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The M. Wilhelmina Boldt Interior Design Program offers two tracks leading to a Master of Arts in interior design. The post-professional track is for those with an undergraduate degree in interior design or architecture. The first professional track is for those with a baccalaureate degree not in interior design or architecture.
The graduate program abides by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) guidelines and standards with these specific objectives:
Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to
Completion Requirement: Requirements for the program must be completed within five years of initial registration unless extenuating circumstances exist and an extension is authorized by the dean of the School of Arts and Sciences.
Nondegree Admission: Under certain circumstances, a student may be admitted on a nondegree basis with permission of the director of the interior design graduate program. Nondegree students are limited to no more than two courses, up to 8 credits.
Program Requirement: Students are required to have their own laptop computers once they are admitted to the graduate program.
Residency Requirement: Students pursuing the post-professional track are expected to complete a minimum of 24 credits at Marymount University, including ID 607, ID 608, ID 620, ID 698 and ID 699. Students pursuing the first professional track are expected to complete a minimum of 36 credits at Marymount University, including ID 500, ID 605, ID 606, ID 607, ID 698, and ID 699.
Thesis or Design Research Project: Students in each track will complete a thesis or a design research project. Students will complete an evidence-based interior design project or a research thesis in a two-course sequence. Work is presented in the May Interior Design Student Show. Students must present their work in a final oral examination before the interior design faculty.
Thesis IP grade: A student who does not complete the required work in ID 698 or ID 699 and is not eligible for an Incomplete may be given a grade of IP (in-progress). The next semester the student must register for a continuation course of the course in which the IP was received. If the necessary work is not completed in two semesters, the IP becomes an F. Students may register for a continuation course up to two (2) times.
Transfer Credits: A maximum of 6 semester credits of transfer graduate credit after matriculation at Marymount University may be applied toward the degree, if approved by the dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and the registrar.
The post-professional degree program's mission is to educate practitioners to develop a greater capacity to engage in interior design practice, education, and research; to become more proficient in a specific area of the interior design practice; and to actively engage in evidence-based interior design to increase the body of knowledge in the field.
Students in the track must complete 36 graduate credits, including 6 credits of thesis or an evidence-based design project.
Admission Requirements: Admission to the program is competitive. Completed applications must be received by the following priority deadlines:
April 15 |
summer semester |
July 15 |
fall semester |
November 1 |
spring semester |
Students may attend on a full- or part-time basis. In addition to universitywide requirements for graduate admission, applicants who have or will have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university prior to enrollment in the post-professional track must provide the following items to be considered for admission:
Students with an interior design or architecture degree must demonstrate completion of an equivalent series of prerequisites that assures an understanding of a common body of knowledge within the field. If a departmental review of a student’s previous coursework reveals deficiencies in the common body of knowledge, the student may be required to complete additional undergraduate and/or graduate course(s).
International Students: Nonnative speakers of English should review International Applicants or TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE Academic test score requirements. Students who hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited postsecondary institution where the language of instruction is English are exempt from this requirement.
Degree Requirements – The Post-Professional Degree Track
36 credits
ID 620 Research and Development in Interior Design
ID 626 Graduate Seminar
ID 607 Graduate Practice Studio III
ID 608 Graduate Practice Studio IV
ID 698 Thesis or Design Research Project I
ID 699 Thesis or Design Research Project II
Eighteen (18) credits from the following: ID 512 Furniture Design Seminar; ID 513 Advanced Architectural Graphics; ID 515 Field Study and Advanced Rendering; ID 522 Environmental Behavior Seminar; ID 523 Methodology, Theory, and Criticism Seminar; ID 524 Design Methods Seminar; ID 525 Health Care Design Seminar; ID 535 Illumination and Acoustical Design Seminar; ID 536 Technology for Interior Design Seminar; ID 552 American Interiors Seminar; ID 553 Modern Design and Architecture Seminar; ID 554 Historic Preservation Seminar; ID 555 Historic Interiors Seminar; ID 556 Historic Research, Documentation, and Design Seminar; ID 558 Interior Design Study Tour; ID 590 Practicum; ID 595 Graduate Directed Research. A maximum of 6 credits may be chosen from other areas of the graduate curricula, including business administration, education, human resources, and humanities. Approval must be received from the student’s advisor prior to registration.
The first professional degree program's mission is to educate professional interior designers to work effectively within contemporary constraints in a changing society and profession and to formulate design concepts for a better human environment.
The first professional degree track is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) guidelines and standards with these specific objectives:
Admission Requirements: Admission to the program is competitive. Completed applications must be received by the following priority deadlines:
March 2 |
summer semester |
June 15 |
fall semester |
October 1 |
spring semester |
Students may attend on a full- or part-time basis. In addition to universitywide requirements for graduate admission, applicants must have or expect to earn a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university before enrollment in the first professional graduate degree program.
To meet requirements of the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA), the applicant’s transcript must show a minimum of 30 credits of liberal arts and sciences coursework in such disciplines as English composition, literature, foreign language, history, sociology, mathematics, biology, philosophy, humanities, psychology, and economics. Coursework in professional disciplines, such as business, cannot be included in this total. Applicants with fewer than 30 credits in the required coursework will be expected to make up the deficit before the portfolio review.
In addition, applicants to this program must provide the following items to be considered:
Students admitted to the first professional track will not be permitted to switch to the undergraduate B.A. program after they have passed portfolio review.
International Students: Nonnative speakers of English should review International Applicants for TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE Academic test score requirements. Students who hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited postsecondary institution where the language of instruction is English are exempt from this requirement.
Degree Requirements – The First Professional Degree Track
Leveling Courses
27 credits
FA 201 History of Art I, FA 202 History of Art II, or FA 300-level art history course*
FA 104 Color Theory*
ID 121 Freehand Drafting
ID 122 Sketching and Rendering for Ideas
ID 223 Presentation Drawings
ID 231 Textiles and Finish Materials
ID 500 Current Issues and Research Methods
ID 501 Graduate Studio I
ID 502 Graduate Studio II
See the Undergraduate Catalog for course descriptions of the leveling courses. Students are subject to graduate student academic policies and procedures as stated in this catalog while taking the undergraduate foundation courses.
*Students must either take or transfer credit for these two courses during their first two semesters at Marymount University. Credit may be transferred from courses in a previous degree or from another college or university.
Graduate Courses
39 Credits
ID 532 Construction and Environmental Systems
ID 533 Illumination Systems
ID 534 Professional Practice
ID 545 Graduate Construction Documents
ID 550 History of Architecture and Interiors I
ID 551 History of Architecture and Interiors II
ID 605 Graduate Practice Studio I
ID 606 Graduate Practice Studio II
ID 607 Graduate Practice Studio III
ID 698-699 Thesis or Design Research Project I and II
Six (6) credits from the following: ID 512 Furniture Design Seminar; ID 515 Field Study and Advanced Rendering; ID 522 Environmental Behavior Seminar; ID 523 Methodology, Theory, and Criticism Seminar; ID 524 Design Methods Seminar; ID 525 Health Care Design Seminar; ID 535 Illumination and Acoustical Design Seminar; ID 536 Technology for Interior Design Seminar; ID 552 American Interiors Seminar; ID 553 Modern Design and Architecture Seminar; ID 554 Historic Preservation Seminar; ID 555 Historic Interiors Seminar; ID 556 Historic Research, Documentation, and Design Seminar; ID 558 Interior Design Study Tour; ID 590 Practicum; ID 595 Graduate Directed Research
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