Interior Design
Interior Design Course Descriptions
The Interior Design program at UIW offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Interior Design and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in Interior Merchandising and Management. Interior design is the art and science of understanding people's behavior to their environment in order to create functional spaces within a building. With an emphasis on the environment and behavior interaction, the design process combined with the latest technology will develop students' skills. During the second semester of the sophomore year, students participate in a portfolio review obtaining valuable feedback from industry professionals as to their strengths and weaknesses.
The B.F.A. in Interior Design is a Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) accredited program which provides a marketable, hands-on education that prepares students for entry level positions upon graduation and encourages them along a professional path that includes Council for Interior Design Qualifications (NCIDQ) certification and registration through the state of Texas as a Registered Interior Design (RID). Students, like professional interior designers, are challenged to identify, research, and creatively solve problems relative to the function and quality of the interior environment.
Interior designers apply creative and technical solutions within structures that are functional, attractive and beneficial to the occupants' expressed wants and needs, quality of life, and culture. Designs
respond to and coordinate 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 B.A. Interior Merchandising and Management has four separate concentrations: 1. Business Administration, 2. Management, 3. Marketing, and 4. Merchandising. Each concentration engages the student with an interior design focus for the first two years and then a business focus the remaining years. This major is for those who are more interested in the business or retail side of the interior design field. While interior design is an art and a science, it is also a business that must be run in an appropriate manner to maintain clientele and profits. The four concentration options allow students to follow their interests, and, with their background in interior design and business, to enter the interior design field in a wide range of positions: office managers, department managers, merchandisers, sales representatives, specification writers, coordination specialists, and more.