Interior Design Program Expands

Now includes associate degree, certificate and minor.

The School of Architecture and Interior Design at Andrews University. (Photo by Peter Tumangday)

Andrews University’s School of Architecture & Interior Design (SAID) is creating vital new paths for creative students with a new associate degree and certificate coming for the 2024–2025 academic year, along with the addition of an interior design minor to complement the Bachelor of Interior Design (BID).

• At the heart of the program is the four-year BID, a degree that features comprehensive training, including:
• Curating interior spaces people love by enriching the way people live within them
• Encouraging a person’s wellbeing and health via uplifting and enlivening design solutions
• Utilizing sustainable practices for the sourcing of materials and the methods of installing them
• Effectively incorporating design principles and theories in design solutions
• Dynamically communicating design via verbal, written and visual means
• Completing real-world design work via hands-on experiences in SAID’s state-of-the-art workshop
• Mastering technical skills including hand drafting, computer-aided drafting, building information modeling (BIM) and digital representation and rendering

The new two-year associate degree is a lightened version of the BID program that provides students with a foundation to launch a career in the interior design field. With a focus on the technical skills sought by employers, associate degree students will be prepared to seek entry-level jobs upon graduation. Because the new associate degree is aligned with the existing BID program, associate degree students can also continue in the BID degree track upon graduation.

“I’m excited by this expansion to our interior design program,” says Jessica Perry, assistant professor of interior design. “In harmony with the architecture curriculum, we are dedicated to promoting the ways in which interior design can contribute to whole human health. We teach how to be good stewards of the environment through design decisions. We encourage students to create spaces that promote wellness.”

“Non-traditional degree-seeking students may find the new certificate program an attractive alternative to further their education,” Perry continues. “This program consists of just four classes and could be completed in as little as two semesters. Certificate students could seek employment in fields relating to interior design upon completion of the program.”

Interested students may visit the interior design program’s website or contact Rachel Rechichar, recruiter for the School of Architecture & Interior Design, at rechichar@andrews.edu for additional information.