Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Interior Design

The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree program in Interior Design is structured to prepare students for upper management opportunities in the interior design industry. Students are expected to acquire professional skills and experience while adding depth and breadth to their knowledge of interior design. They are challenged to communicate design ideas, draft space plans, connect current trends with historic patterns, and work with materials used by professional designers. Students also study business practices and develop a portfolio of work that can open doors to interior design careers.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Interior Design is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation. The Council for Interior Design Accreditation is an independent, non-profit accrediting organization for interior design education programs at colleges and universities in the United States and Canada. The Council for Interior Design Accreditation is recognized as a reliable authority on interior design education by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). The CHEA-recognized scope of accreditation is professional level programs in interior design. The IADT Tampa Bachelor's degree program in Interior Design first received accreditation by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (formerly FIDER) in 1992.

Your Interior Design training includes the following courses:

Computer Aided Design
Introduction to Drafting
Architectural Drafting and Detailing
Architectural Construction and Design
Furniture Design
Architectural Construction and Systems
Fundamentals of Design
Freehand and Perspective Drawing
Introduction to Interior Design
Residential Design
Contract Design
Universal Design
Hospitality Design
Contract Interiors
Moving Space
Senior Team Design
Senior Project
Theory and Analysis
Fundamentals of Lighting
History of Interior Design and Architecture I
History of Interior Design and Architecture II
Portfolio and Business Practice
Historic Preservation
Advanced Programming
Professional Interface
Law and Interior Design
Textiles for Interior Design
3D Computer Aided Design

* Curriculum subject to change.

What You Can Learn in the Interior Design Degree Program

Successful graduates of the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Interior Design will have had the opportunity to:

Acquire advanced techniques for developing elevations, sections and details of interior spaces.
Use AutoCAD to produce three-dimensional drawings.
Develop advanced skills in architectural drawing and presentation techniques.
Design and develop furniture drawings and details.
Acquire an understanding of building systems with an emphasis on lighting systems and codes.
Explore critical environmental impacts on human behavior and performance and review human factors, anthropometrics and ergonomics.
Acquire the knowledge and skills to design a complete residential space.
Explore interior design problem solving as it applies to contract projects.
Develop insights to design sensitivity for special populations of all ages.
Develop solutions for a specific major contract design project requiring food service (e.g., country club, hotel, sorority or fraternity house).
Perform design development for specific contract design projects such as community clinic, medical and retail space.
Select, research and develop an interior design for transportation needs of the next century, selecting from planes, trains, boats, space shuttles or other moving spaces.
Be familiarized with the dynamics of working on a team as it applies to a major urban community contract project.
Develop a contract project of major scope and be responsible for its design, delineation and presentation.
Become familiarized with historic buildings, how they are preserved and their value in society.
Develop a working knowledge of light sources, luminaries, electrical control, layout and specifications.
Understand the techniques of concept development, analysis and diagrammatic studies and theory application as related to interior spaces.
Explore interior design and architectural history.
Use advanced programming to develop site analysis, cultural research, codes compliance requirements and preliminary concepts.
Develop a complete portfolio that presents visual examples of interior design solutions to specific spatial problems to a panel for review.
Become aware of laws which affect the interior design profession.
Study the textile industry and its components, and acquire the skills needed to identify properties of natural and man-made fibers and relate this knowledge to interior design applications.
Develop basic business skills and understand the professional practice.
Understand how to prepare a professional portfolio and résumé.