Degrees in Interior Design
InteriorDesignSchools.org Contributing Writer
A degree is only the beginning of the rigorous educational process required in the field of interior design.
The quickest way to obtain that knowledge is to attend a college or university that meets accreditation standards set by the profession. But even after an undergraduate or graduate degree is finished, professionals should still stay attuned to consumer trends by attending continuing education courses.
Admittance
While grades carry the most weight in the application, some schools also require a personal essay or a portfolio of work that includes drafts, sketches or other artwork.
Once admitted to a program, most schools require students to maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Classes
The beginning classes at most universities focus on drawing and drafting, as most students do not enter the interior design programs with those skills.
In the middle years of interior design schooling, classes typically focus on topics such ascomputer-aided design (CAD), lighting and health and safety codes.
Degrees
The difference between undergraduate and graduate programs is similar to many other majors: undergrad studies prepares students for the workforce, while graduate studies focuses more on research and training for those who want to teach interior design. At many universities, students will earn either a Bachelor of Science, a Bachelor of Arts or a Fine Arts degree. Some schools offer a choice between a B.S. and a B.A., while a select few offer a Bachelor of Interior Design degree.
An even smaller number of schools offer masters programs. According to the FIDER website, only four U.S. schools and one in Canada offer a masters program in interior design. The reason for the dearth is FIDER's recent decision to withhold accreditation from programs that are not four or five years in length, which make it difficult if not impossible for community colleges and masters programs to qualify.
Still, a degree from a FIDER-accredited school, which may take up to five years to attain, has perks including increased job opportunities. "I won't hire anyone who has not gone to a FIDER-accredited school. I won't even interview them," says Barbara Schlattman, a Houston-based interior designer who opened shop in 1975 and has received national awards for her work.
The true validation to the professional world of interior design, however, comes with the National Council for Interior Design Qualification test. It is the licensing equivalent to the bar exam or a medical license.
The NCIDQ test covers six topics pertinent to the industry and takes two days to complete. For interior designers, finding work can be difficult without the license, because some states require it to practice interior design, professionals say. Many states require interior designers to pass the test; the profession is regulated at the state level as the job involves the construction of buildings, which may endanger the safety of the general public.
The NCIDQ test is administered twice a year (in April and October). It requires about six years of both college and full-time professional experience to qualify to take the NCIDQ test. Qualifiers include: two years of college and four years of full-time experience, three years of college and full-time experience, or four or five years of college with two years professional experience.
Interior designer working to obtain the NCIDQ license are of interest to potential employers. One example of a firm that supports such efforts is Omaha, Neb.-based interior design firm Leo A Daly, which has 1,000 employees internationally. Leo A Daly, annually ranked as one of interior design's 10 largest companies, does not place a high premium on attending a FIDER-accredited school, a spokesman says.
"It's not something that we ask them to prove or go back to university and ask," says Michael Riordan, corporate director of marketing and communications of Leo A Daly.
Even with a college degree, work experience and NCIDQ-approval, an interior designer's schooling is likely to be a life-long enterprise. Consumer demand and interior design trends are anything but static. For instance, one recent trend is to design rooms with materials that are environmentally-friendly.
To help keep designers up to date, the American Society of Interior Designers, an organization with more than 35,000 members nationwide, hosts continuing education courses ranging from professional ethics to working with older adult customers.
In short, the education of an interior designer is never quite complete.
"When you get your degree, that's just the beginning," says Rosalyn Cama, president of Cama Inc., a New Haven, Conn.-based interior design business. "You keep going; you're always a student."
Related Education Information
Choosing an Interior Design School
Interior Design School Accreditation
