16 Inside Design Faculties Value Making use of to

Program: Interior Design

Location: Brooklyn, New York

Degree offered: BFA

CIDA accredited: Yes

Local opportunities: Yes. Pratt’s location in New York means students have ample opportunity to work with high-level professional firms and showrooms.

Cost: $51,754

Job placement: 94% of survey respondents were employed within a year of graduating, while six percent were accepted into a graduate program.

Notable alumni: Annabelle Selldorf, Peter Zumthor

Florida State University

FSU’s Department of Interior Architecture and Design has been one of the leading interior design colleges for over 40 years. In fact, the program was ranked third in CollegeRank’s 2022 list of best interior design degrees. As part of the College of Fine Arts, this option takes a human-centered approach to interior design, teaching students how to build functional and sustainable environments that have a positive impact on the world around them. The program consists of sequential learning, providing education in all aspects of interior design for residential, health care, hospitality, commercial, and low-income housing projects.

FSU’s curriculum also places a heavy emphasis on real-world experience, with 100% of students having at least one internship before graduation. Additionally, the four-year program equips graduates to sit for the NCIDQ exam, and to become licensed as interior designers in the state of Florida.

Program: Department of Interior Architecture and Design

Location: Tallahassee, Florida

Degrees offered: B.S., B.A.

CIDA accredited: Yes

Local opportunities: Yes. Required internships are arranged with local interior design and architectural firms, in other Florida cities, and throughout the U.S.

Cost: $18,796 out-of-state; $5,666 in-state

Job placement: 89% of students were employed within nine months of graduation.

Notable alumni: Grant Gribble, Lisa Kinch Waxman

Thomas Jefferson University

The robust interior design program at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia offers a functional and technical education peppered with interdisciplinary courses on topics such as human behavior, sustainable design, construction detailing, building systems, and more. Studios and coursework synthesize creative experimentation and research-driven problem-solving. But, at its core, Thomas Jefferson University works hard to give its students a comprehensive and diverse look into the industry. Not only do its design classes incorporate hand drawing, model building, and digital methods, but each course offers an in-depth look at commercial, residential, institutional, and other building types. Students can also pursue secondary specialization in business, construction management, textile design, historic preservation, or photography. Collaborative work reflects real-world design processes, and students may pursue secondary specializations in business, construction management, textile design, historic preservation, or photography. Optional study-abroad programs in Copenhagen and Rome round out the student experience.

Program: Interior Design

Location: Philadelphia

Degree offered: B.S., M.S.

CIDA accredited: Yes

Local opportunities: Yes. Internships, professional organizations, and professional partnerships are readily accessible.

Cost: $41,900. Students of the College of Architecture & the Built Environment are also required to pay a $773 studio fee.

Job placement: 80% of the interior design students who graduated in May 2020 and responded to the survey (83% response rate) were employed in the field by January 2021.

Notable alumni: Ghislaine Viñas, Kim Wannop

School of Visual Arts

Touted as one of the “Most Hired-From Interior Design Schools” by DesignIntelligence, SVA’s interior design program lays the foundation for a long career ahead. From the first day of school, students will have access to their own desk and an immaculate computer lab, mimicking the dynamics of a design firm. In addition to a comprehensive curriculum, which blends new technology with age-old practices of drawing and drafting, SVA also gives its students the opportunity to present their work to an assortment of international-acclaimed designers. (Plus, architects and editors are often invited to join the conversation, offering major networking potential.) SVA’s interior design degree meets all the requirements to sit for the NCIDQ exam, offering yet another way for students to bolster their resumes.

Program: Interior Design: Built Environments

Location: New York City

Degree Offered: BFA

CIDA Accredited: Yes

Local Opportunities: Yes. SVA’s administrative and faculty can assist with finding summer and part-time internships.

Cost: $22,500 per semester, plus a $1,140 annual fee.

Job placement: As of January 2020, 61.1% of graduates are fully employed, while 38.8% have enrolled in graduate school.

Notable alumni: Genevieve Gorder