Interior Design – What to Consider When Choosing a School

If you’re thinking about enrolling in an interior design school, there are a few things you should consider. Your choice of school will determine a lot about your future career, so making sure you find the right one is essential.

Credentials

When researching interior design schools, bear in mind that there are a lot of them out there. However, not all interior design schools are created equal. To know the differences, the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA)—a nationally recognized accrediting body— evaluates interior design programs  according to a set standard.  Visiting the group’s website can be an easy way to narrow down a long list of schools by checking their accreditation status.

The Place and the People

A little bit of research can go a long way here. When visiting a potential interior design school, or doing research online, ask yourself a few questions:

  • What is the faculty/student ratio? Smaller colleges will often boast of small class sizes and more individual attention. When pursuing an interior design degree, receiving constant feedback from professors who are readily available is important. When that big project is due, the last thing you want is to be fighting other students for a professor’s time.
  • Who teaches here? This question is not meant to automatically disqualify interior design schools with less well-known faculty. However, a school with professors who are notably accomplished in their field is likely to offer a wealth of useful instruction, both on the rudiments of interior design, and on practical application in the professional world. They can also offer a unique creative perspective that has been tried and refined through years of experience.
  • Are the facilities up-to-date? In the modern interior design world, much what you will be doing will require a computer. The computer labs and how recently (or often) they are updated will be a critical consideration when researching a interior design school. Are they using PCs or Macs? Which is the industry standard for the specific area of interior design you are interested in? Be sure to pay close attention to how dedicated the school is to keeping up-to-date on the latest interior design technology. This will ensure you’re not playing catch-up to newer or more advanced computer software after you graduate.

Preparation

In order to receive certification, the aspiring interior designer must pass an exam given by the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ). Since most states require certification to work as a professional interior designer, understanding the exam requirements and how a particular interior design school will prepare its students is important.