Here are some tips for selecting schools, based on an analysis comparing each school to all others across dozens of factors:
Schools Concentrating On Interior Designers
- Focus: For schools with a focus on this career area, look at Ringling College of Art and Design, Florida International, and University of Florida.
Fastest Response From Schools
- Request Info: For the fastest information for prospective students, look at the Spotlight schools on this page.
Student Body
- Part-Time: For schools emphasizing part-time studies, consider Florida International and University of Miami.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Florida International, University of Miami, and University of Florida.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of University of Miami, Ringling College of Art and Design, Florida International, and University of Florida.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Ringling College of Art and Design, University of Miami, Florida State, and University of Florida.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at University of Miami, University of Florida, and Florida State.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Florida International, University of Florida, and University of Miami.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Ringling College of Art and Design, University of Miami, Florida State, and University of Florida.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Florida International University • Miami, FL
Studying Interior Design (completion in 2010)
• 5/8/2011
"I was very, very satisfied with my experience. I felt part of a very close-knit community of designers, but also a part of the large college community with all of the social events going on constantly on campus."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I would recommend this school entirely. The program is excellent, and faculty love what they do. There are so many things to do within the program to expand skills, and off-campus. |
| Program Reputation | 6 | I feel my school has a fantastic reputation, but we are highly underrated. People aren't as aware of us because we are a smaller-name school. |
| Program Quality | 10 | My professors were so helpful in helping me grow as a designer. I was able to connect to various internships and career opportunities. |
| Instruction | 9 | I feel that I was prepared really well for my job. The curriculum was super relevant and we examined different ways of design out of the mainstream "typical" design of a room. We experimented a lot, and I feel I grew as an interior designer. |
| How Difficult | 8 | The theory classes of color and drawing were actually the hardest. There were a lot of late nights conceptualizing and using the computer programs to help visualize ideas. Learning how to specifically communicate and compromise with clients was a class in itself that was often challenging. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | Everything is computer and drawing based. No textbooks other than some theory of design classes. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 7 | My schedule was grueling, but very flexible. I had two days a week only of actual class, because that is the only option for this program. But it was very easy to schedule what day I had classes. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | Everything is available at my school. The best is open study areas of the library only for graduate students. Tutors and professors are always available for help. |
| Social Life | 10 | My school has a great social life. There is always something going on, especially Fridays and Saturdays. Clubs and sports are huge. |
| Placement Services | 10 | FIU is amazing at offering career services. They helped me find possible careers in any possible field of interior design. |
| Alumni Network | 10 | Being in Miami alone offers a great network of alumni. So many interior designers here are willing to keep in touch with my program and help us students with internships or visiting lessons. |
University Of Florida • Gainesville, FL
Studying Interior Design (completion in 2008)
• 5/8/2011
"As mentioned before, there are a number of positive attributes of this school. At the same time, there is a number of areas that need improvement."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | maybe | The student must be prepared to handle the intense course load and some of the negatives of the school and university. However, there are many positives things about the school and university. No design school covers every area. So, if the student wants more of a residential curriculum, this might not be the school for that person. |
| Program Reputation | 10 | It is one of the best schools of interior design in the country. This is also seen in the school's being in the top ten of the annual rating of the Almanac of Architecture and Design. |
| Program Quality | 8 | It is one of the best programs in the country. However, there are still some issues. |
| Instruction | 8 | Instruction quality varies from professor to professor, based on a number of factors. At the same time the expectation of student performance is always high. |
| How Difficult | 10 | You must work hard for long hours to complete this program. This can conflict at times with personal and other educational activities. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | There is some attempt to give students a mixture of hands-on and book learning. Because this is in a school, it is acceptable that book learning will be there to some degree. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 4 | You have to basically follow a set curriculum. Therefore prerequisites may only be offered as one class in a particular semester by one professor. |
| Academic Facilities | 10 | Most of the libraries, media and computer resources, laboratories, classroom space, academic advisors, availability of tutors and study group support, and accessibility of professors are numerous, fully accessible to students, and fairly up to date. Being part of a much larger university expands the available resources. For instance, there are a number of libraries and there has been a recent renovation and one of these libraries. |
| Social Life | 8 | The school has a student chapter of ASID. School spirit is extremely high, as the school is part of a university with many sport activities. There is always some activity, even not in sports, like arts, seminars, fairs, organizations, etc. in which you can participate. If you like partying, the university is also know as a party school. However, with the course load of our school, it can be difficult to participate sometimes. |
| Placement Services | 6 | Compared to other school's in the college, the career opportunities are minimal. This may also be a based on the availability of jobs in interior design. A student is mostly responsible for their own searches for jobs. However, there is a general university career services department. |
| Alumni Network | 7 | There is some contact with alumni. However, the rate and use of this alumni contact could be further improved and there have been recent moves in that direction. |
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