Are you creative, artistic and business-minded? Would you like to help people improve the quality of their lives? Do you tend to pay attention to your surroundings? Do you like to redesign your personal space?
Consider a career in Interior Design. Interior designers create the spaces in which people live, work, play, eat, learn and heal.
Degree Offered
- BFA in Interior Design
About Interior Design
The BFA in Interior Design at Converse is a professional degree that prepares students to create beautifully functional, healthy and safe interior environments. You will develop manual and digital expertise in graphic visualization and presentation, and build an extensive knowledge base of current products and practices in use by design professionals.
The interior design program leading to the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation, 206 Grandville Avenue, Suite 350, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503.
The CIDA-accredited program prepares students for entry-level interior design practice, for advanced study, and to apply for membership in professional interior design organizations. The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design degree granted by Converse College meets the educational requirement for eligibility to sit for the National Council for Interior Design Qualification Examination (NCIDQ Exam). Visit here for more information about NCIDQ Exam eligibility visit.
- We are accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA)
- Our students win regional and national interior design competitions
- Graduates of our program practice across the USA, enter graduate programs, become NCIDQ certified, and are LEED GA accredited designers
- Our Interior Design studios are equipped with industry-standard design software, a plotter and private storage spaces.
- Our internships allow students to engage with professionals and learn while working in the field
- Interior design professors are professionals with successful private practice experience
Our course schedules are customized so students can meet and travel together to attend professional activities. Students network with interior designers, lighting designers and product experts at businesses and showrooms in The Upstate. Our students attend industry meetings and conferences, and are encouraged to join professional organizations.
Internships
Every interior design major has the opportunity to participate in a professional design work experience with an interior design or architectural firm. Students are often recruited for full-time positions upon graduation by employers they have interned with. You’ll be confident to intern at any design firm in the country with a competitive résumé and portfolio.
Our interior design students have interned at businesses including:
- Milliken Floor Coverings
- LS3P, Inc.
- Resort Interiors
- Fluor Enterprises, Inc.
- Signature Kitchens
- Swallowtail Architecture
- C. Taylor Interiors, Inc
- Preston Design Collaborative
- Young Office
- SGA Architecture
- Compass Office Solutions
- H. Hendy Associates
BFA in Interior Design
The studio sequence along with meaningful interactions with interior designers, architects and lighting experts, prepares you for the real world of interior design practice. You will study art, design, history and technology and learn to use the creative process to solve complex problems. Our interior design alumni consistently recruit for internships and full-time jobs from our program.
The curriculum includes specialized courses in colors, textiles, lighting, materials, design history, construction documents, computer technology, and business practices that support the core studios and provide a well-rounded interior design education. An exhibit of your work is part of your senior coursework. Student work is exhibited throughout Milliken Fine Arts Building year-round.
Use of software and internet research is an important component of all interior design courses. Interior Design majors are required to have their own laptop computers.
Learn about Laptop and Software Requirements for Interior Design Majors
BFA in Interior Design Major Worksheet
For full course requirements, see the Department of Art & Design section of the academic catalog.
Our alumni are employed by interior design firms, architecture and engineering firms, office furniture dealerships, manufacturers of interiors’ products, facility design/real estate properties departments, and retail showrooms.
- 100% of our 2017 Interior Design graduates had a job in their field either at graduation or within six months.
- The Human Resources manager at Web-Don, Inc. described our students as “exceptionally smart and focused students….rock stars…No wonder you have such a high placement rate.”
Residential Design: Designed using AutoCAD and SketchUp Pro
Adaptive Reuse: Textile mill into condominium complex
Institutional Design using Autodesk Revit
Graduating Class of 2018
Retention/Attrition
- 100% of freshmen interior design majors continued to their second year.
- 88.9% of freshmen interior design majors graduated; 100% of these students graduated within 4 years.
- Transfer students completed less than 4 years on campus.
Student Achievement and Outcomes
- 100% of interior design students completed an internship.
- 50% worked part time in the interior design field during their senior year.
- 83% were employed in the interior design field within three months after graduation.
- 100% of students were employed within eight months after graduation.
- No students applied to graduate programs.
Data collected from institutional records and program reports.
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