This program prepares graduates for a career as a professional Interior Designer. While most graduates become registered members of A.R.I.D.O. (Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario) or of the Interior Design Associations in other provinces, some pursue graduate studies in Interior Design or related disciplines, and others enjoy successful careers in allied fields.
The first year concentrates on giving all students a common base of theory, knowledge and skills. In the second year, Interior Design is a key professional course conducted in conjunction with other supportive and developmental courses. From the beginning students are encouraged to become self-sufficient with the guidance and assistance of the faculty.
Through the third and fourth years the development of the necessary common capabilities continues, adding professional practice courses and giving students progressive opportunities to explore a few areas in depth and to develop a high level of competency in an area of design of their own choosing. Courses in Liberal Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences and the History of Design provide intellectual depth and breadth and prepare the graduate for the legal, social and ethical responsibilities of professional practice. Communication skills, emphasized throughout the program, focus on freehand drawing in varied colour media and include manual drafting, CAD, writing and oral presentation. Technology studies cover principles and practice, regulations and standards of interior construction, fitment detailing, material finishes, building services, incorporating 'sustainable design', barrier-free access and environmental health. The Design Dynamics courses in the first and second years develop the theoretical and practical understanding of the design process, creativity, design theory and human factors engineering, with an emphasis on their application in the studio and workshop. The
Interior Design courses through all four years involve the application and synthesis of all accumulated understanding and capabilities to develop competency as the creative problem-solving interior designer.
They culminate in the fourth year advanced projects, utilizing and exercising each student’s area of greatest strength and inclination. These projects are publicly presented to a panel of professional designers and faculty.
Field trips of varying lengths form part of the formal curriculum and may occur in each of the years in connection with one or more courses.
Internship:
Students are required to complete 400 hours of a monitored and documented internship. Typically, this internship is undertaken by students in the summer between third and fourth years.
Liberal Studies
Students must take three lower level liberal studies courses and three upper level liberal studies courses to graduate.
