA program has instructors from a variety of fields and places a strong emphasis on innovation.
Fashion Institute of Technology
The Fashion Institute of Technology, as one of the greatest interior design colleges, has a proven track record of producing creative people who go on to become successful businesses and artists. The charm of its interior design degree comes in its transdisciplinary studies and hands-on projects that emphasize practical skills and environmental requirements.
The program, which is the biggest of its type in New York City, focuses on helping students develop expertise in the newest technology, business, and presentation skills, as well as a solid foundation in the liberal arts. Students will get a deep grasp of lighting, computer modeling, and materials in addition to mastering the principles of design history and philosophy.
The interior design program at the Fashion Institute of Technology is guided by great talent, but BFA-seeking students will get additional real-world experience via the two-semester capstone. Students are challenged to construct a design project that will be judged by a panel of experts.
Each student is matched with a faculty member and an industry mentor during the capstone to deepen their study. The Fashion Institute of Technology, on the other hand, provides a two-year AAS degree that prepares students for entry-level positions in the sector.
Pratt Institute
This one has a top ranking. Pratt is generally regarded as one of the greatest interior design schools in the nation, having established one of the country’s earliest interior design programs. The School of Design’s architecturally oriented programs stresses spatial design and surface ornamentation while always keeping the human inhabitants in mind.
In their sophomore year, BFA students begin studio programs that emphasize cooperation in a competitive atmosphere after completing their first-year Foundation courses. During the spring semester of junior year, students may study at the Danish International School.
The curriculum, which is located in Copenhagen, includes intensive research visits around Scandinavia. The department prepares students for entrance into the industry, higher study, professional organizations, and the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) test while adhering to a strong commitment to social and environmental responsibility and professional ethics.
During the last year of study, both BFA and MFA degrees need a thesis project. An excellent program for undergraduate students is provided at this institute.
Drexel University
Drexel’s interior design program, which is part of the Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, combines design theory with real-world experience and rigorous professional training. Complex design studios are made possible by combining general education requirements with art, art history, and core interior design courses.
From then, the course is driven forward by human experience, materials and form, and sustainability, teaching students how to take a responsible approach to the creative process. It has different programs in terms of the credit hour.
Students will be well-prepared for their senior project, a three-quarter capstone that enables undergraduates to study a particular area of interest, by the time they graduate from the interior design program.
Experiential learning is very important here, and students participate in a professional co-op program during their junior year when they work for six months at a business.
Drexel also promotes sustainable techniques as a natural part of modern design and offers a minor in Sustainable Built Environment. There are programs in Sydney and Seoul, as well as a shorter, seven-week studio in Denmark, where you may study abroad.
Check out their website for information about the graduate school, to see the main campus, and to inform yourself about the notable alumni there. Also, check out the interior design curriculum.
Thomas Jefferson University
The functional and technical interior design curriculum at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia is studded with multidisciplinary courses on themes including human psychology, sustainable design, construction details, building systems, and more.
Creative exploration and research-driven problem-solving are combined in studios and courses. There are different design positions in the study of materiality programs. Interior design graduates have no difficulties afterward on applying to top lists for jobs.
But, at its foundation, Thomas Jefferson University strives to provide a broad and diversified view of the sector to its students. Not only do its design lessons include hand sketching, model building, and digital approaches, but they also cover commercial, residential, institutional, and other building kinds in full.
Secondary specializations in business, construction management, textile design, historic preservation, and photography are available to students. Students may pursue secondary specialties in business, construction management, textile design, historic preservation, or photography via collaborative work that mirrors real-world creative processes.
Tons of sustainable practices and collaborative projects were conducted by Liliane Wong. On the journey to the bachelor of fine arts, you have full students access on the campus. The student experience is rounded out with optional study-abroad programs in Copenhagen and Rome.
The New School, Parsons School of Design
Parsons has long viewed interior design as an “intellectually rigorous creative force in daily life,” having founded the first interior design program in the United States in 1906. This intense, research-based program now serves as a strong basis for a profession in interior design.
Interior design students at Parsons’ School of Constructed Environments collaborate closely with instructors, classmates, and outside experts to create places that are sustainable, diverse, and well-designed as part of Parsons.
Materiality, art history, and design philosophy are all covered in class, as well as hand sketching, renderings, and three-dimensional modeling.
While Parsons offers a four-year BFA as well as graduate degrees in certain subjects, its two-year Associate of Applied Science in interior design is an excellent alternative for anybody who has already completed college. Graduates will be well equipped to work in the interior, lighting, set, event, and exhibition design, as well as historic preservation, regardless of the curriculum they pick.
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