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 Drexel and Harrisburg Area Community College.
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 Harcum, La Salle, Point Park University, and La Roche.
- Female: For schools particularly welcoming to female students, consider Moore College of Art and Design and Harcum.
- Diverse: For a diverse student body, consider Carnegie Mellon, Harcum, Drexel, and La Salle.
- Adult Learners: For lots of adult learners, consider Harrisburg Area Community College and Lehigh Carbon Community College.
School Setting
- Out of State: For geographic diversity, take note of Carnegie Mellon, Lehigh, Drexel, and Philadelphia University.
- Dorms: For a residential campus environment, take note of Westminster College, Mercyhurst College, Philadelphia University, and La Salle.
Excellence
- SAT: For students with high SAT scores, look at Carnegie Mellon, Lehigh, and Drexel.
- % Accepted: For selective institutions, look at Lehigh, Carnegie Mellon, Pennsylvania College of Art and Design, and Harcum.
- Class Size: For small class sizes, look at Carnegie Mellon, Lehigh, Westminster College, and Moore College of Art and Design.
Student/Alumnus Reviews of Schools for This Career and State
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Philadelphia Institute Of The Arts • Philadelphia, PA
Studying Interior Design (completion in 2006)
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I loved the atmosphere and the education I received at my school. The school was welcoming and inviting. I learned more than I ever imagined and was encouraged by faculty and staff the whole way through. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | Before applying, I talked to some friends of mine in the industry. They all spoke highly both of the school and of the interns they hired from the school. |
| Program Quality | 9 | The program was amazing. They assisted me with internships and the program was well-rounded. They taught me how to run a business from an artist's perspective. |
| Instruction | More than 5 years ago | |
| How Difficult | 8 | The testing process was difficult. The professors assigned a lot of projects and instruction was fast-paced. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | The school does have a book emphasis, but there are many hands-on projects as well. Each year there are several chances for students to display what they have been working on. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 9 | Because there are night programs and day programs , you can go to class almost anytime. The courses are offered virtually year round and even online in some instances. |
| Academic Facilities | 9 | The school has a wealth of resources and partners with local facilities, as well. There is also a vast collection of online resources for students to tap into via our intranet. |
| Social Life | 8 | The students have many shows and mixers. There is always a party or other social event. |
| Placement Services | 9 | The job placement services were excellent. They have job assistance counselors and organize mixers with alumni who are hiring. |
| Alumni Network | 9 | We still have gatherings and mixers. There is a lot of networking and people often refer jobs to one another. |
Indiana University Of Pennsylvania • Indiana, PA
Studying Interior Design (completion in 2004)
• 5/8/2011
"I really loved my school. I made a lot of lasting relationships there and really grew as a person. I think I received a quality education from them."
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale
| Characteristic | Rating | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| Would Recommend? | yes | I feel that, when I was there, our program was really growing. We were trying to get accredited at the time and we were on the right track to really build a solid program. |
| Program Reputation | 8 | I'm not sure how large the Interior Design program is now, but when I was there, we were just starting to grow. I know there were several students in classes with me that lived kind of far away and went to my school for this major. |
| Program Quality | 8 | When I was in school, our program was just starting to pick up. We had only 4 instructors for the main courses of the program but I really learned a lot and I feel like, because our program was small, we interacted with each other well. |
| Instruction | More than 5 years ago | |
| How Difficult | 9 | There were a lot of really difficult areas of the program including lighting and building codes. We really had to know a lot of technical information. It wasn't just about making things look nice. |
| Hands-On vs. Bookish | I think they had a nice balance of book learning and hands-on learning. For interior design, both really helped because there were somethings you couldn't get from a book and some where you needed a book. | |
| Schedule Flexibility | 8 | From what I can remember, I don't think there were online or weekend options. They did really try to help me when I had 2 classes that overlapped each other. They were willing to let me take both at the same time. |
| Academic Facilities | 8 | We had a lot of resources available to us such as libraries, organizations, and academic advisors. It was difficult sometimes when trying to meet with our advisors because there were only 4 of them for all the students in the program. |
| Social Life | 9 | I was a member of a sorority in college and it really opened me up to a lot of social events. There were many activities around campus that you could participate in and be a part of. |
| Placement Services | 8 | I think the teachers prepared us well for our careers, but I don't really remember there being a lot of resources for job placement. They did do a good job of lining internships up though. |
| Alumni Network | 8 | I receive a lot of emails from the alumni association from the school but none from my program. I think it would be nice to receive information and have resources from them. |
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