Interior Design

The Master of Science in Architecture with a Specialization in Interior Design is a research and scholarly based program. Students that enter this program are working towards careers in Interior Design research or academic settings.

This 36-hour program is an online program. In exceptional cases students can pursue their degree on campus with a combination of distance and on-campus courses only with permission from the program director. New students will enroll with a Fall semester admittance only. The degree can be earned in a minimum of two years, but can be extended to fit individual goals. As part of the program curriculum, students are encouraged to gain hands on experience in the field through field work opportunities or an internship.

Students engaged in the program have a wide variety of opportunities for specialization within interior design. If interested in designing for aging adults, the program offers a dual Interior Design and Gerontology Certificate as part of the required program courses. Additionally, courses can be selected within a student’s area of interest including healthcare, workplace, education environments, wellness, and environmentally conscious design.

Prerequisite: An applicant must have an undergraduate degree in architecture, interior design or a closely-related field.

Students work closely with their advisor to determine courses within and outside of the College of Architecture to fulfill curriculum requirements while supporting indivdiual areas of interest and focus.

Core Courses [6 credits]

• IDES 886 Evolving Issues in Interior Design
• IDES 891 Evidence Based Design

Research Methods/Analytical Techniques: [6 credits]

• IDES 885 Research Methods
• EPDS 859 Statistical Methods

Discipline Theory [6-12 credits] 

• IDES 845 History of Interiors & Designed Objects 
• IDES 856 Environmental Behavior 
• IDES 858 Changing Workplace
• IDES 884 Material Culture
• IDES 820 Branding
• IDES 821 Environmental Graphic Design
• ARCH 841 Architecture History & Theory II *
• IDES 847 African Architecture *
• IDES 881 Women in Design *
• IDES 891 Selected Topics in Interior Design
• (These are courses offering group investigation of a topic in Interior Design lead by an instructor.) 
• IDES 891 Suburban-ism 
• IDES 891 Crossroads Design and Health

Independent Field Work [3-6 credits]

• IDES 898 Problems in Interior Design.

Courses are often taken close to when the student begins their thesis study so they are able to use the course to effectively work towards thesis work. The credits are meant to align with professional internship opportunities in relation to individual research and thesis goals and/or field work to prepare for upcoming research projects. Course expectations may include, but are not limited to: literature reviews, IRB certification, site inventory and analysis, and the development of research methods and data collection instruments. Learning outcomes and course deliverables will be developed with guidance and instruction of interior design faculty.

Campus Wide Electives [3-6 credits] 

• In consultation with their interior design advisor, campus-wide electives can be chosen from graduate courses within the disciplines of psychology, sociology, anthropology, education, business and history.

Thesis [6 credits] 

• IDES 898 Problems in Interior Design. 
• The thesis will be used to gain new insights and to develop theory or to contribute to the body of knowledge that can in turn advance the discipline and practice of interior design.

* These classes are only offered on campus.

• An applicant must have an undergraduate degree in architecture, interior design or a closely-related field.A diploma or certificate of graduation. (Not required if the transcript includes the name of the degree and the date it was conferred.)
• The Diploma Supplement, if the degree is Bologna-compliant.
• Online Application for Graduate Admission
• $50 Application Fee (paid with credit card or check)
• One copy of all college/university official transcripts
• Statement of Interest
• Resume
• Three references will be asked to submit letters of recommendation electronically
• GRE score (recommended, not required)
• TOEFL or IELTS score. Exemptions for the English proficiency requirement are granted for non-native speakers who have received a bachelor's or more advanced degree either from a U.S. institution or from a university outside the U.S. at which English is the official language of instruction.

Portfolio

Please attach a multi-page PDF portfolio (20mb max) of personal design work. You have the option of additionally attaching, along with the portfolio, one of the following: -- Image (up to 10MB each) -- Video (up to 500MB each) -- 3D Model (embedded) -- Document (20MB each)

Students who wish to pursue one of the dual degrees offered in conjunction with the Master of Architecture must apply separately to the other degree department. You should contact the other program directly to determine what their application requirements are. You will have to be accepted into both our program and the other degree-granting program to pursue the dual degrees. Acceptance into one and not the other will not void your acceptance into that program. It simply limits your participation to the program you are accepted into.

Your admittance into the Master of Architecture Program will require the purchase of a notebook microcomputer. The College is supporting both PC and Macintosh platforms. Either choice is acceptable. In addition, you will be required to purchase or lease the appropriate software required by the department. Detailed specifications for hardware and software will be sent to you with your acceptance package.

Scholarships

• Assistantships
• Fellowships
• University Tuition Assistance Grants (UTAG)