Interior Designers Are Made Here
If you have an eye for design and a vision for interior spaces, IUP can help you turn those skills into a career. IUP’s BS in Interior Design program will prepare you to realize your concepts in the real world.
Great interior design is about so much more than creating beautifully built spaces—interior designers impact the lives, experiences, and the well-being of the people in their surroundings.
Anchored in research, our program is guided by the practice of evidence-based design, while fostering your originality and critical thinking. You’ll learn how to:
- Approach a space with public health, safety, and welfare as your focus
- Harness your creativity
- Master the technology required to realize your vision
Why Major in Interior Design at IUP?
If you’re an aspiring interior designer looking for a fulfilling, creative career, IUP’s Interior Design program is for you. You'll learn from our dedicated, creative faculty—all with industry experience. You'll explore your curiosities and graduate prepared for any entry-level position in any aspect of design.
IUP is the only school in Pennsylvania's State System of Higher Education to offer interior design, combining the advantages of a larger home institution with the focus of a specialized program.
- Learn directly from faculty in controlled-size studio classes and regular one-on-one academic advising sessions.
- Engage in out-of-classroom experiences by visiting interior design trade shows and various historic sites to be immersed in transformative spaces and ideas.
- Network with like-minded classmates and working, established interior designers through IUP’s active student chapters of professional design organizations.
- Gain technical skills in industry-standard computer programs, across all facets of interior design, including
- SketchUp Pro
- AutoCAD
- Revit
- 2020 Design Live
- Adobe Creative Cloud
Imagine Your Future
As an interior designer, you’ll work alongside architects, engineers, and people in various professional construction trades to realize inspiring and functional spaces.
Aspiring to continue your studies? Graduates of IUP’s Bachelor of Science in Interior Design program can go on to earn a master’s degree in interior architecture.
You can go on to a career in:
- Corporate office, Commercial design
- Educational facility, Commercial design
- Health care, Commercial design
- Hospitality, Commercial design
- Retail, Commercial design
- Kitchen and bath design
- Residential design
- Lighting design
- Industry sales
- Theatrical design
Classes and Requirements
Your classes are designed to prepare you to graduate with a portfolio in hand. You'll be ready to take your portfolio into any interview!
With a focus on making you career-ready, you'll
- Build your computer skills in your first two years so you enter junior-year studio classes with a solid foundation in the tools of the trade.
- Produce portfolio-worthy projects in your studio classes.
- Tackle projects and design challenges for real clients (when available) and make an impression.
- Design and present a final capstone project in your senior year—the culmination of your prior coursework and accumulated skills.
- Graduate with a full digital and tactile portfolio for your job search.
Add to Your Degree with a Minor
Add a minor in a complementary field and you'll set yourself apart even more. Popular minors for interior design majors include:
- Business Administration
- Art Studio
- Marketing
- Theater (set design)
Full Academic Catalog Listing
The course catalog is the official reference for all our degree and course offerings. Check it out for a full listing of the classes available and requirements for this degree.
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Kim Musser ’08, Founder and Principal Designer, Elle Hudson
The IUP Interior Design program was instrumental in building the formational elements of passion and work ethic needed to grow a successful future in the industry. The coursework and teaching staff did a great job of revealing the many directions a career in design can take and aiding students in discovering which path aligns most with their desired career outcomes.
Eric Dillman ’17, Interior Designer/Podcaster and Territory Manager, Eric Dillman Designs and Triax Marketing & Sales
My experience at IUP was some of the best years of my life. I am so thankful for my time in the department. With interior design, there are so many different careers you can go into.
Jana Crisafi ’14, Project Manager, Global Supply Chain, Subway Headquarters
IUP set the foundation for the career I have today. My bachelor of science in interior design got my foot in the door as an entry-level décor specialist at Subway HQ 10 years ago and led me to the career experiences I have had today.
Kim Musser ’08
Founder and Principal Designer
Elle Hudson
The IUP Interior Design program was instrumental in building the formational elements of passion and work ethic needed to grow a successful future in the industry. The coursework and teaching staff did a great job of revealing the many directions a career in design can take and aiding students in discovering which path aligns most with their desired career outcomes.
Ultimately, your success as an interior designer will hinge on the investments you make in your studies and the efforts you put forth in taking opportunities to network, connect, and learn from professionals in the line of work you most aspire to. I wake up every day excited to do the work I do and am so grateful for the ways IUP has contributed to the many things I am so thankful for.
Jana Crisafi ’14
Project Manager, Global Supply Chain (Equipment and Décor)
Subway Headquarters
IUP set the foundation for the career I have today. My bachelor of science in interior design got my foot in the door as an entry-level décor specialist at Subway HQ 10 years ago and led me to the career experiences I have had today.
Ten years ago, I never imagined myself managing the rollout of a new décor for the largest QSR company, but it goes to show you never know where your design degree will take you. Take the leap and apply for that job you never in a million years thought you’d get, and watch how your INDS degree from IUP will open doors you never thought possible.
Eric Dillman ’17
Interior Designer/Podcaster and Territory Manager
Eric Dillman Designs and Triax Marketing & Sales
My experience at IUP was some of the best years of my life. I am so thankful for my time in the department. With interior design, there are so many different careers you can go into.
I believe IUP did an amazing job showcasing interior design as a whole to allow us students the right foundation to graduate and make our mark on the specific area we wanted to go in.
Watch “Friendship By Design: Anna Dinger and Lauren Summers”
Professional Student Organizations
It matters who you know—and we’ll make the introductions! IUP’s Interior Design program has two active professional student organizations:
When you take part in professional student organizations, you get to:
- Network with design professionals
- Visit design businesses, showrooms, and historic sites
- Build your résumé by raising your hand for philanthropic organizing opportunities and leadership roles
Professional Advisory Board
Interior design is a profession that’s constantly evolving. That’s why the members of the interior design faculty consult with a board of active professional interior designers and architects.
The board meets with our faculty members annually, helping to keep the program current and in line with professional standards. All of this means that IUP’s Interior Design program is constantly looking ahead to what’s coming next.
You’ll have the chance to meet advisory board members in activities including:
- Mock interviews
- Professional roundtable discussions
- Networking gatherings
- Senior capstone presentations
Portfolio Development and Exposure
For interior designers, your portfolio can say just as much about you as your degree. Culminating in your senior year, your studies and hard work will ensure you graduate with a ready-for-hire portfolio in hand.
Interior design seniors are celebrated during our annual senior portfolio show with faculty, students, professionals, family, and friends.
Capstone Presentations
Capstone projects are designed to challenge students to think critically, solve complex problems, and demonstrate their preparedness for careers in interior design. During the final semester of their senior year, students enroll in a Capstone course where they work independently on a semester-long project that requires them to pull from all of the knowledge and technical skills acquired throughout their coursework to solve real-world design issues.
The seniors present their research during a capstone poster presentation event that is attended by students, faculty, design professionals, and family and friends.
Out-of-Classroom Experiences
Beautiful spaces are meant to be experienced, not just read about. You'll have opportunities to go on affordable, faculty-organized student trips to various interior design trade shows and famous historical sites.
Students have gone to:
- Frank Lloyd Wright tours in Pennsylvania and Illinois
- The High Point Residential Furniture Market (High Point, NC)
- Historical home tours in Gettysburg
- Restoration and Preservation tours of Colonial Williamsburg (Virginia)
- Interior design business tours in New York City
- The Kitchen and Bath Industry Show (Chicago)
- Thomas Jefferson's Monticello (Charlottesville, VA)
- Mount Vernon - Home of George Washington (Mount Vernon, VA)
- NeoCon East Commercial Design Trade Show (Baltimore)
- The Historic Newport Mansions (Newport, RI)
- The National Cathedral (Washington, DC)
Photo Gallery
