The first two years are interdisciplinary  
During the first two years interior design, landscape Architecture, and architecture students share the same curriculum composed of common core coursework. In these courses, interior design students work side by side with landscape and architecture students to learn basic architectural design, design history, and building practices. The interdisciplinary curriculum is based on the assumption that the best interior designers understand design at all scales of a project, from site to construction details. We also believe that technical knowledge is required in order to understand how interior spaces function within an architectural context. This program focuses on developing creative and critical thinking abilities. These are essential skills needed for an effective design process and a comprehensive understanding of the important design, environmental and social issues that impact the profession.

Design studio sequence
It usually takes our students 4 to 4½ years to develop knowledge and the skills necessary to earn the baccalaureate degree. Florida International University’s Interior Design Department is built around a series of eight design studios that must be taken in sequence. The design studio sequence begins in the Fall Semester. Students take the first four studios in the lower division common core program. During the spring semester of the second year students interested in continuing in the Interior Design Department must pass selective admissions before continuing on to upper division.

Upper division professional interior design program

The professional program curriculum is designed to build students’ interior design knowledge and skills in a deep and comprehensive manner. Our goal is to afford students rich and meaningful learning experiences that result in a well-rounded understanding of the interior design field and sound preparation for professional practice. At the core of the upper division curriculum are the final four advanced interior design studios that culminate in a student initiated capstone project.

Each semester students take the studios and specific subject area courses in clusters. Thus, we can coordinate subject area courses with studio and visa-versa. Subject area courses fall into broad instructional categories, interior design content-knowledge courses, and applied technology and communication courses. Our curriculum structure, where groups of students progress through the curriculum together, allows us to layer acquisition of knowledge with applied learning experiences in a systematic order. Building complexity and depth into studio and into subject area course projects in this manner strengthens student’s critical thinking ability and their ability to approach interior design problems in new and creative ways.

click here to see a list of courses | gallery of student work