Interior designers create the environments in which we live, work and conduct our daily business. They work with residential and non-residential spaces and generally specialize in one or the other. They understand not only the fundamentals of design, but also its technical development in such areas as drafting, computer-aided design, presentation and interior construction. Interior designers also must know lighting and building systems and federal, state and local building codes.
Before beginning a project, the interior designer meets with a client to determine the intended use of a space and to learn about the client’s tastes. Interior designers prepare drawings and specifications for interior construction and work closely with architects and builders. They design lighting and interior details, coordinate colors and select furniture. They also plan additions and renovations.
Many graduates of UNT’s interior design program work as designers with established design and architectural firms or own their own businesses. Teaching interior design at the college level may require an advanced degree.
The Interior Design curriculum at the University of North Texas is based on the belief that interior designers have design responsibilities for all spaces built for human occupancy. The curriculum prepares the student for challenges found in accepting and analyzing a problem, assessing existing conditions, researching and synthesizing a solution, visually and orally presenting a solution, and reviewing the process for insights for future improvements, all with the goal of creating interior design solutions for the improvement of the physical environment and the protection of the safety of the inhabitants.
The Interior Design program has been continuously accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (formerly FIDER) beginning in 1977. CIDA provides the foundation for excellence in the interior design profession by setting standards for education and accrediting academic programs that meet those standards. Specific information regarding this accreditation can be found at www.accredit-id.org.
Strong enrollments in the Design Department programs have required the implementation of enrollment management programs. In Interior Design there is a two-step portfolio process. The first portfolio review occurs in the spring semester that the student completes the Art Core and Introduction to Interior Design. This group of applicants is reduced to a maximum of 56 students who are then eligible to enroll in the sophomore level interior design courses. In the spring of the sophomore year, through another portfolio review, this group is further reduced to a maximum of 36 students who are considered majors. The submission requirements are amended each year and can be found on this web site beginning in late October.
All interior design transfer students are required to submit a portfolio of work and transcripts for evaluation by the interior design faculty between January 15 and February 15 only so that the faculty can establish which review(s) is/are most appropriate for the individual student to submit for review. This will give the student sufficient time to prepare for the review(s). Transfer portfolios will not be reviewed at other times during the academic year.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics - 3 of 10 interior designers are self-employed. Most interior designers specialize and competition is increasingly keen, especially in the commercial fields such as health care, hospitality and corporate design. There is and will continue to be a need for professionals with specialized expertise that a graduate program can provide. Areas of research focus served by MFA candidates at UNT that can further your career path whether for a new position or new directions in an existing position include: Pedagogy, Sustainability and green design, Advances in materials, Lighting, Color and color theory, Multidisciplinary opportunities, and Presentation techniques including advanced medias.
The UNT Interior Design MFA program curriculum is based on independent study. The student is required to have a concentrated area of study, focusing on a specific topic in interior design and its related fields. The minor field of study must be chosen within the School of Visual Arts. Students, who apply for admission, must have a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree or its equivalent in interior design, and have at least two years of experience in the interiors industry. Interior Design graduate students are expected to have mastered the basics of the Interior Design profession, and be ready to research a specific topic. Applicants with identified deficiencies in professional experience or undergraduate coursework will be required to do additional undergraduate coursework, or leveling, before being accepted into the interior design MFA program. ID MFA graduates are expected to develop a research agenda, and plan a course of investigation that leads to the discovery of new insights into their chosen area of research. This graduate level investigation includes both studio work and scholarly research. In the course of the graduate program, students are required to present a comprehensive proposal of their work and proposed final problem to a faculty committee prior to approval to move into the final stage of the degree.
At the end of the graduate program, our students should be well prepared to re-enter the profession with a specialized focus, or, if the minor in pedagogy is selected, in the field of interior design education in the university environment with identified areas of design research necessary for growth and tenure at the university level.
Bruce Nacke | Associate Professor and Program Coordinator | 940-565-4010 | nacke@unt.edu
Cynthia Mohr | Associate Professor and Design Department Chair | 940-369-7224 | mohr@unt.edu
Johnnie Stark | Assistant Professor | 940-565-4015 | stark@unt.edu
Ron Reed | Assistant Professor | 940-369-8894 | ronreed@unt.edu
Jin Gyu Phillip Park, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor | 940-565-4014 | phillippark@unt.edu
Department of Design Administrative Assistant | Betty Burch | 940-565-3621 | design@unt.edu