Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design

female student working on model in studio
male student drawing at desk with model in front of him
five students having a discussion in studio
Viewed from behind, a female student is looking at her drawings on her desk
close up image of male student working on his building model
five students meeting with professor Blake and professor Patrizio discussing work on a laptop
A triptych view of 3 different students working on architectural projects. A man leans close over a drawing board and uses a straightedge to draw a line. A hand dips a paintbrush into a color, with other supplies covering the table. A woman presses a finger on top of the roof of a building model she is working on.
Viewed from behind the chair, a seated woman holds up a section of an architectural model and studies it intently, Other pieces and tools for the model are on the table in front of her.
close-up view of hands cutting a piece for a model. On the worktable are scraps of material and a bottle of glue on its side
A woman leans in close to a drawing that she is working on

The CIDA-accredited BFA in Interior Design offers a professional undergraduate education that prepares students to enter practice immediately upon graduation or to pursue further graduate-level education.

Our mission is to prepare students for critical engagement in professional interior design practice, and to guide students to become independent, creative thinkers and leaders contributing to the design of innovative, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable communities. 

We strive to:

  • provide students rigorous professional preparation within the context of a nationally recognized liberal arts university; 
  • embrace a culture of innovation grounded in an understanding of artistic tradition; 
  • promote engaged and critical inquiry in the pursuit of new understandings and new knowledge. 
  • guide students in the integration of visual aesthetics, spatial perception, human factors, design history and theory, and building technology to create functional and pleasing interior environments that promote health, safety, and welfare while supporting and enhancing the human experience.
The major in Interior Design follows a curriculum that culminates in the degree Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA). Students entering the Interior Design program share a common core of environmental design and graphic media foundations with Architecture majors in the first year. Second year coursework ensures that Interior Design students have an understanding of disciplinary fundamentals including visual communication methods, architectural history, building structures, systems, and materials while beginning to study design and human behavior, interior materials, and the planning and organization of interior space as a specialty. 

Upper-level coursework emphasizes intermediate and advanced interior design problems, mechanical systems and lighting, furniture design, history and theory of interiors, construction documentation, and professional practice. In a culminating senior Capstone experience, each interior design student defines their own project through research, programming and designing a solution to a complex interior design problem.

Program strengths include:
  • Competitive, portfolio-based admissions
  • An emphasis on collaborative and interdisciplinary experiences, including strategic collaborations shared by the interior design and architecture curriculums
  • State-of-the-art facilities and equipment, housed within historic Alumni Hall
  • Numerous opportunities for domestic and international off-campus study
  • Emphasis on student-directed independent research
  • Active participation by outside scholars, invited critics, and guest lecturers 
  • Excellent record of student internship participation and post-graduation job placement
Professional accreditation: The Interior Design program is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).

For more information email arcid@miamioh.edu.