Program Overview

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Bachelor of Science in Interior Architecture and Design

About

Mission Statement

The Bachelor of Science in Interior Architecture and Design program at UNLV is an all-inclusive program that promotes equality and supports all genders and cultural, ethnic, and religious backgrounds who have been historically and continually under-represented within the education and profession of Interior Design. Our program continually strives to provide a broad and rigorous educational experience that merges science and technology within our lectures and studio-based courses in ways that promote evidence-based designs, prepare students to take the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) exam, and pursue industry licensure.

Accreditation

For information regarding accreditation at UNLV, please head over to Academic Program Accreditations.

Learning Outcomes

Program Philosophy

The philosophy of the undergraduate Interior Architecture and Design program at UNLV has been developed to provide gender-neutral content that provides a broad and rigorous educational experience that builds upon cultural, religious, and ethnic-specific design and design trends. The program merges lecture content and studio-based applications to promote creative thinking, problem-solving, innovative ideations, and evidence-based designs. Student activities and designs demonstrate an understanding of the complex factors relating to human physiology, psychology, and sociology, along with technological advances in computer-aided drawing, building systems, and international commerce. These educational elements are further integrated with an understanding of symbiotic and conflicting relationships between human occupation, global habitability, cultural evolution, and environmental change to make informed decisions.

With an eye to 21st-century opportunities and challenges, the UNLV Interior Architecture and Design curriculum call upon critical thinking skills to address complex design and planning issues. These include interdisciplinary collaborations with assorted professionals within and outside the design professions, the interconnections of science and technology as applied to the built environment, and the ethical, financial, and political effects of international trade and globalization. The Interior Architecture and Design Program at UNLV provides a solid foundation that meets the diverse needs of a first professional degree in Interior Design. The program further serves as an excellent foundation for those wishing to pursue higher education to advance their career or seek an area of specialization in one of the many areas in which interior designers practice.

Program Objectives

Graduates from the Interior Architecture and Design Program will be able to:

1. Recall important historical trends that have influenced the design of interior spaces.
2. Communicate effectively in written, spoken, visual, and digital modes.
3. Apply research data on the human condition to the design of interior spaces.
4. Recall construction methods and materials common to the practice of interior design.
5. Develop an awareness of building systems and the effects of human occupation.
6. Apply life safety codes seamlessly into finished design ideations.
7. Assess wayfinding and space planning measures for their capacity to support successful interactions between people and the designed environment.
8. Understand the symbiotic and conflicting relationships between human behavior, the natural environment, and the designed environment.
9. Develop technical sophistication with software commonly used within the profession of Interior Design.
10. Demonstrate a well-thought-out design that considers science and technology in equal measure.
11. Discuss ethical considerations that practicing interior designers face as part of their daily practice.
12. Convey the interior designer's role as a professional who makes decisions based on informed, responsible, and ethical considerations.

Career Possibilities

• Careers145.93 KB

Requirements

Interior Architecture and Design (BS)

The undergraduate program in Interior Architecture and Design culminates in a professional Bachelor of Science (BS) in Interior Architecture and Design degree. The program is designed to provide a broad and rigorous educational experience that merges lecture and studio-base courses to promote evidence-based designs. Students' creative and innovative design activities are guided by an understanding of the complexity of factors relating to human interaction with the designed and natural environments and an awareness that design decisions have consequences that affect human occupation, global habitability, cultural evolution, environmental change, and the sustainability of human social systems.

As a program with an interdisciplinary focus, students learn to effectively address challenges of the 21 st century. This includes collaboration with various professionals on complex design and planning issues related to the interconnections of science, art, and technology as applied to the built environment. The program's curriculum reflects this interdisciplinary paradigm the inclusion of human sciences with computer-based and material technologies.

The Interior Architecture and Design Program has a strong foundation aimed to meet the diverse needs of a first professional degree in Interior Architecture and Design. The curriculum is desirable for those wishing to pursue NCIDQ certification, licensure in the state of Nevada, and to practice as a professional in the field. This program further serves as a foundation for those wishing to pursue higher education to specialize in one of the many areas where interior architects and designers' practice.

Please see the UNLV College of Fine Arts - Department of Interior Architecture & Design web page at for information about department programs, faculty and facilities. Degree worksheets and 4/5 year plan for the major are available at architecture-design.

Learning Objectives

1. Demonstrate an appreciation for global perspectives on design and the design process.
2. Apply information from the human sciences to design outcomes to enhance human performance and quality of life.
3. Depict each step of a design process when addressing an issue or problem of concern.
4. Demonstrate an ability to engage in person-to-person and remote collaboration when working on a singular design project.
5. Articulate verbally, in written form, and with symbolic measures design ideas through justification with rationale.
6. Present oneself and design ideas in a professionally developed and articulated proposal.
7. Detail common business standards of practice as they apply to business development, financial management, strategic planning, and ethics.
8. Recall germane historical factors that influenced various movements within interior and furniture design.
9. Evaluate theoretical ideas related to spatial definition as applied to two- and three-dimensional design.
10. Apply principles and theories of color as they relate to objects, textures, surface materials, and lighting.
11. Demonstrate an understand of environmental systems and controls that pertain to lighting, acoustics, thermal comfort, and indoor air quality for health, safety, welfare, and human performance.
12. Demonstrate an understanding of design solutions affect by the difference systems used to support the interior performance of a building.
13. Demonstrate compliance with regulations set forth as industry standards and governing laws.

Advising

Please see advising information at the UNLV College of Fine Arts Student Advising Center.

Accreditation

For information regarding accreditation at UNLV, please head over to Academic Program Accreditations.

University Graduation Requirements

Please see Graduation Policies for complete information.

Interior Architecture and Design (BS) Degree Requirements - Total: 120 Credits

General Education Requirements - Subtotal: 39-43 Credits

First-Year Seminar - Credits: 2-3

English Composition - Credits: 6

• ENG 101 - Composition I
• ENG 102 - Composition II

Second-Year Seminar - Credits: 3

Constitutions - Credits: 3-6

• HIST 100 - Historical Issues and Contemporary Society
• or
• PSC 101 - Introduction to American Politics

Mathematics - Credits: 3

MATH 127 - Precalculus II

• MATH 126 - Precalculus I

Distribution Requirements - Credits: 19

Please see Distribution Requirements for more information.

• Humanities and Fine Arts:
  • Automatically satisfied by Major requirements
• Social Science: 9 credits
  • One course each from three different fields
• Life and Physical Sciences and Analytical Thinking: 10 credits
  • Analytical Thinking - Subtotal Credits: 3
  • Life and Physical Science with Lab - Subtotal Credits: 4
    • PHYS 151A
    • PHYS 151L
    • Additional Life and Physical Science with or without lab - Subtotal Credits: 3-4

Multicultural and International - Credits: 0-6

Multicultural, one 3 credit course required
International, one 3 credit course required

These courses may overlap with general education and major requirements. A single course may not meet the multicultural and international requirements simultaneously. For the list of approved multicultural and international courses, go to:

Major Requirement - BS in Interior Architecture and Design - Subtotal: 78 Credit

• Lower Division Design Core Courses: 30 Credits
• AAI 180 - Design Foundation I
• AAI 253 - History of Architectural Interiors I
• AAI 254 - History of Architectural Interiors II
• AAD 267 - Introduction to Digital Media
• AAD 268 - 3-D Presentation Graphics
• AAI 271 - Regulations, Standards, and Codes for Interiors
• AAI 280 - Design Foundation II
• AAI 282 - Design Foundation III
• Upper Division Design Core Courses: 48 Credits
• AAI 322 - Interior Construction and Detailing
• AAI 323 - Interior Construction Documents and Specifications
• AAI 332 - Interior Architectural Systems
• AAI 373 - Interior Design I
• AAI 374 - Interior Design II
• AAI 400 - Professional Internship
• AAI 450 - Designed Environment and Human Behavior
• AAI 453 - Built Environment and Human Health
• AAI 473 - Interior Design III
• AAI 474 - Interior Design IV
• AAI 491 - Professional Practice
• ABS 321 - Construction Technologies I
• ABS 443 - Interior Lighting Design

General Electives - Credits: 0-6

Total Credits: 120

Notes

1. MATH 127 or higher, higher means MATH 128 or MATH 181.
2. AAE 282 and Portfolio are Milestone Experience courses for Interior Architecture and Design B.S.
3. AAI 474 is a Culminating Experience course for Interior Architecture and Design B.S.

Documents/Downloads

Bachelor of Science in Interior Architecture and Design

• Plans of Study

  • NA

Syllabi

* AAD .68 KB

* AAI .13 KB

* AAI .86 KB

* AAI .8 KB

* ABS 443/.12 KB

Degree Worksheets

* .28 KB

* .29 KB

* .96 KB

* .77 KB

Careers

* Career Possibilities145.93 KB

Graduate Handbooks

* NA

Additional Downloads

* NA

Related Links

* Professional Licensure Disclosure

Contacts

School of Architecture

The School of Architecture provides professional and continuing education in the design professions of architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, and design. Along with addressing the theoretical and practical aspects of general design education, our school focuses on the important design issues facing Las Vegas, the state of Nevada, and the Southwest.

College of Fine Arts

The College of Fine Arts provides an academic experience that heightens awareness of the physical, intellectual, and cultural world. We diligently prepare students for professional employment and/or post-graduate study in their artistic area.