Design Degrees Online

Career opportunities
Career opportunities exist in interior design and in the other creative industries, many providing exciting possibilities for design collaboration. Graduates have also gone into TV and film set design, lighting, journalism, postgraduate study and teaching. Graduates have found work as Interior Designers, Operational Space Team Analysts, Retail Design and Planners and Property Managers.

Possible Careers
Interior designers may focus on residential or commercial design, with areas of specialization such as corporate/office, retail, hospitality, health care, design for the elderly, institutional, and design-related sales and management. Ursuline College Interior Design graduates have been successful in securing positions within a variety of types of firms, including interior and architectural design firms, facilities departments of large corporations, small design studios, interior product dealers and showrooms, manufacturers, kitchen and bath design firms, architectural/engineering firms, and retail furniture stores.

Interior Design, like architecture, plays a definitive role in the quality of modern life.
Professionals in this field are multi-discipline practitioners, often as comfortable designing hotels, department stores, hospitals, or offices as in determining the décor and layout of private homes. Interior designers find themselves addressing the diverse needs of people from all walks of life, sometimes working independently, though frequently within design offices and in both cases on a wide and challenging range of projects.

The MA in Interior Design at the Corcoran College of Art + Design
addresses the interests of those who wish to achieve expertise in this broad-based and deeply fulfilling profession, channeling their creative talents to this important component of the built environment. Recent college graduates or those about to graduate are eligible to apply for admission, as are adults whose college education has been completed and who are seeking a new professional direction.

An undergraduate degree or the equivalent is required for admission and a major or minor in art and/or design is desirable.
Students with degrees in Interior Design are given particular consideration, including exemption from 15 credits of prerequisite coursework if accepted. However, previous art or design training is not a prerequisite for consideration. The faculty recognizes that applicants who have completed their undergraduate education and entered the work force in a variety fields bring discipline, understanding and maturity to the educational experience. These qualities can be as important to success as the specific skills acquired in a specialized undergraduate art or design major. Therefore, every effort is made in the admissions process and during the introductory semesters of the curriculum to acknowledge the value of prior experience and to move each student through the curriculum efficiently, making maximum use of previous training and acquired knowledge.

If necessary, applicants may be required to extend the two-year 60-credit program with the addition of undergraduate prerequisite courses. Students with prior undergraduate coursework in art history, drawing, design, color theory, and interior design will be evaluated for appropriate course waivers based on transcripts and portfolio submissions.

Curriculum
FS101 Fundamentals/Observational Drawing
FS102 Fundamentals of Design
FS103 Color Theory
FS104 Computer Applications
FS111 Drawing, Proportion & Perspective
FS122 Image Manipulation
FS239 Career Development
FS399 Internship I
FS497 Portfolio II
FS499 Internship II
HU110 College English
HU111 Effective Speaking
HU130 Visual Language & Culture
ID1117 Basic Drafting
ID1124 Introduction to Interior Design
ID1127 Architectural Drafting
ID1129 Introduction to AutoCAD
ID1134 Programming and Space Planning I
ID1135 Design Basics 3-D
ID1137 Architecture, Interiors & Furniture — Ancient to 1830
ID1139 Intermediate AutoCAD
ID2214 Programming and Space Planning II
ID2215 Perspective & Rendering
ID2217 Architecture, Interiors & Furniture — 1830 to Present
ID2219 Architectural Detailing – AutoCAD
ID2223 Residential Design — Traditional
ID2225 Presentation Techniques
ID2227 Interior Design Sketch Techniques
ID2229 Human Factors
ID2233 Corporate Design
ID2235 Lighting Design
ID2237 Textiles
ID3313 Residential Design — Contemporary
ID3316 Construction Documents and Details I
ID3317 Materials & Specifications
ID3320 Interior Design Computer 3-D Modeling
ID3323 Advanced Corporate Design
ID3326 Building Construction and Systems
ID3328 Building Codes and Regulations
ID3330 Interior Design Digital Camera & Lighting Techniques
ID3333 Institutional Design
ID3335 Commercial/Hospitality Design
ID3340 Construction Documents and Details II
ID4413 Senior Design — Studio
ID4415 Thesis — Programming
ID4419 Business Management for Interior Designers
ID4423 Portfolio Preparation
ID4425 Thesis — Design
ID4435 Thesis — Presentation

Other
Liberal Studies Requirement
Mathematics & Sciences Requirement
Liberal Studies Requirement
Social & Behavioral Sciences Requirement
Liberal Studies Requirement
Humanities Writing Requirement

1st Elective
Humanities Requirement
Social & Behavioral Sciences Requirement
Humanities Art Requirement

2nd Elective
Social & Behavioral Sciences Requirement
Mathematics & Sciences Requirement

Interior designers know how to make space work and are experts at creating mood. It’s about light, color, texture, and 3-D arrangements that contribute greatly to the way humans respond in any environment – whether at home, at play, or in their day-to-day work spaces.

Interior designers understand how people respond to color, how to manage traffic flow, how to scout an antique store to find the perfect piece for a room, and how to use light or the many combinations of space, form, and function. The variations can be endless, but as an interior designer, so is your creativity.

In the Interior Design program, students will develop abilities in all aspects of the design of 3-D residential and commercial spaces. Students start with courses in drawing, perspective, proportion, color theory, basic design, and other fundamentals. The program also incorporates courses in 2-D and 3-D computer-aided design, history of interior design and cultural contexts, furniture design, materials, textiles, environmental systems, architectural detailing, lighting design, building codes, computer rendering, 3-D modeling, accessory design, and other topics related to the field.

In addition to developing aesthetic sensibilities, the program explores how the profession interfaces with others, ethical sensitivities, and how to manage the business side of the profession. Graduates of the Interior Design program will be prepared for entry-level positions in commercial and residential interior design, such as residential designers, commercial designers, facilities designers, computer-aided draftspersons, showroom managers, project managers, exhibit designers, and specialty designers in kitchen, bath, product, lighting, and furniture.

Courses Offered Interior Design Technology
ID 110 Introduction to Interior Design
ABT 112 Technical Drafting and Graphic Communications
ABT 114 Introduction to Computer-Aided Drafting (CAD)
ABT 115 Introduction to Structures
ID 121 Interior Building Systems
ABT 122 Two & Three Dimensional Design Theory
ABT 124 Construction Methods & Materials
ID 132 Interior Design Studio I – Residential
ID 134 Color and Composition
ABT 216 Presentation Techniques
ID 212 Programming
ABT 136 Introduction to Environmental Systems
ABT 214 Intermediate Computer-Aided Drafting
ID 225 History of Interior Design I
ID 226 Finishes & Materials I
ID 228 Interior Design Studio II – Retail
ABT 236 Building Codes
ID 232 Professional Practice for Interior Designers
ID 233 Computer Graphics & Applications
ID 234 Portfolio Review
ID 235 Interior Design Studio III – Office

If you answered YES to one or more of these questions, then attend our interior design school in Chicago, Illinois. Harrington College of Design can provide you the education you need to help you get the creative, rewarding career you want.

What is an Interior Designer?
An interior designer combines knowledge with aesthetic vision in order to work with clients and other design professionals to develop design solutions that are safe, functional, attractive and meet the needs of the people using the space.

What is the difference between a decorator and an interior designer?
While interior decorating is an important aspect of interior design, interior design encompasses a much greater scope of practice and professionalism. Interior decorating is the application of finishes, such as wallpaper, fabrics and furniture. An interior designer is a professional who identifies, researches and strategically solves problems to interpret the function and quality of the interior environment. A designer is responsible for performing services relative to interior spaces, including programming, design analysis, space planning and aesthetics, using specialized knowledge of interior construction, building codes, equipment, materials and furnishings.

Interior designers are formally trained to prepare drawings and documents relative to the design of interior spaces in order to enhance and protect the health, safety and welfare of the public. They must understand artistic and technical requirements of a project, interpersonal communication, and management strategies.

Interior Design — Bachelor of Fine Arts

Interior designers have a thorough understanding of efficient space planning, human factors, color, pattern, lighting, furniture, and materials. These elements are essential to the creation of residential and commercial spaces. Whether working for architectural or interior design firms, hotel or restaurant chains, department or furniture stores, or independently as consultants or firm owners, accomplished designers are adept at working with clients and understanding their needs.

Our Interior Design bachelor’s degree program is carefully balanced to provide an understanding of space, form, and function. Your coursework will focus on the basics of drawing, drafting, color, and design, and the fundamentals of space planning and perspective.

You’ll use industry-related software and sample the real world of interior design in the studio and showroom. We also place great emphasis on the development of a working professional portfolio for every Interior Design student. Program graduates are prepared to seek entry-level positions such as draftsperson, assistant designer, and facilities or space planner.
Total Credit Hours: 192
12 Quarters

The Interior Design program provides an approach based on the premise that a successful interior designer must be sensitive to both esthetics and practicality, and must be aware of the designer’s potential impact upon the total interior environment. Courses dealing with space design, color, lighting structure, furniture design, history of interiors, history of art, business procedures, and other pertinent subjects are all essential to the realization of these expectations.

Interior Design majors may look forward to career opportunities in various sectors, including the industrial, residential, retail, and corporate, and the public and private sectors in general. For example, large department stores, or chains of such stores, employ interior designers in staff positions to deal with all manner of merchandise arrangement and display, including the reorientation of store/floor environments. Interior designers may also establish their own design services and execute commissions ranging from residential room arrangements to restaurant and corporate office design. There are also large corporations that employ staff interior designers to service the adjustment of work environments and of staff relocation. Moreover, architectural firms and independent architects regularly employ interior designers to cope with space planning and other environmental design necessities in structures as diverse as sports stadiums and museums.

In the contemporary world of business, the interior designer, like the graphic designer, plays an integral part in projecting the corporate image to the public. Salaried job opportunities exist in all of these types of business activity and may provide the basis, with increased experience, for individual contracting. The Paier Interior Design graduate will be able to enter supervised roles in these fields and move swiftly to more independent roles if desired.

Interior design includes the planning and design of spaces for commercial, industrial, and institutional uses. Offices, retail stores, hotels, restaurants, health care facilities, and laboratories are among the areas of specialization. Interior designers often work with architects, building owners and managers, furniture dealers and manufacturers, and contractors to plan and organize the elements of space for effective environments.Interior design falls within the broader category of design, which is the professional area of activity concerned with planning and developing a wide variety of objects and spaces. Relationships among the users of the designed item, the efficient production of the designed item, and the aesthetic characteristics of the designed item are of particular importance. Design activities at Ohio State are divided into three majors: visual communication design, industrial design, and interior design.