Co-op/
Internship Encouraged
Salary and Career Info
Interior Design BFA
The interior design degree establishes you as an expert in creating human-centered environments and understanding the relationship between people and their physical surroundings.
Program skills
The Interior Design curriculum provides an understanding of three-dimensional concepts as they relate to space, function and aesthetic resolution. Students gain excellent interpersonal, communication and presentation skills through group interaction and teaming. Students are exposed to color and lighting theory, materials specifications, business and career practices, universal design, ADA and sustainability as well as technical knowledge in building construction methods, passive and active environmental control systems, building codes and construction documents. Studio coursework includes residential, hospitality, retail, office, healthcare, multi-story/multi-purpose design and special topics, which may be community-based, charitable or socially relevant projects.
Program facilities equipment
The interior design studio has a dedicated studio workspace and lecture area. A reference library, media center, photographic equipment, and imaging sciences labs for computer output are available along with access to lighting and color labs. 3D printing, Imaging System Lab, state-of-the-art plotting center, and Construct Lab. Computer labs are equipped with Macintosh and PC systems. The software includes AutoCAD, Revit, Trimble SketchUp, Shaderlight, Vectorworks, Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop.
Program job titles
Commercial Designer; Customer Service Representative; Design Consultant; Educational Designer; Gallery Exhibitioner; Healthcare Designer; Hotel and Hospitality Designer; Interior Design Associate; Interior Designer; Interior Detailing Design Associate; Junior Interior Designer; Occupancy Planner; Office Designer; Project Manager; Render Specialist; Retail Designer; Set and Exhibit Designer; Showroom Design Consultant
Select program hiring partners
VP Supply Corp; Osterlund Architects; LaBella Associates PC; Kramer+Marks Architects; Hunt Engineers; Architects & Land Surveyors PC; Daltile; CPL; 1849 Design; Arhaus Furniture; Best Tile; Buffalo Office Interiors; Clark Patterson Lee; Corning Incorporated; Ferguson Enterprises, LLC.; Gensler; Marc-Michaels Interior Design; Sedgwick Business Interiors; Staach; The H. Chambers Company
100%
Outcome Rates for Interior Design BFA
Total percentage of graduates who have entered the workforce, enrolled in full-time graduate study, or are pursuing alternative plans (military service, volunteering, etc.).
80%
Knowledge Rate
Total percentage of graduates for whom RIT has verifiable data, compared to national average knowledge rate of 41% per NACE.
| Outcome | % of Students |
|---|---|
| Employed | 87.50% |
| Full-time Graduate Study | 0% |
| Alternative Plans | 12.50% |
Accreditation
The interior design program maintains accreditation from the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA), which includes student achievement data.
The interior design program leading to a bachelor of fine arts degree is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation, www.accredit-id.org, 206 Cesar E. Chavez Ave. SW, Suite 350, Grand Rapids, MI 49503.
The CIDA-accredited program prepares students for entry-level interior design practice, for advanced study, and to apply for membership in professional interior design organizations. The bachelor of fine arts degree granted by Rochester Institute of Technology meets the educational requirement for eligibility to sit for the National Council for Interior Design Qualification Examination (NCIDQ Exam). For more information about NCIDQ Exam eligibility visit: https://www.cidq.org/eligibility-requirements.
Experiential Learning
Cooperative Education and Internships
What’s different about an RIT education? It’s the career experience you gain by completing cooperative education and internships with top companies in every single industry. You’ll earn more than a degree. You’ll gain real-world career experience that sets you apart. It’s exposure–early and often–to a variety of professional work environments, career paths, and industries.
Co-ops and internships take your knowledge and turn it into know-how. An art and design co-op provides hands-on experience that enables you to apply your artistic capabilities in dynamic professional settings while you make valuable connections between classwork and real-world applications.
Cooperative education, internships, and other experiential learning opportunities are encouraged for students in the BFA in interior design.
Creative Industry Day
RIT’s Office of Career Services and Cooperative Education hosts Creative Industry Day, which connects students majoring in art, design, film and animation, photography, and select computing majors with companies, organizations, creative agencies, design firms, and more. You'll be able to network with company representatives and interview directly for open co-op and permanent employment positions.