Design a Fascinating Career with an Interior Architecture Degree

The four-year professional bachelor’s degree in Interior Architecture (BIA) is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD). The Interior Architecture degree is intended for students who will pursue a career as a licensed interior architect/designer or advanced study in the field of interior architecture. To become a licensed interior architect, most states require completion of an accredited degree, experience hours, and National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) exams administered by the Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ).

Students who have completed the BIA program and wish to continue their studies at Marywood are eligible for 41 credits of advanced standing in the Master of Interior Architecture program. 

Focused on acquiring the skills needed to design interiors, buildings, and their environments, this accredited degree option trains students to create the specific character of spaces for human use and enjoyment. Interior architects must understand the important role of materials, colors, textures, and light in the creation of interior spaces that respond to the physical, social, psychological, and cultural needs of building inhabitants.

Interior Architecture students benefit from a professional curriculum that requires:

• Eight sequential semesters of design studios steadily growing in complexity from beginning studio to a comprehensive interior design project
• Building science courses covering topics in building systems, environmental science, and renewable energy sources
• Hybrid representation courses, including skill building in animation, digital and physical model making, digital rendering, fabrication, and hand drawing
• History and theory courses that explore the different influences that have shaped the built environment
• Program electives ranging from furniture design to urban ecologies
• Semester abroad in Italy studying with ISI Florence (International Studies Institute) in the Palazzo Rucellai