Interior Design

Undergraduate Interior Design

Click Graduate Interior Design for information specific to graduate Interior Design.

Lynn M. Jones, chair

Career Opportunities Commercial interior designer, exhibit designer, facilities manager, graduate student, hospitality designer, lighting designer, residential interior designer, retail designer, sales representative, set designer, space planner, teacher, universal design specialist.

Disciplines and Degrees The Department of Interior Design offers a combined B.F.A./M.I.D. degree in Interior Design . The combined degree offering is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation, CIDA. The undergraduate phase of the program is offered through the Women’s College or through the Undergraduate School at the Atlanta location. Online courses may be required. This section of the Catalog addresses the undergraduate phase. The graduate phase is offered at the Atlanta location. The Residential Planning (B.A.) is only open to students who do not advance into the graduate level of the combined B.F.A./M.I.D. program.

Courses with labs may incur a lab materials fee in addition to tuition charges.

Accreditation The combined B.F.A./M.I.D. program is the only program certified by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA). Students must complete both the BFA and MID coursework in order to receive the Council for Interior Design Accreditation certified degree. The degrees are only awarded simultaneously; students may not graduate with only a B.F.A. in interior design. The combined degrees are a professional practice designation.

Mission The Interior Design Department of Brenau University’s supports the four Learning Portals of the Institutional Strategic Plan and is committed to the goals set forth in the University’s mission statement and principles of practice. The mission of the department, consistent with the University’s stated mission, is to provide excellence in interior design education in a student-centered environment grounded in a liberal arts tradition that prepares students to practice interior design in the 21st century.

Program Philosophy The interior design program endorses the definition of interior design as defined by the National Council for Interior Design Qualifications:

Interior design is a multi-faceted profession in which creative and technical solutions are applied within a structure to achieve a built interior environment. These solutions are functional, enhance the quality of life and culture of the occupants and are aesthetically attractive. Designs are created in response to and coordinated with the building shell and acknowledge the physical location and social context of the project. Designs must adhere to code and regulatory requirements and encourage the principles of environmental sustainability. The interior design process follows a systematic and coordinated methodology, including research, analysis and integration of knowledge into the creative process, whereby the needs and resources of the client are satisfied to produce an interior space that fulfills the project goals.

Interior design includes a scope of services performed by a professional design practitioner, qualified by means of education, experience and examination, to protect and enhance the life, health, safety and welfare of the public.

Brenau University’s interior design program in support of this definition believes that

Interior design education is available to all, regardless of previous experiences or innate talent.
Interior design graduates receive a strong foundation in the visual arts, art history and aesthetics.
Interior design graduates possess a broad focus in a variety of design fields, styles and solutions
Interior design graduates acquire strong oral communication skills enhanced by the ability to rationally describe design solutions.
Where possible, real-life problems shall be incorporated in the curriculum to inspire practical design solutions.

Educational Outcomes The specific educational outcomes for the interior design program are as follows:

Demonstrate evidence of a global perspective and ability to weigh design decisions within the parameters of ecological, socio-economics and cultural contexts.
Demonstrate ability to apply human factors data and the theories of behavioral science to design solutions.
Demonstrate ability to apply critical thinking and the design process to creative problem solving within the interior environment.
Demonstrate ability to produce drawings from ideation through contract documents using a variety of media, techniques and technology.
Demonstrate knowledge of professional ethics and business practices.
Demonstrate knowledge of the history of interiors, architecture and art.
Demonstrate ability to apply the principles and elements of design in two-dimensional and three-dimensional projects.
Demonstrate ability to select and specify furniture, fixtures, equipment and finish materials in interior spaces.
Demonstrate knowledge of building systems and interior construction methods and materials.
Demonstrate ability to apply knowledge of laws, codes and standards that impact the design of interior spaces.
Demonstrate ability to express ideas clearly in oral and written communication.

Course of Study A BFA in interior design shall consist of 12 hours in art and design foundation courses, 6 hours in art history and 52 hours of interior design courses, as well as successful completion of the sophomore graduate entry portfolio review. Additionally, students are only awarded the BFA in interior design upon completion of the MID requirements as listed in the graduate section of the Catalog.

In addition to the requirements listed below, students are reminded that all majors will demonstrate oral and written communication competency within the context of writing and/or speech intensive courses in the major. Students enrolled in the Interior Design Program are required to obtain a laptop computer capable of running CADD by fall semester of the sophomore year. See the Interior Design Student Handbook for minimum specifications.

Graduate Interior Design

Through the College of Fine Arts & Humanities, the Interior Design Department offers the Interior Design major with the degrees of Master of Fine Arts and a combined Bachelor of Fine Arts and a Master of Interior Design.

Master of Interior Design (combined with Bachelor of Fine Arts)

The graduate courses are offered at the Atlanta campus location and may require online coursework. Students who proceed into the M.I.D. program from the Women’s College will receive a Women’s College B.F.A. degree. Students proceeding into the M.I.D. program from Evening and Weekend Studies will receive a B.F.A. degree from the university. All M.I.D. degrees are awarded from the university.

Purpose The graduate portion of the B.F.A./M.I.D., certified by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA), focuses on advanced design specialties and professional development skills in business and social-psychology. Students are challenged to create a graduate interior design problem and solve that problem through complex design analysis and synthesis. As a capstone requirement, students must successfully defend their graduate studio problem and solution which includes the presentation of the student’s studio graduate project to a faculty committee. ID 690, Internship, may be simultaneously completed during the student’s graduate level course of study. Students must also complete ID 728, Portfolio Review and attend the M.I.D. Student Exhibition.

Admissions Requirements
Because the Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees are awarded simultaneously, all students will initially enroll through the undergraduate program either in the Women’s College or the University and meet the residency requirement for the undergraduation portaion of the program. At least two semesters prior to graduate work, students will complete a graduate entry portfolio review to determine their status for continuing onto the graduate level program. At that time students must

Pass a portfolio review by the interior design faculty members
Maintain a 3.0 GPA overall and a 3.0 GPA in their interior design coursework. (Does not include art and design foundation courses.)
Additionally, all applicants must meet the following criteria for acceptance into the graduate level program at the end of their senior year.
Completion of the Bachelor’s Degree portion of the program
Possess a 3.0 cumulative undergraduate GPA and a 3.0 GPA in interior design related coursework. (Does not include art and design foundation courses.)

Master of Fine Arts

The M.F.A. in Interior Design prepares students to teach at the college level and develop evidence-based design skills bridging practice and research. Students explore current issues in the interior design profession and develop skills to effectively communicate these issues to future students. Graduates develop and teach an undergraduate interior design course, form a research topic, prepare a thesis derived from their evidence-based research and display their final design and teaching portfolios at the MFA/MID Student Exhibition.

Program Expected Learning Outcomes Upon completion of the Master of Fine Arts, students will be able to

Demonstrate knowledge and techniques for evidence-based research and apply to a design.
Research, plan, implement and assess undergraduate interior design courses.
Demonstrate critical thinking skills as related to design analysis and project solutions.
Demonstrate links between professional practice and design research
Demonstrate knowledge of critical issues in design education and research
Exhibit competency in written and oral communication and visual literacy.

Admissions Requirements Standards as per Admissions-Graduate requirements plus

Official transcript from all post-secondary institutions attended
Design Portfolio. This can be presented digitally or in person. Suggested contents are included in admissions literature.
Professional resume

Note: – Preference will be given to candidates with a/an

Interior design degree accredited by CIDA
GPA of 3.0 or better
Professional work experience
NCIDQ certification

Assistantship Program Limited assistantships are available. Contact the department chair for details. Application deadline is April 15th for students enrolling summer semester, June 15th for those enrolling fall semester and November 15th for those enrolling spring semester.