BS Interior Architecture and Design (Pre)

The Major in Interior Architecture and Design exemplifies the definition of the professional designer as qualified by education, experience, and examination to design interior environments that enhance the function and quality of life, increase productivity, and protect the health, safety, and welfare of the public. Academic preparation is grounded in research-based problem solving and experiential education through studio instruction, service learning, and internships that encompass a variety of cultural, environmental, and historical perspectives. The program has a longstanding accreditation by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA), recognizing the highest academic standards established by the profession.

Students seeking to apply to the Interior Architecture and Design major at CSU first are admitted to CSU as Pre-Interior Architecture and Design. All students who wish to be considered for admission to Interior Architecture and Design (IAD) major will be required to complete the Interior Architecture and Design Scenario practicum. Selective advancement into the major is based on the review received at the IAD Scenario, where external reviewers will assess student competencies in writing for design, sketching, problem-solving, and conceptual frameworks. A cohort of approximately 50-60 students advances based on performance on the IAD Design Scenario. The IAD Design Scenario occurs annually in the spring semester. See the Department of Design and Merchandising for more information regarding the Interior Architecture and Design Scenario.

In order to participate in the Interior Design Scenario students must have the following:

The Design and Merchandising department Academic Success Coordinator will work with Pre-Interior Architecture and Design students and advise them on their current performance in relation to the possibility of their admission to Interior Architecture and Design.

Faculty in the Interior Architecture and Design program value learning as a collaborative effort inviting diversity, design research as a basis for excellence in design practice, and new models for learning to respond to new ways of working. The program guides students toward becoming dedicated professional designers who have strong communication skills, are active as team players and creative problem solvers, and who make a positive impact in the practice of interior architecture and design. Students engage in research-based problem solving, providing a solid transition from education to practice in a global community. An internship in interior architecture / interior design practice is required for graduation.

The Interior Architecture and Design graduate will learn the entirety of the design process, beginning with assessment of client needs through design programming, development of alternative design solutions, development of conceptual and theoretical frameworks, selection of furniture and finish materials, construction documentation, core compliance, and contract administration including project management and post-occupancy evaluation methodologies. In addition, students take course work in construction/ building systems and codes, business principles in interior architecture and design, computer-aided design and drafting, building information modeling, animation, multimedia, graphic visualization, history of architecture and interiors, and sustainable practices.

The teaching facilities include design studios and critique spaces; gallery; design materials library; virtual reality computer labs; and fabrication labs (prototyping, woods, metals, & screen printing).

Students are prepared to practice interior architecture/interior design with competency in design fundamentals, space planning and programming, code compliance, lighting, materials research, project management, and professional practices in the design of diverse interior spaces.

Graduates seek employment in interior design and architecture firms as residential, corporate, retail, health care, institutional, education, and hospitality designers. Graduates also work in lighting design, product development, marketing, research, design-related journalism, illustration, facility management, showroom management, and as manufacturers’ representatives.

Learn more about the Interior Architecture and Design major on the Department of Design and Merchandising website.

The Nancy Richardson Design Center is a multi-disciplinary center located in the College of Health and Human Sciences at CSU, with a mission to foster interdisciplinary creative collaboration. It serves as a design-thinking hub where students from across campus can gather to collaborate, innovate, and prototype creative ideas in formal and informal learning spaces using state-of-the art equipment and technology. The RDC has: 4 studio/lab classrooms for hands-on learning, 1 seminar room for use by professional staff, 1 small dedicated project room that can also be used for student teams and visiting designers-in-residence, 2 computer labs, a design exchange (for student presentations, gallery exhibitions, special lectures and events, etc.), an ideation lab (including virtual reality equipment), prototyping lab (laser cutters, 3d printers, CNC textile equipment, etc), metal shop (traditional metalworking tools, welding, as well as state-of-the-art CNC milling machinery), wood shop (traditional woodworking hand and power tools as well as a large (4’x8’) CNC router), and a sustainable dark room.