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Department of Interior Design

At the University of Florida, Interior Design students and faculty cultivate a culture of shared excellence. Guided by a distinguished faculty, students participate in design projects across Florida and around the globe. Our commitment to collaborative learning fosters a strong esprit de corps, where teamwork drives creative thinking and innovation.

Students at all levels work closely with faculty, and upper-division juniors and seniors actively mentor lower-division students. Our graduates go on to become exceptional designers, educators, and professionals in the field. Staying attuned to the evolving profession, we regularly collaborate with leading design firms and benefit from a network of accomplished alumni who remain actively engaged with the program—helping us stay at the forefront of industry advancements.

The Department of Interior Design is deeply committed to advancing the discipline. We pursue research that reflects the realities of practice and contributes meaningfully to the profession’s body of knowledge. Initiatives like the SAMPL project explore critical topics such as material use in design, sustainable practices, wellness-centered design, and emerging media innovations.

We are also proud to be among the few graduate programs in the United States producing doctoral students prepared to lead the future of design practice and education.

witters-2025-winning-team-1024x759 — interdisciplinary

Photo Feb 29 2024, 12 35 23 PM — beyond the classrooms

IND gators at TVS presenting — and apply research

study-abroad-bdes — added value

Interior Design at UF

Whether you are pursuing a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Ph.D., we offer a program tailored to your goals in Interior Design. Our program is housed within the College of Design, Construction, and Planning—the only Interior Design program in Florida that shares a college with Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Historic Preservation, Sustainability in the Built Environment, Urban and Regional Planning, and Construction Management. This multidisciplinary setting fosters rich collaboration and innovation. Students benefit from close mentorship from dedicated faculty, access to cutting-edge research and opportunities to engage with top firms and industry leaders.

Bachelor of Design (BDES)

Our Interior Design undergraduate program is a first professional degree that prepares students for practice in the field. Accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) since 1974, it was among the first programs to receive this recognition and has maintained continuous accreditation ever since. The program requires 120 credit hours and is typically completed in four years. Roughly half our students enter as Interior Design majors in their first year, while the other half join through the college’s GDC transfer program or transfer from other majors within the university.

Master of Interior Design (MID)

We are proud to be one of the nation’s leading institutions for graduate education in Interior Design, committed to shaping the next generation of practitioners, educators, and researchers. Our MID program offers two distinct tracks:

For students with a prior degree in Interior Design.

For students entering the field from other disciplines.

Eligible students in our undergraduate program can also complete the MID with just one additional year of study through our 4 + 1 option.

Ph.D. in Design, Construction and Planning

For those seeking advanced scholarship, we offer a Ph.D. with a concentration in Interior Design. This research-intensive program emphasizes diverse methodologies and empowers students to tackle critical challenges in the built environment through empirical inquiry.

Our Degree Programs

02.23.23 IND D4 Genesis Martinez Okken (1) — (BDES)

MID Graduate Student Presentation — (MID)

dissertation-defence-nurah — STEM-Designated

What is Interior Design?

Interior Design shapes the environments where we live, work, learn, eat, shop, and heal.

Interior Design is

crafting memorable experiences

story telling with authenticity

applied environmental psychology

developing inspiring spaces that serve complex human needs

It’s not what your parents think! Interior Design involves the creation of functional and customized facilities that serve the needs of individuals and organizations. Interior designers design environments that are inspiring, promote health, are sustainable, and involve the community, owners, users, designers, and contractors as active participants in the design process. Interior design professionals do not fluff pillows. They design state-of-the-art corporate office spaces, amazing restaurants, awe-inspiring hospitals, breathtaking hotels, stunning retail stores, and much more.

Interior Design is a young and exciting profession. It was not until the 1970’s that the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ), the discipline’s certification body, was formed to establish and govern standards for the examination of interior design professionals. FIDER, the Foundation for Interior Design Education Research (now CIDA) was also formed in the 1970’s to review and accredit undergraduate and graduate interior design programs. In 1982, the first United States legislation supporting the profession was passed in Alabama. Today, the field of interior design continues its steady growth and development of specialized areas of knowledge.

Interior designers are creative problem-solvers, proficient in technical matters, and savvy business professionals. They are grounded in studies about the effects of the built environment on humans and have expertise in interior construction practices, the performance properties of interior materials, interior lighting design, and the application of building codes that ensure the health, safety, and welfare of the public. The education of interior designers is demanding and entails the acquisition of design and technical knowledge and skills. This includes knowledge about building and accessibility codes, construction means and methods, anthropometrics, ergonomics, lighting design and much more.

Activities for a typical project include determining the needs of the client and users of a facility, understanding the opportunities and constraints of the building site and overall context, presenting multiple possible solutions, preparing detailed construction documents in accordance to building and accessibility codes, coordinating the work with mechanical, electrical, and structural engineers, and overseeing the construction and installation phases to ensure compliance with the contract documents

As professionals, Interior Designers pursue professional certification. They are required to graduate from a CIDA accredited Interior Design program, spend a stipulated number of hours (which amounts to about two years) in practice after graduation, and take the NCIDQ certification test. After passing the exam the designer can then pursue licensing in the states in which he or she intends to practice.

There are jobs for Interior Design graduates! According to projections by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of interior designers has been growing and is projected to continue growing in the years ahead. Furthermore, interior designers earn competitive salaries and can make a good living. ASID, the largest professional organization in the field reports that the average salary for interior designers in the United States is $72,212 per year and the top 10% makes an average of $103,473. Companies also offer competitive benefits packages.

Come join the profession!