Interior design practice creates useful, meaningful and inspiring spaces within buildings. It provides for the physical and cultural needs and aspirations of people at work and leisure. The bachelor of science in interior design program prepares graduates for a critical engagement with practice through an academic and professional grounding in problem-solving, formal design skills and pertinent historical and technical knowledge. The program forms strong links with the architecture program in the school, starting with a common curriculum in the first four quarters.
Career Possibilities:
The term interior design is often confused with interior decoration. The latter term refers to the selection of finishes and furniture; it is concerned with surface treatments. UC graduates enter the practice of interior design, which addresses interior space planning and experiential space sequences in addition to designing and specifying materials, lighting and furnishings. Most graduates work in interior design and/or architecture firms, which often employ other design professionals as well.
While the great majority of these offices have fewer than 10 employees who typically assume a wide range of responsibilities, interior designers in large firms may focus on more specialized roles such as design, technical support, business management and marketing, facility programming or historic preservation. An interior design degree can also lead to a career as a facility programmer, computer software designer, facility manager or university teacher.