Overview

The Bachelor of Interior Design is a CIDA accredited and ARIDO recognized program offered online and on-campus. The program’s practitioner oriented and skills-based approach equips students with the skill required to become an interior designer and launch a rewarding career in a growing and competitive marketplace.

About the Program

The Bachelor of Interior Design offers students the opportunity to connect, collaborate, innovate and inspire the physical world around them through design. Designed for creative minds with a passion for aesthetics and function, the program lays the foundation to creating beautiful, practical, healthy and safe interior spaces. Students will learn to apply critical, analytical, and technical skills in high level design processes while gaining expertise in the latest technical and digital media. Students will also develop creative and collaborative problem solving skills, visual literacy, cultural and ecological awareness, grow a real understanding of the design industry’s business side, and how to market themselves.

Mission Statement

The mission of the Bachelor of Interior Design program is to cultivate student knowledge, foster exploratory and critical skills through educational experiences that are relevant to effectively meet the demands of their future professional career and the betterment of society.

History

The Bachelor of Interior Design program has a long-standing history with RCC Institute of Technology and the Academy of Design before that. In the last 30 years, the program has evolved into a four-year bachelor’s degree, a reflection of changing industry and professional standards, to meet the current demands of entry-to-practice. In 2017, after the program and the curriculum met accreditation rigours as well as provincial legislative requirements, Ontario’s Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development granted consent for the transfer of the Bachelor of Interior Design program to Yorkville University.

Professional Accreditation

• The interior design program leading to the Bachelor of Interior Design is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation, www.accredit-id.org, 206 Grandville Avenue, Suite 350, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503. The CIDA-accredited program prepares students for entry-level interior design practice, for advanced study, and to apply for membership in professional interior design organizations. The Bachelor of Interior Design granted by Yorkville University meets the educational requirement for eligibility to sit for the National Council for Interior Design Qualification Examination (NCIDQ Exam). For more information about NCIDQ Exam eligibility visit: https://www.cidq.org/eligibility-requirements.
• Recognized by the Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario (ARIDO)
• Recognized by the Interior Designers of Canada (IDC)
• The Bachelor of Interior Design qualifies graduates to write the National Council of Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ)professional licensing exam. With the NCIDQ designation, interior designers are licensed across Canada and the U.S. with the knowledge, experience, and proficiency to practice as professionals.

On-campus and Online Delivery

Offered both on-campus and online, the Bachelor of Interior Design is designed to accommodate busy schedules and active lifestyles. Students can complete their degree on-campus, online, or choose a combination of on-campus and online courses.

Small Class sizes

On-campus and online courses are limited to 20 students per class, for personal one-on-one instruction.

Accelerated Program and Credit Transfers

The Bachelor of Interior Design is equivalent to a four-year degree. Through consecutive, full year study, the program can be completed in only three years. Students entering the program with previous post-secondary education may be able to transfer credits to complete their Bachelor of Interior Design in less than three years.

Contact us to see if you qualify for advanced standing

Work Placement

Students engage in experiential learning by completing 200 hours in a supervised internship (180 intern hours and 20 volunteer hours) to gain industry experience as a pre-professional.  Emphasis is on diversified learning experiences and exposure to a variety of career options and individual pathways to careers available.  The student will also gain alternate points of view and the value of lifelong learning and community experience.

Program Learning Outcomes:

The successful completion of this program will enable the graduate to:

• Create designs for a variety of market sectors that effectively interpret the relationship of the human response to the built environment.
• Apply the principles and psychology of design theory, and colour methodology.
• Articulate the challenges of the changing world of design, and its connection to culture, history and empathy for an interior environment.
• Apply a systematic design process to creatively solve challenging design problems.
• Employ effective and professional communication skills and techniques to interact and negotiate in collaborative environments, including client presentations.
• Demonstrate entry to practice knowledge of building systems, material selection and interior detailing in relation to interior design and interior construction.
• Use current industry tools, mechanical, digital and manual methods to express design ideas.
• Employ both convergent and divergent thinking in the process of observation, investigation, speculative enquiry, ideation and implementation of design solutions.
• Apply relevant building codes, laws, regulations, sustainability and universality to human welfare and safety when designing interior spaces.
• Engage in quantitative and qualitative research methodologies to underpin design ideas.
• Critically reflect and evaluate personal depth of knowledge and practical experience to collaborate effectively with others.
• Model sound business practices related to project management and professional ethical conduct.
• Develop a professional portfolio and branding as a design professional.