In its 2008 ranking of interior design programs in the United States, "U.S. News and World Report" rated the Pratt Institute No.1. Based in Brooklyn, New York, the private university's urban campus is home to more than 4,700 undergraduate and graduate students. Admission to the school is competitive; less than half of those who apply receive an invitation to enroll, according to the "2009 Barron's Profiles of American Colleges." The university offers a bachelor of fine arts degree in interior design, which includes coursework in light and color, art history, construction systems, lighting design, computer-aided drafting and furniture design. Each semester, students participate in studio courses, where classroom concepts are applied to practical design projects. All students must submit a senior research paper and a design portfolio in order to graduate. The university also grants a master's of science degree in interior design.
Pratt Institute
200 Willoughby Ave.
Brooklyn, NY 11205
718-636-3514
pratt.edu
Founded in 1891, Meredith College is in Raleigh, North Carolina, and has an enrollment of more than 2,200 undergraduate and graduate students. The college's bachelor of science in interior design program includes study of residential, commercial and institutional design principles. Among the classes required for the major are history of interior and furniture, drafting, psychology and sociology of housing, computer-aided drafting, textiles, color theory and western art. Illustration and drawing classes are also featured in the curriculum as well as three studio courses. Students in the interior design program have the opportunity to spend a semester studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Meredith College
3800 Hillsborough St.
Raleigh, NC 27607
919-760-8581
meredith.edu
A public institution, California State University at Fresno is home to more than 22,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The university grants a bachelor of arts degree in interior design that provides training in residential, hospital and commercial design. The curriculum features classes in building codes, space planning, computer-aided drafting, lighting and restoration and preservation. All students participate in school-sponsored design exhibitions and competitions. In addition, a design tour course is required, which involves weekly visits to sites throughout California to observe examples of design principles taught in other courses. Internships are available at local design firms, and students have the options to participate in study abroad programs in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, China and Southeast Asia.
California State University at Fresno
5150 N. Maple
Fresno, CA 93740
559-278-2261
csufresno.edu