Interior Design

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design is a studio-based program focused on creating conceptually driven, critical, holistic three-dimensional spaces. In this major, the principles of space, form, color and light serve as the foundations of your studies. Investigations of building codes, materials, construction methods and documentation will complement studies in the history of interior environments, design theory, business procedures and current professional movements. While in the program you will have the chance to participate in study abroad opportunities in a variety of locations such as Italy, Qatar and England.

Your work will engage sustainability issues and inclusive design practice to ensure spaces are accessible to everyone. Our relationships with design firms nationwide offer opportunities and access to professional critiques, visiting designers and site visits. You will gain valuable practical experience through a required internship in an interior design or architecture firm. Upon graduation, a majority of students enter the field or pursue graduate programs in architecture, graphic design and industrial design.

The Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design program is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA).

Some classes you might take in this major:

• Interior Design Studio
• Interior Graphics – Hand and Digital
• Light and Color in Interior Environments
• Construction Documents
• Building Systems

Our alumni are:

• Commercial designers
• Hospitality designers
• Residential designers
• Museum and exhibition designers
• Lighting designers

We are proud of our BFA student successes! Surveying the Class of 2021 (88% response rate), you’ll find:

• Job Placement: 93% of the students who graduated in May 2021 were part of the design profession within one year of graduation. Of those, 79% were employed as full-time designers, and 14% were furthering their design studies in graduate school.
• 100% Acceptance into Graduate Programs: All five students from the May 2021 graduating class who applied to graduate school were accepted.
• Graduation Rates: 84% of the students from the class of 2021 graduated within four years.
• Retention/Attrition: 95% of the students completing the 2019-20 academic year returned for the 2020-21 academic year.

For more information about the BFA in Interior Design program, please download our booklet (.PDF).

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 granted by Virginia Commonwealth University meets the educational requirement for eligibility to sit for the National Council for Interior Design Qualification Examination (NCIDQ Exam).

For more information about NCIDQ Exam eligibility visit: https://www.cidq.org/eligibility-requirements.