Educational Programs
Interior Design
Welcome to the BAC's School of Interior Design
Interior Designers, according the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition (www.bls.gov/oco/pring/ocos293.htm) “draw upon many disciplines to enhance the function, safety, and aesthetics of interior spaces. Interior Designers are concerned with how different colors, textures, furniture, lighting, and space work together to meet the needs of a building’s occupants. Designers are involved in planning the interior spaces of almost all buildings – offices, airport terminals, theaters, shopping malls, restaurants, hotels, schools, hospitals, and private residences. Designers help to improve these spaces in order to boost office productivity, increase sales, attract a more affluent clientele, provide a more relaxing hospital stay, or increase the building’s market value.”
In addition to the sub-specialties listed above, the Department of Labor also recognizes the popularity of designers specializing in ergonomic design, the design of “work spaces and furniture that emphasize good posture and minimize muscle train on the body;” elder design, the planning of “interior space to aid in the movement of the elderly and disabled, such as widening passageways to accommodate wheelchairs” and incorporating ADA requirements into their designs; and environmental/sustainable/green design, the design which “involves selecting furniture and carpets that are free of chemicals and hypoallergenic and selecting construction materials that are energy efficient or are made from renewable resources.”
As for the growth of Interior Design as a profession, the U.S. Department of Labor expects it to grow “about as fast as average for all occupations through 2004,” and that prognosis appears to be holding in 2006. In 2004 there were about 65,000 employed Interior Designers with approximately 3% of them self-employed, 2% working in specialized design services, e.g. hospitality, healthcare, government, in-house design departments, etc.; and 1% in architectural and landscape architectural services. The remaining 94% “provided design services in furniture and home-furnishings stores, building material and supplies dealers, and residential building construction companies.” Contrary to popular belief, the rash of television programs showcasing design advice has not helped the profession grow; it has spurred the do-it-yourself market and made Interior Design appear that a designer or homeowner can completely solve a problem in less than 30 minutes.
But television notwithstanding, Interior Design is an immensely rewarding profession. In addition, the profession has become a field that is legally recognized in, to date, 25 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 8 Canadian provinces, requiring that interior designers have a Council for Interior Design Accreditation (formerly Foundation for Interior Design Education Research [FIDER]) -accredited degree, as well as two years work experience and passage of the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) examination in order to work on certain projects. The BAC’s Bachelor of Interior Design curriculum is 1 of 148 comprehensive and well-rounded Council for Interior Design Accreditation-accredited programs in the USA and Canada, and its Master of Interior Design curriculum is 1 of 6 accredited programs in the USA and Canada. Our programs are unique in Interior Design education by integrating real-life practice with academic study, ensuring that our graduates are well qualified to become leaders in the field.
Interior Design at the BAC is based upon the understanding that interior environments impact human behavior. We push our students to find linkages between the spaces they are designing in studio to documented research in the fields of psychology, neurology, organizational behavior, and human behavior. Because we share faculty and space with one of the oldest architectural colleges in North America, we also encourage collaboration between architecture students and Interior Design students. Collaboration between architecture and Interior Design goes beyond the classroom: we have created a culture for collaboration between architecture and Interior Design faculty and staff as well.
School of Interior Design Mission
The School of Interior Design at the BAC creates a learning environment that promotes individual thinking, curiosity, creativity, collaboration, communication, diversity, and professionalism for all students. Our students complete one of the most rigorous Interior Design programs in the country and are expected to become leaders in the field of Interior Design.
Master of Architecture