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Interior Design

Learn how to design, create, and restore spaces to impact the world and people around you in our fully accredited, nationally recognized program.

Interior Design

Interior Design at Villa

The Interior Design program at Villa goes beyond decorating, giving students the opportunity to explore creative and technical solutions to create functional, accessible, environmentally sustainable, and attractive interior environments. The Interior Design program leading to the Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Interior Design is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation, www.accredit-id.org, 2016 Grandville Avenue, Suite 350, Grand Rapids, MI, 39503-4014.

Design

In studio courses, students create designs that incorporate and understand the physical location and social context of homes, workplaces, and people in the education, healthcare, hospitality and recreation markets.

Make

With a strong fabrication component that also stresses space planning and design, Villa’s interior design program shapes students into well-rounded designers. The program sets itself apart by focusing on the best ways to communicate visual ideas and by the technological tools needed to explore complex design issues.

Experience

Our 8:1 student to faculty ratio means you will get the personal attention you need to let your talent grow, while bridging the gap between education and practice with practical experience from internships across the region.

The Facilities

An Interior Design Resource Room for the exclusive use of Interior Design students, includes a working library of materials, surface samples and textiles, along with many other design resources. The space can also be used as a workroom and includes a computer, scanner, printer, plotter, cutting surfaces, drawing surface and mat cutting equipment.
An Art Shop with a wood-working shop for various studio and furniture design projects. The shop is equipped with quality power and hand tools such as table saws, band saws, planers, drill press, power sanders, a 3D printer, and other professional grade equipment.
2 computer studios equipped with drawing tables, state-of-the-art computers, scanners, printers and large format plotters as well as a drawing studio. Software includes AutoCad, Revit, Google SketchUp, Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator and other tools necessary to prepare quality industry standard presentations.

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Interior Design Programs

B.F.A. Program

The Career Potential

With the fast pace of change in business and industry, demand for interior designers will continue to increase. In fact, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of interior designers is expected to grow 19% from 2010 through 2020, which is faster than the average for all occupations. Designers with formal training or experience in green or energy efficient design, in particular, are expected to have better job prospects.

As a graduate of this program, you’ll be prepared for a position as an interior designer in many different markets, including specialized areas such as:

Healthcare
Hospitality
Commercial design and residential design with an emphasis on aging-in-place and universal design
Residential kitchen and bath design

The Requirements

You must earn a grade of C+ or above for successful completion of all Interior Design (IND) courses. You must maintain the educational standards set by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA).

Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Interior Design Curriculum Requirements

Handbook

Learn more about Interior Design program polices, activities, and services in the Interior Design Student Handbook.

Interior Design Program Student Handbook

Interior Design by the Numbers

Click here to for information about the following:

Student Attrition and Retention
Graduation Rates
Acceptance into Graduate Programs
Job Placement Rates
Student Success Info

A.A.S. Program

Villa Maria’s Interior Design Assistant program can offer you:

The education you need to become an interior designer. To become a Certified Interior Designer in the State of New York (and in many other jurisdictions), you must have a minimum of two years of college-level interior design education. Our Associate in Applied Science degree program satisfies this educational requirement. All credits required for the A.A.S. degree may be applied to the B.F.A. program upon acceptance as a transfer student into that program.
The fundamentals for career success. Our Interior Design program stresses space planning and design, as well as the development of advanced graphic and verbal communication skills needed to express visual ideas. You’ll also use drawing, drafting, rendering, and modeling skills and computer-aided design (CAD) equipment at all levels to explore and communicate increasingly complex design issues.
Training in specialized areas. Through our Interior Design studio courses, you will be prepared to create safe, functional and attractive environments for homes, workplaces, and users in the education, healthcare, hospitality and recreation markets.

Villa Maria College’s Interior Design program is accredited by the Council for Interior Design (CIDA). CIDA-accredited programs assure the public that interior design education prepares students to be responsible, well-informed, skilled professionals.

The Career Potential

As a graduate of this program, you would qualify for entry-level positions such as:

Assistant interior designers in areas of residential and commercial design
CAD operators
Renderers
Home furnishings design associates

The Requirements

You must earn a grade of C+ or above for successful completion of all IND courses.

Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) in Interior Design Assistant Curriculum Requirements

Historical Preservation Certificate Program

Our program offers you:

An opportunity to study basic topics in the preservation and restoration of historic buildings and sites.
The ability to recognize, analyze and effectively communicate ethical strategies to solve preservation and restoration problems.

Students complete a 15-credit core of course work emphasizing: design history and theories of, and practical techniques in, historic preservation and restoration of sites. The courses and credits comprising the Certificate requirements are fully applicable towards the College’s currently offered B.F.A. degree program in Interior Design.

The Career Potential

Graduates of the Certificate Program in Historical Preservation should be able to:

Integrate the theoretical and historical bases of preservation and restoration with practical design principles into a unified set of skills that is applicable to preservation and restoration problems.
Apply knowledge of American architectural, art and design history to problems and issues of historic preservation and restoration.
Research and document historic sites.
Apply historic preservation standards, regulations and techniques to specific sites.
Apply historic restoration techniques to specific sites and communicate historic preservation and restoration values to the general public.

The Requirements

You must earn a grade of C+ or above for successful completion of all IND courses.
Historic Preservation Certificate requirements

Accreditation

The interior design program leading to the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation, www.accredit-id.org, 206 Grandville Avenue, 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 Villa Maria College 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.

Learn more about SRISA, an approved study abroad program for Villa students.

Student Work

Villa students are always making new and exciting pieces that showcase their talents and apply their skills in practical environments.

Interior Design Newsletter

Read about what our department has been doing throughout the semester, and get the latest data on our success, or take a look back at past news and stats from the Interior Design program.