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Interior Design

The Interior Design program at the Lamar Dodd School of Art supports training in the field of interior design at the undergraduate and graduate level. Interior Design is a service profession, dealing largely with people and their needs. The demand for design services has grown rapidly. With that growth has come a wide range of specialties in both residential and non-residential design. Most of our graduates are affiliated with architectural and medium to large-scale non-residential interior design firms. Others pursue careers in residential design. A significant number seek advanced degrees in architectural, industrial, or interior design.

Students interested in Interior Design should be design-oriented. They must have the ability to express ideas by free-hand drawing, architectural drafting, computer-aided design (CAD), physical and electronic models, and other graphic media. They must be able to present their ideas both visually and verbally and should be knowledgeable and conversant in historic and contemporary architectural and interior design areas.​

Interior Design Faculty

Accrediation

The interior design program leading to the Bachelor of Fine Arts, Interior Design, in the Lamar Dodd School of Art, is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation.

The CIDA-accredited program prepares students for entry-level interior design practice, for advanced study, and to apply for membership in professional interior design organizations. The Bachelor of Fine Arts granted by the University of Georgia meets the educational requirement for eligibility to sit for the National Council for Interior Design Qualification Examination (NCIDQ Exam).

All potential students should note that graduation from a CIDA-accredited program is one of the pre-requisites for licensing of Interior Designers in the State of Georgia.

National Association of Schools of Art and Design: The program also is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).

Council for Interior Design Accrediation NCIDQ Exam Eligibility National Association of Schools of Art & Design

Lamar Dodd School of Art

Study in the area of interior design is supported through the programming of the School of Art, study abroad, and dedicated computers and facilities. The Interior Design building, Broad Street Studio 2, provides a studio environment that facilitates the design and exploration of the built environment.

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Study Abroad

The UGA Studies Abroad Program in Cortona takes place in the hilltown of Cortona, Italy. While based in Cortona, students begin their experience in Rome or Naples and make field trips to major cities and artistic centers in Italy such as Perugia, Assisi, Siena, Florence, among others. The summer session of Study Abroad in Cortona offers two interior design studio classes (ARID 3130 Studio IV and ARID 3340 Furniture Design). Students are encouraged to take an additional academic course to complete their schedules. Exceptional students may apply for a third studio. All interior design students must take laptop computers with specified software to Italy. Details are given in the course syllabi each year. Learn more about Studies Abroad at Cortona here.

Study Abroad in Cortona, Italy

Learn More about the Profession of Interior Design

Georgia State Board of Architects Licensing of Interior Designers Application requirements include having a degree from a Council-accredited program and passing the NCIDQ Exam. The following websites can help you learn more about the interior design profession, accreditation of interior design programs, and the qualifications for licensing of interior designers in the State of Georgia:

American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) International Interior Design Association (IIDA) Council for Interior Design Accreditation Includes a list of accredited programs National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) qualifying exam Definition of Interior Design

Retention Rates

Typically, one or two students self-select to not move forward after the first Interior Design courses and before going through the Interior Design Progression Review process. The majority of these students remain in the School of Art. The Interior Design courses count as studio or general education electives across the School.

Like all Interior Design programs, the curriculum has numerous prerequisite and co-requisite classes. These are carefully crafted in an interdependent sequence of courses that must be taken in chronological order. The School of Art Foundations program takes two semesters to complete. The Interior Design sequence takes six. Students who begin the program within their first year at the University of Georgia complete their degrees within four years unless prohibited by extenuating personal matters, like health issues.

Graduation Rates

Students who begin the program within their first year at the University of Georgia complete their degrees within four years unless prohibited by extenuating personal matters. Depending on what point within their academic careers they enter the Interior Design program, internal and external transfer students with more than one year of previous coursework take longer than four years to graduate.

Acceptance into Graduate Programs

Recent graduates from the Lamar Dodd School of Art Interior Design program have been accepted into a variety of graduate programs either immediately after completing their undergraduate studies or after gaining one or more years of professional interior design experience. The following list represents the diversity and distribution of these programs:

Career Placements

Ninety-seven percent of our May 2022 graduates were employed upon by December 2022. No students pursued graduate degrees in fall 2022.

Ninety-four percent of our May 2021 graduates were employed upon by December 2021. Six percent of our students pursued graduate degrees in fall 2021.

Forty percent of our May 2020 graduates were employed upon by December 2020. No students pursued graduate degrees in fall 2020.

Ninety-five percent of our May 2019 graduates were employed upon by December 2019. No students pursued graduate degrees in fall 2019.

Ninety percent of our May 2018 graduates were employed upon by December 2018. No students pursued graduate degrees in fall 2018

Fifty percent of our May 2017 graduates were employed upon graduation. Ninety-five percent of our May 2016 graduates were employed by December 2016, while five percent of May 2016 graduates entered directly into graduate school. Graduates are pursuing active careers designing projects such as residences; offices; restaurants, hotels, spas, and resorts; health-related facilities; retail spaces; exhibits; places of worship; schools and college campuses; museums; theaters; government facilities; transportation terminals; and even the interiors of trains, ships, and airplanes.

Recent graduates have begun careers as both residential and non-residential interior designers, mostly in hospitality and architecture design firms.

Courses for Non-Majors

The Interior Design area invites students from other majors into the following courses on a space-available basis. Some restrictions apply as noted below. Please e–mail the ID Area Chair for registration clearance, as needed.

ARID 2210 Concepts in Design
ARID 3210 History of Decorative Arts I
ARID 3220 History of Decorative Arts II
ARID 3340 Furniture Design
ARID 4015/6015 Documentation of Vernacular Architecture
ARID 4410/6410 Time-based Media and Design

ARID 2210 Concepts in Design

Techniques for developing ideas and advancing creative and problem-solving skills while designing three-dimensional spaces. Taught in the context of professional practice in interior design and related fields.

ARID 3210 Design History I

A historical survey of architecture and concepts of interior space, furniture, and allied crafts as a background for contemporary design.

NOTE: Course does NOT meet Art History elective requirements for non-ID students.

ARID 3220 Design History II

Decorative arts of Europe and America beginning with the Arts and Crafts Movement of the nineteenth century and continuing through the twentieth century.

NOTE: Course does NOT meet Art History elective requirements for non-ID students.

ARID 3340 Furniture Design

Cabinetry and furniture design, including construction methods, drawings, and design presentation.
NOTE: Student must demonstrate previous drafting or CAD experience to qualify.

ARID 4015/6015 Documentation of Vernacular Architecture

To study and investigate the socio-cultural influence on traditional indigenous buildings and houses; family structure, social customs, and religion. Involves the documentation of house plans and elevations; identification of house typologies, spatial layout and relationship of interior and exterior spaces, building materials, and construction methods used.

ARID 4410/6410 Time-Based Media and Design

Time-based media as tool and catalyst for designing objects and/or spaces. Use of walkthroughs, fly-arounds, animations, and renderings in ideation, development, and presentation processes. Employs multiple CAD, drawing, rendering, photo, and/or video software programs.

NOTE 1: Student should have experience using AutoCAD, Rhino, or similar software.
NOTE 2: ARID 3410 or ARST 4810/6810 or permission of department.

Last updated: September 28, 2025

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