Interior Design

Career potential

As an interior designer, you will help create the environments in which people live and work. Interior designers work with residential and non-residential spaces but generally specialize in one or the other. They understand the fundamentals of design and its technical development in areas such as drafting, computer-aided design, presentation and interior construction. They also must know lighting and building systems and federal, state and local building codes.

Before beginning a project, interior designers meet with their client to determine the intended use of a space and to learn about the client's tastes. Interior designers prepare drawings and specifications for interior construction and work closely with architects and builders. They design lighting and interior details, coordinate colors and select furniture. They also plan additions and renovations.

Many graduates of the University of North Texas' interior design program work with established design and architectural firms or own their own businesses. Teaching interior design at the college level requires an advanced degree.

UNT's Career Center can help you prepare to pursue your career. The center has information about jobs and employers, and the staff can help you with resume and letter writing, job search strategies and interview preparation.

Majoring in interior design

UNT's College of Visual Arts & Design (Formerly School of Visual Arts) is one of the nation's most comprehensive visual arts schools at a public university, and it is considered one of the best in the Southwest. The interior design program is nationally accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation [146 Monroe Center NW, Suite 1318, Grand Rapids, Mich. 49503, telephone (616) 458-0400]. This accreditation means the program has passed strict academic standards for excellence in education.

As an interior design major, you will learn about presentation techniques and perspective drawing, design, and the history of furniture and architecture. In addition, you will have an opportunity to take a field trip to New York City or Chicago, where you will tour design studios and showrooms and view important architectural structures and historical furnishing collections.

UNT's 96,000-square-foot Art Building includes classrooms, computer labs, faculty offices, studios, a workshop, the UNT Art Gallery, a slide library and a visual resources library. Four other campus buildings house additional classrooms and laboratories, as well as the Texas Fashion Collection - a unique museum-quality collection of more than 15,000 garments that is available for students to study - and the Cora Stafford Gallery, which exhibits student work.

Getting hands-on experience

An internship approved by the College of Visual Arts & Design (Formerly School of Visual Arts) is required for all interior design majors. You will usually complete your internship during your junior or senior year. During the internship, you will receive college credit while working with professional interior designers.

UNT is within commuting distance of Dallas and Fort Worth, where major art museums, galleries, the Dallas Apparel Mart and numerous advertising and interior design businesses provide valuable resources and experiences for students.

Preparing for UNT

If you are a high school student, we suggest you prepare for college by becoming computer proficient and taking:

• English … 4 years
• Math … 4 years
• Social science — economics, geography, government, history … 4 years
• Science … 3 years
• Foreign language … 3 years
• Fine arts … 1 year

You will need to take courses in most of these subjects under the university core curriculum required of all undergraduates, in addition to your major courses. High enrollments in the interior design major have resulted in the inclusion of a two-stage portfolio review for admission into the upper division of the program. Specific information about these reviews is available online at www.art.unt.edu.

Talk with your high school counselor about preparing for college, including the entrance exams (SAT Reasoning Test or ACT) that you should take during your junior year. As a benefit for transfer students, UNT participates in the Texas Common Course Numbering System. This system makes it easier to transfer credits for general academic courses from one Texas institution to another.

If you're attending a Texas community college, you should consult the UNT Transfer Guide, the UNT Undergraduate Catalog and an academic counselor to discuss your degree plan. Proper planning will help you receive the maximum amount of transfer credits.

Charting your path with academic advising

You must attend an orientation for the College of Visual Arts & Design (Formerly School of Visual Arts), held at about the same time as university orientation for new students or during registration at the start of each semester. Check with the university admissions office for a schedule of freshman and transfer student orientations.

The College of Visual Arts & Design (Formerly School of Visual Arts) Student Services Office is in the Art Building, Room 111.

Curious about courses and other features of this major?
See the current catalog.