Interior Design

Program Mission

The mission of the Interior Design program is to prepare students to enter the field of interior design as skilled designers, creative thinkers, professional leaders and responsible citizens. We cultivate students who acknowledge their responsibilities to the safety and well-being of the public and the stewardship of the environment to lead a multifaceted profession in an ever-changing world. The curriculum combines a studio-based design sequence with broad liberal arts study and experiential learning. Paired with a well-established professional co-op, the coursework is structured to build upon the fundamentals of interior design and to anticipate and reflect change in a continually evolving industry. The program encourages exploration and experimentation that fosters life-long learners who will contribute to the profession and the discipline’s body of knowledge.

What is Interior Design? 

Drexel's top-flight Interior Design major is a studio-based undergraduate program that trains the next generation of creative thinkers for the Interior Design industry. 

The Interior Design program explores the behavioral, technological, environmental, and aesthetic aspects of interior design within the context of increasingly more complex design projects. Combined with art and art history, and general education requirements, a core of interior design courses creates a unique education at the forefront of design. Through academics grounded in problem-solving design studios, cooperative employment and a dedicated faculty, the Interior Design program prepares students for leadership positions in the industry. Students are prepared to enter the field of interior design as skilled designers, creative thinkers, professional leaders, and responsible citizens. The Interior Design program is consistently ranked among the top programs in the country and in the survey by DesignIntelligence of "America's Best Design Schools." 

The BS in Interior Design program is CIDA (Council for Interior Design Accreditation) and NASAD (National Association of Schools of Art & Design) accredited.  

Students in Drexel’s Interior Design undergraduate program receive a bachelor of science degree from one of the nation’s top universities located in the United States’ sixth largest city, Philadelphia.  A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Philadelphia has a rich cultural and vibrant design scene. 

Why Study Interior Design at Drexel? 

The Interior Design program at Drexel is uniquely situated to offer the best education and career opportunities. Students benefit from gifted peers, outstanding faculty, world class facilities, and an unmatched depth of resources. Our highly ranked, CIDA-accredited program is supported by a top university with a distinctive vision, and we maintain a principal position within the academic and professional worlds. Interior Design at Drexel is characterized by a focus on human experience, explorations of materials and form, commitment to a sustainable future, and a rigorous professional training. 

Students participate in a vigorous learning environment through hands-on making, conceptual exploration, and engagement with their faculty and peers. The program engages both the process and products of design and recognizes that ideas involve aesthetics, function, ethics, environmental stewardship, human well being, technology and the realities of the marketplace. The program embraces visual studies, providing a foundation of design knowledge, and integrates social science research and methods that inform human-centered designs. 

For current activities and student work check out what is going on via INSTAGRAM. 

Through a series of courses offered in the freshman and sophomore years, students will explore the challenges facing our industry and learn how to implement inclusive, responsible, and sustainable solutions in their design process. The fusion of art, design, science, technology, and critical thinking serves as a springboard to solve problems for the 21st century.  This transdisciplinary approach requires flexibility and focus.  

After completing classroom instruction through the University’s cooperative education program, Interior Design students complete a six-month co-op experience.  Students are working full-time at major design firms, manufacturers, showrooms and dealerships at national and international locations.  Cooperative education offers invaluable opportunities for students to explore and participate in the Interior Design industry’s wide variety of career opportunities.  

Many students spend a term studying abroad during their junior year in the world’s great design capitals, including London, England, Paris France and Rome, Italy. Students can also choose from a range of intensive courses abroad (ICA) offered by our Architecture, Design & Urbanism department.  Past locations have included South Korea, Australia, Germany, Spain, Netherlands, Venice, Florence, and Jamacia.   Additionally, students may participate in any ICA offered by Drexel. 

Critiques by visiting professionals are included in all upper level courses and provide valuable “real world” input as well as future career connections. Students are taught to think globally throughout their student career and culminates in the Senior Project three-term courses.  These are the final studio courses melding individual interests with research to solve unique world problems.   Students present and defend their projects at the end of Spring term to a panel of professional jurors and faculty for critique and feedback. 

Each year, Interior Design students submit their designs to national and international competitions, such as HOK Design Futures, Jacobs Engineering Student Competition, American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) student competition, International Interior Design Association (IIDA), Network of Executives in Hospitality (NEWH) Student competition, Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW) Student competition  and the Donghia Competition — one of the largest Interior Design scholarship programs with an award of $30,000.  There is not a lack of competitions for our students to enter and win! 

What Skills Will You Learn in an Interior Design Undergraduate Program?

Students who pursue a major in Interior Design will learn skills, such as: 

• Strong visualization and graphic skills
• Concept development and design principles
• Responsible design/sustainable design
• Understand the principles, processes, and responsibilities that define interior design and its value to society
• Express ideas effectively and be good communicators
• Produce complete design solutions that integrate furnishings, products, materials, and finishes
• Solve problems employing history of interiors, architecture, decorative arts, and art
• Apply human experience/behavior in designing the built environment
• Design research
• Collaboration/participation in interdisciplinary teams
• Identify, understand, and synthesize industry trajectories
• Problem-solving/critical thinking
• 3D design - utilizing a variety of software programs
• Professional presentation and time management skills
• Knowledge of Adobe Photoshop, InDesign & Illustrator
• 2D and 3D design software programs
  

To learn more about the skills taught throughout the Interior Design program, visit the curriculum page. 

Facilities for Interior Design Majors 

Interior Design majors are housed in the URBN Center, Westphal’s state-of-the-art facility, with well-equipped, spacious studios available to students 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Students have access to an extensive array of high-tech equipment and software for their design work, including: 

• Building Information Modeling (BIM/Revit) Software
• 3D printers
• Laser cutters
• AI-related platforms

The Hybrid Making Lab is available to all Westphal students for making and collaborating on projects.  Students acquire detailed knowledge about productions, advanced technologies in design, collaborative design, materials and processes, and the presentation of their projects.  

Career Opportunities with an Interior Design Degree 

Students who complete their bachelor of science in Interior Design from Drexel have the opportunity to pursue job opportunities in a variety of roles and industries, such as: 

• Interior designer
• Project manager
  
• Commercial design
• Hospitality design
• Healthcare design
• Sport venue design
• Facilities design (i.e. Google, Apple, Disney)
• Government agencies (Federal, State, Local)
• Institutional design
• Residential design
• Exhibition design
• Set design
• Kitchen and bath design
• Real Estate
• Manufacturer's Representative
• Showrooms
• Construction industry
• Product development/furniture design
• Creative director
• Design research

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