Academic Pathways

The MID program prepares students for careers in MANY areas. According to the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), “Designers work in a wide range of settings, both commercial and residential.” Master’s degrees allow for further specialization as well as adding more opportunities, like research and teaching.  Consistently ranked nationally, UF’s interior design program is recognized as a leading program in the U.S with a strong international draw. We are known for our research excellence and with an MID, you can develop advanced creative and analytical skills.
The Master of Interior Design (MID) educates students to become professionals in practice, to engage in research, and to develop a specialization in the design of the built environment.  In addition to coursework, the main requirement for the MID degree is a written research thesis, adding to the greater body of knowledge.

The UF-ID MID will:

• Aid your design and problem solving skills to achieve excellence in the design of interiors
• Enable students to propose and conduct research that adds to the body of knowledge in the field, building on previous research findings
• Explore a specialized area of interest and expertise

• MID graduate students can practice in interior design and architecture firms or other specialized fields
• MID students can achieve advanced study in areas of specialization often of interest to contract public interior design firms
• MID graduates have the opportunity to pursue entry level teaching positions within Interior Design programs
• MID graduate students can enter Ph.D. Programs for advanced research specialization(s) in Interior Design or related design disciplines
• MID students are offered the opportunity to disseminate knowledge through publications, conferences, teaching, and collaboration with various professionals in related fields

Each student entering the MID program works with the graduate coordinator to evaluate their unique background and to determine the specific courses needed to strengthen the student’s educational foundation and interests. After assessment of previous coursework and design work, leveling courses may be required to prepare the student for graduate studies. Taking leveling courses equalizes the master degree student’s academic opportunities in interior design. In the case of students with a bachelor’s degree in a field other than design, the added course work will be composed of lower and upper division classes that students usually complete in two to four semesters of full-time study. The estimated credit hours and length of study time will vary according to each student’s individual baccalaureate degree and experience. After any required leveling courses are complete and with approval by the graduate coordinator and supervisory committee chair, a student completes 24 hours of departmentally approved graduate work in the Department of Interior Design as well as 3 hours of coursework in graduate statistics and 9 hours of multi-disciplinary graduate electives that reinforce and extend the research.
At the core of the MID curriculum are courses in interior design research methods and individualized master’s thesis research. By the end of their first year in the program—or second year for students with a bachelor’s degree in a field other than design—each student must select a two-member supervisory committee to guide their course choices as well as thesis selection, study, and production. The program concludes with the successful completion, public defense, and publication of the student’s master’s thesis work. Research theses are comprehensive documents covering context, literature review, research methods, findings, and study conclusions on a topic of relevance to the interior design discipline. Past research theses created by MID students can be viewed from the George A. Smathers Libraries electronic theses and dissertations database.