Mission Statement
The mission of the Interior Design program is to provide students with the technical and design skills necessary to work as interior designers in either residential or commercial settings.
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Work Environment
Working conditions and places of employment vary. Interior designers employed by large corporations or design firms generally work regular hours in well-lighted and comfortable settings. Designers in smaller design consulting firms or those who freelance generally work on a contract, or job, basis. They frequently adjust their workday to suit their clients' schedules and deadlines, meeting with clients during evening or weekend hours when necessary. Consultants and self-employed designers tend to work longer hours and in smaller, more congested environments.
Designers may work in their own offices or studios or in clients' homes or offices. They also may travel to other locations, such as showrooms, design centers, clients' exhibit sites, and manufacturing facilities. With the increased speed and sophistication of computers and advanced communications networks, designers may form international design teams, serve a more geographically dispersed clientele, research design alternatives by using information on the Internet, and purchase supplies electronically.
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Nature of the Work
Interior designers draw upon many disciplines to enhance the function, safety, and aesthetics of interior spaces. Their main concerns are with how different colors, textures, furniture, lighting, and space work together to meet the needs of a building's occupants. Designers plan interior spaces of almost every type of building, including offices, airport terminals, theaters, shopping malls, restaurants, hotels, schools, hospitals, and private residences. Good design can boost office productivity, increase sales, attract a more affluent clientele, provide a more relaxing hospital stay, or increase a building's market value.
Traditionally, most interior designers focused on decorating-choosing a style and color palette and then selecting appropriate furniture, floor and window coverings, artwork, and lighting. However, an increasing number of designers are becoming involved in architectural detailing, such as crown molding and built-in bookshelves, and in planning layouts of buildings undergoing renovation, including helping to determine the location of windows, stairways, escalators, and walkways.
Interior designers must be able to read blueprints, understand building and fire codes, and know how to make space accessible to people who are disabled. Designers frequently collaborate with architects, electricians, and building contractors to ensure that designs are safe and meet construction requirements. Depending on the complexity of the project, the designer also might submit drawings for approval by a construction inspector to ensure that the design meets building codes. If a project requires structural work, the designer works with an architect or engineer for that part of the project. Most designs also require the hiring of contractors to do technical work, such as lighting, plumbing, and electrical wiring. Often designers choose contractors and write work contracts.
Although most interior designers do many kinds of projects, some specialize in one area of interior design. Some specialize in the type of building space-usually residential or commercial-while others specialize in a certain design element or type of client, such as healthcare facilities. The most common specialties of this kind are lighting, kitchen and bath, and closet designs. However, designers can specialize in almost any area of design, including acoustics and noise abatement, security, electronics and home theaters, home spas, and indoor gardens.
Three areas of design that are becoming increasingly popular are ergonomic design, elder design, and environmental-or green-design. Ergonomic design involves designing work spaces and furniture that emphasize good posture and minimize muscle strain on the body. Elder design involves planning interior space to aid in the movement of people who are elderly and disabled. Green design 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.
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Employment
Interior designers held about 71,700 jobs nationally in 2008. About 30 percent of interior designers worked in specialized design services. Additionally, 14 percent of interior designers provided design services in architectural and landscape architectural services and 9 percent worked in furniture and home-furnishing stores. Many interior designers also performed freelance work in addition to holding a salaried job in interior design or another occupation. Employment of interior designers is expected to grow 19 percent from 2008 to 2018.
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Earnings
Median annual wages nationally for interior designers were $44,950 in May 2008. The middle 50 percent earned between $34,620 and $61,880. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $27,230, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $82,750. Interior design salaries vary widely with the specialty, type of employer, number of years of experience, and reputation of the individuals. Among salaried interior designers, those in large specialized design and architectural firms tend to earn higher and more stable salaries. Interior designers working in retail stores usually earn a commission, which can be irregular.
For residential design projects, self-employed interior designers and those working in smaller firms usually earn a per-hour consulting fee, plus a percentage of the total cost of furniture, lighting, artwork, and other design elements. For commercial projects, they might charge a per-hour consulting fee, charge by the square footage, or charge a flat fee for the whole project. In addition, designers who use specialty contractors usually earn a percentage of the contractor's earnings on the project in return for hiring the contractor. Self-employed designers must provide their own benefits.
Source: U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-2011 Edition (http://www.bls.gov/oco/)
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Student Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the associate degree and diploma programs in Interior Design will be able to complete the following tasks:
- Apply the principles and elements of design within the parameters of ecological, socioeconomic, and cultural contexts
- Apply creative and critical thinking skills to solve problems and issues in the interiors environment
- Produce interior design drawings and documents using a variety of media, design techniques, and technology
- Specify and select furniture, fixtures, equipment, and finish materials for interior spaces
- Demonstrate knowledge of the history of interiors and architecture
- Demonstrate the personal and professional ethics and interpersonal skills that are expected in the workplace
Graduates of the technical certificate in Kitchen and Bath Designer will be able to complete the following tasks:
- Apply the principles and elements of design within the parameters of ecological, socioeconomic, and cultural contexts
- Apply critical thinking and the design process to creative problem solving within the kitchen and bath environment
- Produce kitchen and bath drawings and documents using a variety of media, design techniques, and technology
- Specify and select furniture, fixtures, equipment, and finish materials for kitchen and bath spaces
- Demonstrate the personal and professional ethics and interpersonal skills that are expected in the workplace
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Essential Functions
The purpose of the essential functions list is to allow prospective students who are considering a career to be informed of the physical, emotional, and psychological demands related to training and employment in a field of study. These lists are provided to allow prospective students to make informed career choices by providing them with a summary of the physical abilities and personality traits that are generally required for the successful completion of a curriculum and result in employment in their field of study after graduation.
For students to be successful in the Interior Design programs, they must be able to perform the following essential functions:
- Ability to Use Senses
- Visual: Acuity to read fine print on equipment and/or other documents as required by the industry
- Hearing: Ability to hear sounds and emergency signals (with auditory aids or a full-time interpreter for the hearing impaired) and to understand a normal speaking voice without direct access to the speaker's face
- Manual Dexterity: Ability to work with fingers
- Motor Ability
- Physical ability to walk and stand for possible long periods of time and ability to lift, move, and transfer weight of at least 25 pounds when utilizing samples for client demonstrations
- Ability to work while in hot/humid and/or cold conditions
- Ability to efficiently use computer to create CAD drawings
- Ability to Understand Need for a Safe Work Environment
- Ability to wear necessary safety gear, i.e., safety glasses, gloves, head covering, etc. if necessary when working with computer equipment, especially printers and plotters
- Ability to maintain safe environment at all times
- Ability to Communicate
- Ability to communicate effectively in verbal and written forms to class partners and/or team, managers, clients, customers, the general public, and instructor
- Ability to write and perform routine mathematical calculations clearly and correctly as applied to the industry
- Basic proficiency in technology (computers and peripheral components) as required by the industry
- Ability to Problem Solve
- Intellectual and conceptual ability for measuring, calculating, reasoning, analyzing, and prioritizing daily functions in today's interior design work environments
- Ability to react and adjust as instructed by the instructor(s) during lab instruction or based on the customer's needs and deadlines
- Ability to Maintain Emotional Stability
- Ability to function safely under stress in today's workplace and adapt to changing staff and client/customer situations
- Ability to maintain composure and professionalism at all times in labs and work environment
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Program Expenses
The Higher Education Act requires all colleges and universities to notify students and prospective students of all program costs for which they will be responsible. Students will be responsible for the following expenses each semester (unless otherwise noted):
- Tuition ($75 per credit hour)
- Registration fee ($39)
- Student activity fees ($30)
- Accident insurance fee ($6)
- Instructional and technology supply fee ($55)
- Program supply fee (Varies - see course descriptions for exact amounts)
- Textbooks (Approximately $2,475 for the associate degree program and $1,850 for the diploma program)
These expenses are based on costs in effect at the time this catalog was published. Prices are subject to change.
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Gainful Employment
Information on graduation rates, job placement rates, median loan debt incurred by students and other gainful employment information is available on the college website.
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Admission Requirements
Applicants must submit the following information to the Admissions Office:
- Completed and signed application for admission and a $20 nonrefundable application fee
- Official high school or GED transcripts and/or official college transcripts from all colleges attended in the past (see General Admission Requirements)
- Valid COMPASS, ASSET, SAT, or ACT test scores (see COMPASS and ASSET Placement Tests)
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