Interior Design (B.A.)
Interior Design (M.A.)
Interior Design (M.A.) Post-Professional Degree (Track One)
Interior Design (M.A.) First Professional Degree (Track Two)
The mission of the M. Wilhelmina Boldt Interior Design undergraduate program is to prepare students for careers as creative, ethically responsible, proficient interior designers. The curriculum combines the Liberal Arts Core requirements with professionally directed coursework to develop practitioners with a commitment to critical thinking, lifelong learning, and concern for the well-being of people and environment. Graduates enter practice as entry-level interior designers for both residential and commercial interior spaces possessing a strong theoretical and practical knowledge in design, space planning, and programming.
Graduates may pursue careers with interior design firms, architectural firms, corporate facilities, and government agencies. The program is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA).
Internships are available during the junior and senior years with nationally recognized architectural and design firms, furniture and interior retailers, contract designers, and other organizations utilizing design consultants. The program offers exhibitions of student and professional work, takes students on field trips, and taps the resources of the Washington, DC, design community.
Interior Design majors are encouraged to join the student chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID).
A Professional Advisory Board reviews the curriculum, recommends improvements, and identifies career possibilities. Professional members from the metropolitan area provide expertise and direction to students. Its members are Kazuko Bach, ASID, IDEC, Interior Designer, Kazuko Sawaji Interiors; Candice Kling, IES, IALD, Lighting Designer, C. M. Kling & Associates, Inc.; Andrew Monje Jr., ASID, IDEC, Educator (retired), Marymount University; Mary Petrino; Janet Rankin, Lehman-Smith + McLeish; Thea Scott-Fundling, Marymount faculty liaison; Linda Sorrento, ASID, IIDA; and Jessica Taylor, Gensler.
Nondegree Admission: Only interior design practitioners and students from other accredited colleges or universities may take courses on a nondegree basis. Enrollment is limited to two courses.
Program Requirement: Each student entering the junior-level Interior Design curriculum is required to have a laptop computer. State-of-the-art electronic studios allow students to access the Internet and software on Marymount’s server.
Residency Requirement: Students may transfer credits from an accredited school, but must complete a minimum of 36 credits at Marymount. These credits must include ID 405 Interior Design V, ID 406 Interior Design VI, and ID 400 Internship.
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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 degree (Track One) is for those with an undergraduate degree in Interior Design or a closely related field. The First Professional degree (Track Two) is for those with a baccalaureate degree not in Interior Design or a closely related field. Applicants must complete a series of undergraduate Foundation Courses and admission requirements before final admission to the Track Two program.
The graduate program builds on a Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA)-accredited undergraduate program with specific objectives:
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: Only interior design practitioners and students from other accredited colleges or universities may take courses on a nondegree basis. Enrollment is limited to two courses.
Program Requirement: Students are required to have their own laptop computers once they are admitted to the graduate program.
Residency Requirement: Students are expected to complete the Interior Design core requirements at Marymount University.
Thesis or Design Research Project: Students in each program will complete a Thesis or a Design Research Project. These projects, which incorporate original empirical research and analysis, are completed in a two-course sequence. Students must present their work in a final oral examination before the Interior Design faculty and others.
Transfer Credits: A maximum of 6 semester credits of transfer graduate credit may be applied toward the degree, if approved by the dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and the
registrar.
Admission Requirements: Admission to the program is competitive. The application deadline is April 1 for summer and fall and November 1 for spring admission. 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 graduate degree program must provide the following items to be considered for admission:
Any related 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 undergraduate prerequisite course(s).
International Students: See the Test of English as a Foreign Language 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
36 Credits
Additional courses are available in other areas of the graduate curricula, including Business Administration, Human Resources, Humanities, and Psychology. Approval must be received prior to registration.
The Interior Design 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.
Students in this program must successfully complete or transfer 24 credits in undergraduate Foundation Courses. Following a portfolio review, an additional 51 credits in Core Courses will be completed.
Admission Requirements: Admission to the program is competitive. The application deadline is April 1 for summer and fall and November 1 for spring admission. 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 before enrollment in the First Professional graduate degree program must provide the following items to be considered:
Students admitted to the Track Two master’s program will not be permitted to switch to the undergraduate B.A. program after they have passed portfolio review.
Degree Requirements
Foundation Courses
21 credits
While completing the Interior Design Foundation Courses a student may enroll in up to three graduate (500-level) ID courses with permission of the advisor/instructor.
To maintain progress toward degree completion, students must submit work from the ID Foundation Courses for a portfolio review. Reviews take place in December and April. In addition to the review, students will be evaluated according to the following additional admission requirements:
All admission requirements must be completed before portfolio reviews.
Core Courses
51 credits