BFA in Interior Design:

Students pursuing a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Interior Design fulfill all the requirements of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences .  In doing so, each student acquires a broad humanistic foundation for the practice of interior design.  It is our belief that the interior designer must understand more than structural principles, lighting, finishes, color, and the other fundamentals.  The contemporary designer must be familiar with environmental issues, historic preservation, business practices and ethics, as well as exercise cultural sensitivity.

Students begin their program of study with a series of interdisciplinary foundation courses in design and the history of art. These courses provide a fundamental understanding of the creative process and an introduction to the ensuing upper-level courses in the major. The program's goal is to provide a balance of courses in the visual arts as well as in the liberal arts disciplines. Students will gain experience and understanding through learning the discipline's relevant skills, techniques, and methods. At the same time, the curriculum is designed to foster creative thinking by exposing students to other disciplines, cultures and artistic heritages. During the senior year, students participate in an internship program designed to provide exposure and experience in a professional environment. Students study theory, develop technical and problem solving skills and address complex issues in interior design. The program covers all types of habitable environments, from small, basic residential spaces to larger, more complex commercial and institutional ones. The program is composed of core and professional requirements. The basic core taken in the first and sophomore years includes interior design lectures and studios, studio art and art history. The professional requirements are a carefully sequenced series of courses building theoretical, technical, and creative competencies.

BFA requirements (click here for a printable pdf checklist):

The BFA program requires a total of 75 hours of art courses, which can be broken into three categories, studio art, art history, interior design.

----Studio courses (21 hours): FA 21 (2D Design), 22 (3D Design), 42 (Drawing), and 193 (Computer Design); and nine credit hours of elective selected from the areas of ceramics, design, drawing, painting, photography or sculpture.

----Art history courses (12 hours): AH 31, AH 32 (Survey of Western Art), and either AH 145 and AH 161 (History of the Decorative Arts) or AH 154 and AH 155 (American Architecture).

----Interior Design, required (33 hours): FA 108, 109, 110, 113, 114, 117, 118, 119, 122, 130, 139.

----Interior Design electives (9 credit hours) chosen from: FA 111, 112, 115, 116, 120, 121, 129.

Courses in Interior Design (for fuller description click here):

Architectural Drawing (FA 108)
Computer-Aided Drafting for Interiors (FA 112)
Methods and Materials of Building Construction (FA 117)
Environment and Behavior (FA 121)
Interior Design (FA 141)
Problems in Color (FA 139)
Lighting Design (FA 119)
Contemporary Issues in Interior Design Theory and Practice (FA 122)
Textiles and Finish Materials (FA 110)
Textile Design and Construction (FA 116)
Design of Printed Textiles (FA 120)
Furniture Design (FA 111)
Interior Design Studio I  (FA 109)
Interior Design Studio II (FA 113)
Interior Design Studio III (FA 114)
Design Studio IV (FA 118)
Studio in Historic Interiors (FA 115)
Presentation Techniques (FA 129)
Internship in Interior Design (FA 130)
Interior Design Problems (FA 142)

last updated 13 Feb 2006