Education Online - Online Degrees, Career Training, Continuing Education News & Articles by IEducationblogs.com

Is a Degree In Interior Design Right for You?

Do you love to experiment with decorating your home’s interior? Have an eye for color? Perhaps you are interested in earning a degree in interior design, but you’d like to learn more about just what the course requirements might be.

There are two programs you will need to take a look at: a four-year program and a two-year one.

Either degree will involve studying a variety of subjects from general ed courses – math, English, literature, and the like – to more specific art and interior design courses. Areas specific to the designing of interiors include analysis, contract planning, sketching, drafting, and design.

The following are short descriptions of the two degree options:

Courses in interior design in a two-year program are similar in scope to four-year degrees; you’ll take classes in history of design, two-dimensional and three-dimensional design, space planning, drafting, drawing, furniture design, visual presentation, color, architecture, building codes, digital tools, design research, lighting design, and more.

A four-year program will result in a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. You will study for your career by taking courses you will need to begin: architecture, computer-assisted drawing (CAD), communications, color, design concepts, graphics, an dart history. Additional courses will include textiles for the consumer, advanced architectural materials, construction documents, municipal codes and lighting, blueprint reading, and interior design drawing and interior systems.

You can easily transition from a two-year program to a four-year one; the courses are quite similar, so they will, in all likelihood, be transferable credits. A two-year program offers the basic background you need to complete your four-year degree.

To graduate from a two-year program, you will need to earn between 45 and 60 credit hours in interior design, while you will be required to take 51 to 98 credit hours of specific design courses to earn your four-year degree. Additionally, general education degree requirements range from 15 hours for a two-year program to about 50 hours for a four-year degree.

It would be to your advantage to take part in any internship available through your school. Internship programs are designed to supplement your classroom experiences to provide you with the real-world experience you will need to find a job once you have graduated.