The Chesapeake campus of Tidewater Community College offers two programs for students interested in interior design, an Associate's degree and a Career Studies certificate. The Associate of Applied Science degree in Interior Design takes four semesters plus one summer session to complete. In addition to courses in interior design topics such as drafting, design skills, and the history of design, students must also complete general education courses such as English, math, and public speaking. Graduates of this program can go on to further their education, work in design firms and retail outlets, or start their own businesses. The Career Studies certificate in Design requires two semesters of full-time study and focuses strictly on interior design skills. Students who complete this program may go on to find entry-level employment in retail design or further their education by pursuing the Associate's degree.
Tidewater Community College, Chesapeake Campus
1428 Cedar Road
Chesapeake, VA 23322
757-822-5100
tcc.edu/welcome/locations/chesapeake/index.htm
Radford University in Radford, Virginia, offers a Bachelor's degree in Interior Design. Students are assessed on their basic skills after the first year and must pass a portfolio review at the end of the second year in order to be formally admitted to the major. During the third year, students prepare for the 120-hour internship they will complete during the following summer. Students share what they learned upon returning to campus as part of their culminating portfolio. Throughout the program, students have the opportunity to travel throughout the country and abroad to see sites such as museums and design centers.
Radford University
801 East Main Street
Radford, VA 24142
540-831-5386
id-f.asp.radford.edu
Marymount University, a Catholic university in Arlington, Virginia, offers Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Interior Design. The Master's program offers two tracks-one for students with a Bachelor's degree in a design field and another for students whose undergraduate degree is in an unrelated field. Both graduate degrees require a thesis project on some aspect of design. For undergraduates, one of the most important degree requirements is an internship that is completed in either the junior or senior year. Nearby Washington, D.C., provides a wealth of choices for internship placement as well as an active community of design professionals to serve as mentors to students. Beyond the city, undergraduates have the opportunity to take design courses in English while studying abroad in Denmark, Italy, or the U.K.
Marymount University
2807 North Glebe Road
Arlington, VA 22207
703-522-5600
marymount.edu/academic/artandsci/id/
Virginia Tech offers Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral programs in Interior Design through its School of Architecture and Design. Bachelor's candidates complete an intensive Foundation Program in their first year alongside architecture and industrial design students, allowing the students to gain knowledge and collaborate across disciplines. As upperclassmen, undergraduate students have the opportunity to participate in semester-long studio programs in locales as diverse as Switzerland and urban Chicago. The two graduate programs in Interior Design offered by Virginia Tech--the Master of Science in Architecture with an emphasis on Interior Design and the PhD in Architecture and Design Research--are for students who already have a professional degree in Interior Design and wish to prepare for a career in teaching at the university level or conducting research in the field. Admission to the PhD program is limited to students who have already completed a Master's degree in Interior Design or a related subject.
Virginia Tech
School of Architecture and Design
201 Cowgill Hall (0205)
Blacksburg, VA 24061
540-231-5383
archdesign.vt.edu