Interior Design Frequently Asked Questions

The Interior Design curriculum is a balance of Design, History, and Professional Practice. Professional practice courses include Business Procedures, Building Systems, Lighting Design, Construction Documents and Computer Applications. Our program’s courses are all supplemented by the required University Pathways Curriculum.

This balanced curriculum ensures that every graduate has the knowledge and skill needed to successfully contribute to the work of a design firm as an intern and as a graduate. We also place a great deal of emphasis on student service — service to our community of design students and in the larger context of Southwestern Virginia.

Our program, accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (formerly known as FIDER), prepares future designers for licensure and practice. A degree from a CIDA-accredited program is increasingly important as a requirement for professional certification and licensing of Interior Designers in the United States. Graduating from a CIDA-accredited program is the first step in a three-part process in achieving certification or licensing as an interior designer in various states. Candidates must then complete two years of work experience in interior design and pass the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) examination. A CIDA-accredited degree, work experience, and successful completion of the NCIDQ exam satisfy the requirements in Virginia for recognition as a “Certified Interior Designer.”

The School of Design encourages prospective Industrial Design, Interior Design, and Landscape Architecture students to visit us to discover our approach to design education, to find out about the curricula of our academic programs, to meet faculty and current students, and to tour the School's facilities.

Tours for Interior Design are scheduled for Fridays at 12 pm, register here to attend.

There are several opportunities for interior design majors to study abroad. Students can attend informational sessions during the Fall semester for summer study abroad opportunities.

During the summer between the third and fourth year of the curriculum, interior design majors are highly encouraged to seek out an internship with an interior design or architectural firm. Students are responsible for finding their own internship position, but with the excellent reputation our program enjoys and an extensive network of alumni and professional friends of the school, our students routinely find paid internship opportunities with top firms.