|
Interior Design Alumni newsletter Volume 1, Issue 2
ABOUT OUR INTERIOR DESIGN PROGRAM
The interior design program is a four-year, professional degree program that leads to a Bachelor of Science in Interior Design Degree. Our curriculum provides an educational foundation that prepares students to enter the interior design profession and positions the student to seek professional status through the National Council for Interior Design Qualification Exam [NCIDQ] as well as state-specific licensure. The program combines lecture and studio courses and is balance of theoretical and pragmatic approaches. Environmental responsibility in design is a focus of the program and is woven holistically throughout the curriculum.
The program is located within the Department of Technology and the College of Fine and Applied Art. The program is accredited by National Association of Schools of
Art and Design [NASAD] and we are currently seeking accreditation by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation [formerly FIDER]. (more...)
MISSION
The mission of the interior design program at Appalachian State University is to provide an educational
foundation that prepares students to enter the interior design profession and positions the student to seek
professional status. The curriculum focuses on integrating theory and application through individual and
collaborative problem-solving strategies within the context of the design process. The program places particular
emphasis on environmental responsibility, global issues, and universal design issues in order to prepare students
for the challenges of the 21st Century. Students actively engage in the development of interior spaces from an
ethically responsible perspective for the purpose of improving the quality of life, increased productivity and
protecting the health, safety and welfare of the public, through practical and aesthetically appropriate design
solutions. The program is dedicated to creating a supportive learning environment that allows students to
develop their individual expression of knowledge and skills to create resonance and connection with the practice
of interior design. (more...)
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
Completion of the interior design program includes the University Core Curriculum and the Major courses. Studio courses are the heart of the interior design curriculum and these projects compose the major component in the student’s professional portfolio.
PORTFOLIO REQUIREMENT
A portfolio is not required for admission to the program; rather the student is required to complete the freshman portfolio review at the end of the first-year coursework. The program is a first-professional degree program and requires a four-year sequence of courses. The four-year sequence of courses terminates with a senior exhibit.
SUGGESTED PROGRAM SEQUENCE
The program is a first-professional degree program and requires a four-year sequence of courses. Interior design majors must start in their major courses during the first semester of their freshman year. Completing core curriculum first and then taking major courses is not suggested within this professional degree program and should a student choose to do so they will not be able to complete their Bachelor’s Degree in Interior Design in four years.
TRANSFER STUDENTS
The program is a first-professional degree program and requires a four-year sequence of courses. Transfer students with no design related courses will require the four-year sequence in our program [not necessarily full-time status] regardless of the number of credit hours transferred. Transfer students with previous design coursework at the college level will be placed in the program after assessment of their transcript and portfolio [see “Program Description”]. The four-year sequence of courses terminates with a senior exhibit.
SUGGESTED EQUIPMENT
A digital camera is recommended in the interior design program and will enable the student in completing numerous projects. A laptop computer is strongly recommended in the interior design program [and will be required in the ’07-’08 school year and beyond]. Please see the link for specific hardware information. Students have access to discounted hardware and software available through the university Bookstore and on-line resources. Software information will be distributed in the introductory courses for the student to purchase.
Auotodesk Community
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN THE FIELD
Our interior design program prepares students for entry-level positions in interior design within a variety of career paths. Options related to either residential or commercial design may be pursued, with specializations including areas such as environmentally-sensitive design, corporate/office, retail store planning, showroom, hospitality, kitchen and bath, health care facilities, design for the elderly, institutional design, and historic preservation.
Students who choose a commercial oriented career path may pursue opportunities within commercial design, architectural, and interior architectural firms, corporate facilities departments, commercial furniture dealerships, product distributor showrooms, manufacturers, and other related types of firms. Students who have a strong business orientation have, after gaining experience in the field, pursued careers in design-related sales and management.
Students who wish to pursue a career in residential design may, upon graduation, work at a small design studio or in a retail furniture environment, seek positions within the furniture industry or at trade showrooms. Many specialize in kitchen and bath design or other areas such as environmentally-sensitive design, universal design, or working within the real estate industry.
The Bachelor of Science in Interior Design degree affords graduates a wide variety of career opportunities, based on their individual interests, skills, talents, and motivation. Following is a partial list of firms where our graduates have worked in recent years:
Gensler
Office Environments Inc.
Broyhill Furniture Industries
Little Diversified Architectural Consulting
Henredon Furniture Industries
Klingman Williams
Duke Medical Facility Planning
Century Furniture Industries
Storr Office Environments
Al Platt Architects
Triad Design Group
Atlantic Hospitality Supply
ID Collaborative
Knoll
FWA Group
Dianne Davant & Associates
Creative Business Interiors
Steelcase
Alfred Williams and Company
Baker Furniture
Charleston Forge
Bernhardt Furniture
C. Robert Cherry-Architect
Home Depot
Southern Living
Bob Timberlake Inc.
STUDENT ACTIVITIES
The program has a very active student organization - ASIDS [Appalachian Student Interior Design Society], as well as opportunities for student memberships in ASID [American Society of Interior Designers] and IIDA [International Interior Design Association]. One of the most significant of student chapter activities is the annual furniture auction fund-raiser, which coincides with Appalachian State's fall homecoming. The student organization regularly conducts meetings, has professionals lecture, view films, sell program t-shirts, and sponsor program activities such as field studies and portfolio exhibits.
Many opportunities exist for students at Appalachian State to interact with professionals in the field. The faculty maintain strong ties to the professional design community and guest speakers from a variety of backgrounds visit the classroom on a regular basis. Professionals also serve as critics in course critiques and during portfolio reviews. Additionally, the proximity to the furniture manufacturing industry provides many opportunities for students to learn first-hand about the industry.
Students in the program are provided with other opportunities including field studies, trips or conferences in locations such as Europe, Costa Rica, Atlanta, Charlotte, NeoCon – The Merchandise Mart in Chicago, the High Point Furniture Market, New York, and Washington D.C. Additionally, students participate in field trips to visit local and regional design firms, corporate design departments, showrooms, fabricators, and other new interior architectural and design installations.
Students from the interior design program often participate, in the context of a multi-disciplinary team with students from the Building Science and the Appropriate Technology programs, in the annual North Carolina Sustainable Building Design Student Competition. Our team has won or placed in the competition several of the years that it has been in existence.
ABOUT THE FACULTY
Alumni
|
D 
D 