When considering a career in interior design, it’s important to choose a design education that fits your creative vision and learning style. Design education rankings are a useful tool in choosing a program and these rankings seek to identify the best interior design programs based on survey information from both interior design professionals and students. The biggest “specialties” that most interior design students will distinguish in the course of their education is between Residential and Contract/Commercial design. There are also specialties, such as kitchen and bathroom design, textiles or colors, etc. – but there aren’t majors in these fields, per se. Rather, they’re just part of an overall program which interior design students may choose to study through required or elective classes.
Interior Design students can pursue certifications, BAs, BFAs, MAs and MFAs, Besides the programs listed above, some institutions offer non-credit programs or workshops. You may even be able to take education on a non-matriculated basis. But in order to become a professional in the field of Interior Design, one has to pass the two-day exam given by NCIDQ. In most states, passing this exam is required in order to become licensed or certified. In some states you cannot even call yourself an interior designer unless you have passed the test. This is the direction the profession is moving and the importance of being state-certified is generally recognized. There is no ranking of interior design education or programs. But there are directories and websites that rate schools according to their competitiveness. A student’s education is only as good as the person passing on the knowledge. The credentials of a program’s faculty are very important when one is evaluating schools. Check the school’s catalog for a listing of faculty and their education, and determine:
- How many faculty members there are in relation to the number of students
- How many of them are actively involved or working within the industry
- What is the educational background of faculty members.
Another important indication of a education success is the how its students do in design competitions that are sponsored throughout the year by a various firms and organizations.
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