Enhancing interior spaces to maximize quality of life, increase productivity, and protect public health, safety and welfare

  • 100%

    • of our 2021-2022 graduates were employed or continuing their education within six months of graduation.

The mission of the Department of Interior Design is to educate students to become successful designers and scholars who enhance human experience and improve built, cultural, and social environments through interior design.

Our programs are ideal for energetic and inquisitive students who want to study within an energetic field that encourages innovation, creativity, collaboration, and experimentation. Through coursework, hands-on projects, and research activities, our students leave Iowa State ready to tackle any challenge that comes their way.

We foster core design and technical knowledge including diverse histories, theories of space
and form, principles of color and light, ergonomic and accessible furniture and furnishings,
efficient environmental systems, and effective interior construction and building systems.
Our integrated educational process builds skills sequentially over the program.

Degree programs

Iowa State’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design degree program is nationally accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA). The program received a full six-year accreditation in 2022 and will be reviewed again in 2028.

The Master of Fine Arts in Interior Design, Master of Arts in Interior Design, and First Professional Master of Arts in Interior Design programs are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).

The College of Design has prepared me for my future goals by encouraging creative thinking and collaboration with classmates and professors. I have learned how to work with others, push myself to the best of my abilities, and gained professional experiences that will benefit me for years to come.

Sydney Freking – Interior Design, Class of 2023

Success in design

Students in the College of Design graduate career-ready with internships, capstone projects, professional practice, and portfolio classes integrated into each of the design programs, and with support from the Design Career Services Office. The College of Design also hosts an annual Design Career Fair that is focused only on design majors. It attracts more than 125 firms recruiting for jobs and internships, with College of Design alumni making up more than half of the recruiters in attendance.

As the 7th “Most Hired From” interior design program in the country with 100% of our 2021-2022 graduates employed or continuing their education within six months of graduation, our students are in high demand. Some recent graduates of Iowa State’s interior design program have pursued careers in the following:

  • Contract (commercial) design
  • Design project management
  • Facilities design and management
  • Furniture design
  • Health-care facility design
  • Hospitality design
  • Interior design business management
  • Interior illustration or photography
  • Kitchen and bath design
  • Office systems design and sales
  • Product manufacturing sales
  • Residential and retail design
  • Sustainable and adaptive re-use design
Interior design student working on project blueprints.

A Designer in the Making

Find your place at Iowa State University’s College of Design, where we like to ask questions, poke and prod, create something new, and make a difference through design.

Policy and governance