Well-designed spaces allow people to thrive in healthy, safe and inspiring environments. The BFA in interior design program at Marylhurst University approaches design education as a creative and rigorous discipline. In the four-year professional program you will focus on critical thinking, exploration and collaborative learning. A comprehensive design curriculum, combined with a university-level liberal arts education, fosters an ethical and broad-based approach to creative problem-solving.

Professional & Personal

Our practitioner faculty are passionate about teaching and design. They are current with best practices in the discipline and provide a conduit between you and the profession. The faculty instructs, mentors and leads by example. Design professionals from a wide variety of disciplines serve as guest reviewers as well as mentors.

Small class sizes allow you to work directly with the faculty. Studios are limited to 10 students. Faculty members work with you, as an individual, assisting you in meeting your professional goals.

Commercial design is emphasized in the program, to ensure the broadest range of interior design skills and knowledge as you pursue your career.

Practical Experience Emphasized

The heart of the curriculum are 12 design studio courses taken sequentially. You will use interior design tools and technologies in a creative studio environment. The studio courses become progressively more complex and demanding, culminating in a self-directed fourth year when you will develop an individual interior design thesis project. This in-depth research project encompasses all design phases. You will obtain portfolio-building skills and hands-on experience through a professional internship.

Graduates have competence, knowledge and experience in:

• 3D spatial design
• Hand drawing and computer-aided design
• Technical information — lighting, materials, and systems
• Communication and presentation techniques
• Sustainable design practices

Liberal Arts Context

Design is all about people. Marylhurst University's broad-based liberal arts education ensures that you consider various points of view, think critically and communicate effectively. This context helps you focus on the experience in the built environment by understanding user needs and developing sensitivity to varied human conditions.

Education Not Training

Our interior design program emphasizes process first, then product. You will be challenged to explore problem-solving in a collaborative manner, often through peer teaching and learning. You will take responsibility for active learning.

Student Success

Our interior design graduates are highly regarded in the professional community due to their maturity, knowledge, abilities to think and work collaboratively, and range of skills.