What Colleges Are Best For Interior Design

Create An Online Portfolio

After completion of your interior design course, you usually spend a few years as an apprentice or in an internship. Most of these positions are entry-level, with the goal of providing you more learning opportunities, along with the chance to keep adding to your portfolio.

Remember, this is the time you need to network with people in the interior design field. Most beginner interior designers spend this time working at a design firm, at a home remodeling center, or apprentice with a mentor. This will not only help in connecting with like-minded professionals but will also help you create a great online portfolio.

Even if you don’t have an outstanding portfolio, feature interior design projects to help you get noticed online. Your interior design portfolio website needs to go beyond just showcasing your design work. You need to find your creative expression and think of out-of-the-box ways in which you can showcase your portfolio in the best way possible. Your professional online portfolio reflects your design style and area expertise, so it is important that you keep it up to date with recent projects. Change your site design, showcase new work, and tell new stories. Here is an article with tips on how to take aesthetic pictures, to showcase your style and “look” to the places you visit or the products you use.

How Are These Interior Design Schools Ranked

To come up with a reliable list of the top 10 interior design schools, I aggregated common ranking lists from interior design industry experts . These lists compiled the rankings by surveying design professionals and asking which schools best prepare students’ for a career in interior design.

Note that the following programs aren’t listed in any particular order. If a school is on this list, it’ll give you a top-notch interior design education, regardless of the order it appears in.

That said, I did based on their aggregate rankings. Keep in mind, though, that the most important consideration in choosing one of these schools is finding the one that best fits your own preferences and interests.

Now then, let’s get to our rankings of the best colleges for interior design!

The Top 10 Schools For Interior Design In The Us

These top schools with interior design majors are worth applying to. See which interior design programs made the list to narrow down your school search.

Houzz Pro

While a formal education is not an absolute must, most interior design firms require designers to hold at least a bachelors degree from one of a broad range of disciplines. In fact, a bachelors degree is the highest level of education obtained by more than 2 in 5 interior designers surveyed by Houzz in 2022, while 27% went on to earn a masters degree. More than a quarter of interior designers surveyed by Houzz report having an associate degree or lower credential.

Why Should Designers Attend a School for Interior Design?

Earning an interior design degree ensures the aesthetic, technical and business education needed to be a well-rounded interior designer. Having a formal degree can also increase your earning power during your career as an interior designer. According to the IIDA, interior designers with advanced degrees or extra certification reported a median annual salary $17,000 greater than those without.

How to Choose a School With an Interior Design Program

The first step towards choosing a top interior design program is to make sure it has the proper accreditation. The two main components you should be aware of when starting your search are the Council for Interior Design Accreditation and the National Council for Interior Design Qualification :

• Council for Interior Design Accreditation :

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Interior Design Colleges Courses And Eligibility

Touching not only areas of history, architecture and culture, interior design is also being continuously redefined by innovations in digital technology, visual arts and environment. Interior designers now work to develop an architecture that is suited to environmental and sustainability standards, as well as conforms to modern urban notions. Further, with the growing interest of individuals to learn interior designing, classical architectural methods in accordance with the customs of modern society are being revived. Due to this, the prospective students are now venturing into various courses available at the top interior design colleges to gain specialized knowledge in this field.

Savannah College Of Art And Design Savannah

Courtesy of SCAD

The best American school on our list at number three is SCAD the school is well spread out, with its founding campus in Savannah, Georgia and three more of them are based in Atlanta, Georgia, Hong Kong, and Lacoste, France. The schools cater to more than 12,000 students from over 100 countries, and SCAD is well known for the talent and dedication of its faculty, the use of cutting-edge technology, and learning resources that get the students up to speed, to jump directly into the firms after graduating.

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The Best 15 Interior Design Schools In The World

What follows is a quick and informative rundown of the educational institutions that we believe to be the best interior design schools in the world. These schools meet quality standards of interior design education and offer courses that address the requirements and preferences of students from varied disciplines.

• Converse College

Careers For Interior Design Majors

With a bachelors in interior design, you have expertise in marketable skills such as graphic design, architecture, critical thinking, and communication, which translate into a variety of career options. Interior design majors can choose from a variety of creative careers depending on their strengths and interests.

While the obvious career choice is an interior designer, you will focus your options. For example, you may choose to become a residential interior designer and work for specific clients. Or maybe you would prefer to become a commercial interior designer and work for a larger corporation. Some interior designers work for healthcare facilities. Others specialize in architecture or engineering services.

The bottom line here is interior design majors have career options. Check out these examples:

• Design consultant
• CADD designer
• Design manager

If you are interested in a particular part of interior design, lighting or architecture for example, look for programs that offer concentrations or certifications in these areas.

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Picking The Right Interior Design Program For You: 5 Factors

Although there isn’t a gigantic variety of interior design program choices out there, you still have to sift through a lot of information to pick a school that’s right for you. Hopefully, this last has got you started on the right track.

That said, there are other things to keep in mind before committing to a particular interior design school. Here are five key factors to consider.

Ten Tips For Choosing The Best Interior Design College

Home » interior design and multimedia blog » Ten Tips For Choosing The Best Interior Design College

It is that month of the year- admissions are open across various colleges that have a variety of courses to offer. Once you have decided to study interior design, it is very important to secure a seat in a premium college that offers world class education. This applies to Interior Design as well. Read on the following tips to understand how you can select the best college to study interior design.

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Best For Beginners: Masterclass

• Good introduction to interior design

• Access to multiple classes on the same platform

• Need to sign up to find out detailed class information

• No certification offered

MasterClass was founded in 2014 as an online learning platform for all skill levels in a variety of industries and topics, including bartending, tennis, voice animation, chess, cooking techniques photography, and more. Classes are taught by industry pros including celebrities and those at the top of their crafts.

With each class, you receive video lessons, course workbooks, and class feedback. . The cost is $15 per month billed annually at $180. MasterClass also offers a 30-day guarantee money-back if you arent satisfied.

MasterClass interior design course is taught by award-winning interior designer Kelly Werstler, known for her work on designer hotels, statement pieces, and maximizing space. Topics covered include color schemes, area rug placement, design tips, and budgeting as well as focal points, the elements of design, lighting, and accent pieces.

Although MasterClass doesnt technically offer certification, you can still put the class on your resume and decide if you want to invest the time and money into a certificate course. It can also be a great place for beginners to get a grasp of color theory and design concepts, taken by students aspiring to become interior designers or those who just want to make their own home look better.

Interior Design School London

Yet another top-tier school for interior design majors to attend will be the Interior Design School, London. Tuition may well be on the ultra-pricey side, which is why most sites list it as N/A. The school has long been ranked as one of the most vibrant and multicultural in the country. It offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs.

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Is It For You

Interior Design is a major for people who are interested in combining technical knowledge with aesthetic vision to create compelling environments where people live and work. If you are interested in color and form, appreciate visual problem-solving, and have an aptitude for project management, the Interior Design major may be a good fit for you.

Students typically have some of the following qualities:

• Fascination with residential and commercial spaces and how spaces are used
• Artistic creativity in areas like drawing, graphic design, sculpture, photography, textiles, or furniture design
• Interest in sustainability and ecological living
• Highly organized with strong interpersonal communication skills

On The Yin And Yang Of Design And Business

As an active, connected and talented design student, Molly Switzer, AKBD, B.S., Interior Design and B.S., Housing Studies, was ecstatic to land her first job out of college with a reputable design firm in the Portland area. The year, however, was 2008, and Switzer watched wide-eyed as the established business like many businesses large and small or wealth holdings worldwide dissolved into ether, impacted by the Great Recession.

That was a lesson, my first lesson about running your own business. There are no guarantees, said the proprietor of Molly N Switzer Designs LLC, specialized to full residential interiors and kitchen and bath design and remodel.

Mindful of what she saw as the economic condition of the industry and the need for survival, Switzer worked a few positions after that first job collapsed. All brought necessary tools to her toolbox to eventually build her own business.

In time, the designer was ready for her own thing. Leaving the safety and security of a steady post Switzer brought everything including the luxury kitchen sink to her new business.

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Eligibility For Interior Design Courses In Canada After Secondary School

The international student must have the following admission requirements before applying for a diploma in interior design course in Canada:

• Higher Secondary School Certificate awarded by CBSE/Indian School Certificate awarded by CICSE with excellent results including all program requirements or with high standing may also be considered).
• A portfolio showing evidence of creative ability as well as some basic drawing skills.
• Computer/software skills in MS Word and Excel are an asset but not required
• A valid passport
• English Language Scores

What Are The Best Schools For Interior Design

Graduates with a Bachelors degree in Interior Design will be prepared to work in a variety of fields. These include both commercial and residential settings, as self-employed independent contractors or as employees of larger organizations.

If you have a good eye for color and design and are willing to work hard to satisfy clients, a degree in Interior Design might be the right choice for you. Obtaining a degree in Interior Design is not only beneficial to your career, but in some cases is actually a necessity. Many states require certification and the completion of qualifying exams and coursework. Associate degrees are offered by many schools, but Bachelors degrees offer an even better leg up on the competition. Its worth the time spent studying! The average interior designer makes around $50,000 a year as a starting average salary.

So stop reading, and get designing! The colleges listed below are the top fifty colleges for studying interior design and will help you get a jump start on lifelong career success.

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Fashion Institute Of Technology

As one of the best interior design schools, the Fashion Institute of Technology has a solid track record of turning out creative professionals who go on to become successful entrepreneurs and artists. For its interior design program, the magic lies in its emphasis on practical skills and environmental standards through multidisciplinary studies and hands-on projects. Helping students gain proficiency in the latest technology, business, and presentation skillsas well as a firm foundation in the liberal artsis an integral focus of the program, the largest of its kind in New York City. In addition to learning the fundamentals of design history and theory, students will develop a thorough understanding of lighting, computer modeling, and materials.

Though the Fashion Institute of Technologys interior design program is led by top talent, BFA-seeking undergraduates will get some more real-world experience through the two-semester capstone. Here, students are asked to create a design project, which will ultimately be evaluated by a jury of professionals. Throughout the capstone, each student is paired with a faculty member and industry mentor to further enhance their education. Alternatively, the Fashion Institute of Technology also offers a two-year AAS program, which will prepare students for an entry-level position in the industry.

Program: Interior Design

Degree offered: AAS, BFA

CIDA accredited: Yes

Cost: $10,846 out-of-state $3,585 in-state

The Interior Design Institute

This course for interior designing is accredited by the UK learning providers register. This course can teach you a variety of technical skills needed to become a great interior designer.This advanced course for interior designing constitutes twelve modules and an interactive assignment is required in each module.The course is intended to be completed at your own pace. If you study four to six hours a week, it could take you about twenty-four weeks to complete the course.

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Interior Design And Interior Decorating Jobs And Salaries

Interior design and interior decorating programs at Ontario colleges can open up a number of career avenues, depending on your interests. Just a few possible specialties include:

• Home interior design
• Office / corporate interior design
• Architectural interior design

Interior design salaries vary, depending on which specialty you choose and where you practice. Working with interior design firms could mean higher wages in the beginning of your career, before branching off on your own as an interior design consultant or business owner. While salaries may start as low as $26,000 a year, with a reputable clientele or pay-per-project work, you may see a starting salary of $40,000 or more.

Commonly Pursued Majors Minors And Certificates

The major in Interior Design represents about one half of your degree requirements. With the help of your academic advisor, you may be able to combine several areas of interest with additional majors, minors, or certificates. Common examples of minors pursued by Interior Design majors include:

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Florence Design Academy Florence

Courtesy of Florence Design Academy

Located in the heart of Florence, surrounded by historic structures, FDA is considered number one, as it provides top-quality education due to the well-trained and professional teaching staff, of which most of whom are holding senior positions in the top design organizations and private practice in Italy and throughout Europe. State of the art technological advancements is provided to the students, aiding understanding of the discipline.

Whitehouse Institute Of Design Australia

With campuses in Melbourne and Sydney, the Whitehouse Institute of Design is a private Design Institute which has been consistently regarded as one of the best design institutes around the world. The school is ranked as the No.1 school for Interior Design in Australia by Domain and other professional surveys. The institute offers 2 years full-time Bachelor of Design and a 1-year Master of Design in a chosen discipline. In addition to Interior Design, the institute also offer programs in the areas of Fashion Design and Creative Direction & Styling. Whitehouse has a truly global alumni network and a high-profile industry linkage giving students the perfect platform to go global and showcase their talents. The school is home to many distinguished leaders in their respective fields.

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