Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Architecture

UNC Greensboro offers the only Interior Architecture and Design (IAD) B.F.A. degree among public universities in the state. This four-year CIDA-accredited studio-intensive professional program allows you to focus on more art and design coursework than your peers at other schools, giving you more time to explore and hone your craft. IAD classes focus on understanding materials, finishes, furnishings, manufactured objects and products, buildings, context, human behavior, and human development.

Interior Architecture and Design PROGRAM DISTINCTIONS

• UNCG’s IAD program is accredited by the Council for Interior Design and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design.
• Our IAD professors regularly receive university-wide teaching and mentorship awards for their dedication to student success. 
• A key component of the IAD degree program is community-engaged design, which promotes social, psychological, health, and ecological well-being.

Real-World Learning Opportunities

UNCG’s IAD program is CIDA-certified for our emphasis on hands-on learning. You’ll benefit from expanded time spent working in our state-of-the-art studio spaces, internships and professional experiences, and opportunities to engage nationally and globally with professionals and their practices in the field. A required internship experience plus coursework on professional practice in interior architecture further ready you for careers in the field. 

Our leading real-world learning opportunity is our Center for Community-Aided Design (CCAD) and Main Street Fellows program. You can put design into practice for real communities, learning and making impactful designs that improve real lives. You’ll graduate ready to build on this powerful foundation, bringing your own creativity and energy to the fore in professional practice. 

THE Interior Architecture STUDENT EXPERIENCE

• Enjoy your own individual workspace in our premier studio facility, enhancing your creative life and work.
• Access state-of-the-art design and building equipment, software, and facilities. IAD offers:
  • Computer-aided making (CAM) facilities for digital prototyping.
  • A fully equipped woodshop for working with materials.
  • A computer lab with the latest design software.
• Experience interior design in diverse environments, with ample faculty-led opportunities to explore design centers and exhibitions around the country.
• Join inspiring IAD faculty-led study abroad opportunities to places such as Italy, Greece, India, Spain, and throughout Western Europe.

AFTER GRADUATIng with your BFA in Interior Architecture and Design

• IAD boasts a graduate job placement rate of more than 95 percent. 
• Our students find employment with firms specializing in interior design, architecture, and related fields such as graphics, furniture, preservation, home furnishings, museums and exhibition, lighting, and more.
• Many IAD students choose to pursue graduate study at prominent national and international institutions.
• Potential career paths include:
  • Interior design and architecture
  • Furniture and product design
  • Historic preservation
  • Residential design
  • Corporate design
  • Hospitality design

preparing for a career in Interior Architecture and Design

UNCG’s BFA in Interior Architecture and Design degree develops your perspective and practice as a fully rounded design professional with ample creative and intellectual accomplishments. By exposing you to professional experiences locally, nationally, and globally, you’ll develop an advanced outlook on trends and best practices in the industry. And our program’s focus on community-engaged design ensures that your work will make a genuine impact, centering real people and their health, safety, and welfare needs in the built environment.  

Because our program places a heavier emphasis on studio time than many other schools, you’ll develop more than just physical forms. You’ll master the process of translating idea into form, through an intensive cycle of project development that emphasizes creativity, intellectual engagement, and self-critique as part of the process of designing spaces for people to thrive in. This ensures you’ll graduate well equipped for a range of architectural and design-related careers, exemplifying UNCG’s reputation as a developer of thoughtful, engaged, forward-thinking design professionals ready to create changemaking spaces.  

Accreditation and Professional Readiness

The BFA in Interior Architecture and Design is a Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA)-certified program, qualifying you to sit for the National Council for Interior Design Qualification Examination (NCIDQ). This essential qualification for a successful design career validates your expertise and promotes your skills in interior design, distinguishing you from your peers and elevating your professional visibility. You’ll also gain professional membership in the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), further expanding your professional network and solidifying your reputation as an outstanding design professional.

FAQs about the bfa in Interior Architecture and Design

APPLY TO IAD

In addition to the general application to UNC Greensboro, the IAD degree program requires a secondary application, which includes:

• Application form.
• One-page personal statement.
• Piece of original visual work.
• Short video introduction. 
• Transfer students must also submit a portfolio and unofficial transcript to be considered for advanced placement in the program.

You can find more detailed information on the IAD admissions process and requirements here.

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