When I decided to become an Interior Designer, I was shell shocked by the cost of University. Knowing that I was paying for my own schooling and all of my living expenses, led me down a different path than a traditional four year college. I really want to delve in and give you some detailed information on non-traditional Interior Design schooling options, so I am going to break this section up in two. So, stay tuned next week for a discussion about online degrees.
Community College A.A.S. Degree in Interior Design
Knowing what I know now, I think I pretty much lucked out on finding a community college that was grooming students to be at or above the University level. Because I was so fortunate, I wanted to spend a some time here getting into details.
After deciding that a four year University was not in my future, I started to track down colleges that offered a technical degree. I ended up finding a Community College that was offering a 2 year A.A.S. degree with an additional one year professional certificate, which focused on commercial that last year. My degree and certificate ended up taking me three years in total. Let’s get into some things you need to investigate before selecting a school.
Curriculum
Before selecting any school, it is important to look at the curriculum to determine if what you will be learning is on par to successful Universities producing quality graduates. Comparing it to a well known University, may be helpful to see if they are covering a similar range of topics. One tip, when you are looking into the curriculum, “studio” doesn’t mean much to someone who has never gone through a design course. But really, this is where you get to practice what you are learning and you have your instructor available to guide you through the process. In my opinion, it would be helpful to have at least one block of Studio per semester.
Instructors and Qualifications
When you are going over the curriculum, make sure to check out the instructors and their qualifications. What is their educational background? Have they practiced in the field?
A couple of the instructors we had were actually professors from the University I had considered. The other instructors were design professionals in the city where I wanted to work. Having these people as instructors was a huge networking possibility. (I ended up working for one of them!)
Furthering your Education
You may have no intention of furthering your education. But, you may change your mind a few years down the road. So, make sure that any University that might be of interest to you, will accept all of your design credits. It would be a shame to invest in design classes, that would not transfer. Verify how much additional schooling will be required to graduate with a Bachelors.
After investing three years into school, I wanted to know if I could easily transfer over to a university at a later date, if I decided to. While I was in school, they were paving the way for that. I was fortunate, after moving to another state, I found a private University, that accepted almost all of my credits, which left me needing to fulfill some of the general education requirements. It took me an additional year and a half, but I was able to work full-time and go to school in the evening full-time to complete my bachelors. So, just because a traditional four year degree doesn’t fit into your life, doesn’t mean you can’t finish it later.
Licensure After Graduation
It is important to know about the National Council for Interior Design Qualifications (NCIDQ) if you live in a state that requires licensure. This exam is required in some states if you want to refer to yourself as an Interior Designer. If the passage of this exam, or calling yourself an Interior Designer, is important to you, you need to verify that NCIDQ will accept your chosen school as your education credit. You need six years combined education and experience under a licensed Interior Designer or Architect before you are eligible to take the exam. Check out NCIDQ.org for more information.
Oh, I wanted to mention, that I passed the NCIDQ exam, BEFORE, I finished my bachelors. Some Interior Designers will try to tell you that you have to get your degree from a University to be eligible. That is just not true, but you do need to verify with NCIDQ that any college you are considering will count as your education credit.
Visit Your Prospective School
Once you have decided on a prospective school, take the time to speak with the Director of the program or even just tour the school and where the program runs. You will see students work and will be able to determine if the work looks professional. If you are given the opportunity, speak with the students. You can gain a lot of information from them.
If you are a non traditional student (someone coming into the program at an older age), touring the school during operational hours, will let you observe if there is a good mix of traditional and nontraditional students.
Finally, during your tour, you can ask about job placement. Do they provide internships? How many of those internships turn into a job? Do they have prospective employers coming to them with job openings? Are the instructors well connected in the local design community? Getting a great education will help a great deal, but you need a staff that can help you make some connections in the design field.
I would love to hear about your educational experience. Were you a traditional student? Did you attend a University, or did you go another route?
Check out last weeks post for Part 1.