The Online BFA in Interior Architecture at Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ University combines the flexibility of virtual learning with the depth and rigor of a professionally grounded design education. Built for the realities of today’s students and the demands of tomorrow’s interior design profession, this program prepares graduates for entry-level positions and future leadership roles in an increasingly global and interdisciplinary field.
Whether you're a working professional ready for a career shift or a student who thrives in a digital-first learning environment, OHIO Online offers a pathway to a respected BFA degree — on your schedule.
Our fully online format allows for:
At its core, the program is grounded in human-centered design. Students learn to creatively and critically address spatial challenges while considering the psychological, social, and environmental needs of the people who will inhabit those spaces. The curriculum blends design fundamentals with advanced topics such as lighting, sustainability, material applications, digital technology, and building codes — all taught through the lens of professional practice and cultural awareness.
As part of their final Interior Architecture studio, students complete a comprehensive design project that demonstrates their ability to research, develop, and communicate professional-level interior solutions. These culminating projects are exhibited each semester, highlighting the innovation, technical skill, and personal design vision of graduating students.
View Spring 2025 Senior Thesis Exhibition
View Fall 2024 Senior Thesis Exhibition
View Spring 2024 Senior Thesis Exhibition
To enroll in the Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Interior Architecture – OHIO Online program, applicants must first meet Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ University’s general admission requirements.
In addition, a portfolio review is required as part of your application to the program. This helps us understand your creative background and readiness for advanced design coursework. Detailed instructions and submission guidelines can be found on our Portfolio FAQ page.
Before applying, be sure to review the program’s Technology Requirements to ensure you have the tools needed for online design work.
Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ University’s Interior Architecture – Athens Campus program leading to the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation, , 206 Grandville Avenue, Suite 350, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503.
The CIDA-accredited program prepares students for entry-level interior design practice, for advanced study, and to apply for membership in professional interior design organizations. The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree granted by Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ University meets the educational requirement for eligibility to sit for the National Council for Interior Design Qualification Examination (NCIDQ Exam). For more information about NCIDQ Exam eligibility visit: .
As a new enrollment option beginning in the Fall of 2020, the same curriculum will be offered virtually through Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ University’s OHIO Online platform. The online delivery is not currently CIDA-accredited.
For more than 30 years, the Interior Architecture program has been preparing graduates for successful careers in residential and non-residential design (office design, health care design, retail design, restaurant design, hotel design, etc.) as well as in lighting, visual display, sales, and showroom management.
Interior Architecture Online Student Achievement Data 2021-2024
Through this program, you will learn how architectural elements interact and synthesize to meet physical, psychological, social, and intellectual needs of people in a variety of settings.
As part of the program of study, students complete a qualifying internship experience, connecting their learning and experiences in the classroom to the professional practice of design.
If you are sensitive to the use of materials and details in a built environment, are attentive to color, enjoy drawing, constructing, and organizing objects and spaces, this program may provide a challenging and fulfilling career choice.
U.S. News & World Report ranked Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ University the #1 Best Value Public University in Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ and 30th in the nation. We're continuously striving to make college more affordable and accessible, while maintaining the high quality and value of an OHIO education.
Our Office of Student Financial Aid and Scholarships provides services to students and parents both in-person and remotely. You can visit our office on the ground floor of Chubb Hall or reach us at financial.aid@ohio.edu or 740.593.4141.
Students who are active or veteran military members, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ University alumni, or employees of corporate partners are automatically eligible to receive a 15% incentive scholarship towards tuition for this program.
American Society of Interior Designers (ASID):
The Impact of Design
The Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ):
What does an interior designer do?
Interior Architecture Alumni Testimonial
COFA Alumni Testimonials
The Interior Architecture program faculty are qualified experienced professional designers and dedicated design educators. Program courses present ideas, issues, and information central to the contemporary practice of interior design. If you’d like more information about the Interior Architecture OHIO Online program, contact Lynnette Bush Clouse.
Lynnette Bush Clouse
NCIDQ, LEED B,D&C, CDT Assistant Professor Instruction & Interior Architecture Online Program Area Head
clouse@ohio.edu
The BFA in Interior Architecture from Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ University prepares students to enter the field of interior design as a practicing professional. There is a broad range of opportunities as an interior designer. Typically, students will graduate and seek employment at a design firm and work along side other designers, architects, engineers, and related industry professionals. Each firm is different and unique but generally either focus on residential or non-residential design.
Residential design is the design of the interiors of places where people live from apartments and condos to large estates and vacation homes.
Non-residential design encompasses all other interiors which include office interiors, healthcare settings, educational spaces, restaurants, hotels, retail spaces, etc.
Regardless of the type of practice, the size of a design firm varies greatly from small offices with just a few employees to large firms with multiple offices and thousands of employees around the globe.
Individuals with a degree in interior architecture might also choose to pursue careers in sales, marketing, showroom management, and a whole subset of design specializations such as lighting design. As with any profession, specialization often requires additional education and experience in the chosen field of specialization.
Part of the undergraduate experience is to learn about the various opportunities and to begin to identify where you, as a graduate, might want to pursue a career, both in terms of geographic location as well as type and size of practice.
Opportunities for where and how we learn is evolving. We recognize that not everyone desires a campus-based experience for a whole range of reasons. The eCampus degree tract provides students with an opportunity to pursue a degree without coming to a physical location.
The eCampus tract:
Students typically take 2-3 classes at a time with most classes being 7 weeks in length.
127 credit hours which can be completed in three years (including summer enrollment).
The BFA in Interior Architecture accepts applicants from a range of backgrounds from recent high school graduates to individuals looking to start or change careers.
Faculty who teach in the program come from a range of backgrounds representing practice experience from nearly every field of the profession. We pride ourselves in bringing real-world design experience to the classroom.
Students will first complete a Foundation experience in which they develop an understanding of the fundamental aspects of design: 2D and 3D design, design technologies, and design’s relationship to the arts, the social and natural sciences, and introductory professional practice.
After the successful completion of the Foundation experience, student progress in the design curriculum and learn about design process, materials and components of interior design and construction, and the application of design knowledge. Students will take part in five interior architecture-specific studios students where they practice the design process and apply their learning about the built environment.
The curriculum culminates with two major events: the thesis experience and the professional internship. The thesis experience is an opportunity for students to explore a focused area of design and to create a project centered on this focus. The thesis experience includes coursework and activities related to design research, project execution, and exhibition.
Details about the professional internship can be found below.
The professional internship is an opportunity for students to synthesize academic study and the real-world practice of interior design. While the internship must be approved by the area chair of the program, the opportunities for an internship experience are many and varied with each experience being unique to the student and their specific needs and desires for an experience.
Comprised of 200 hours, the professional internship is intended to be immersive and offers a student the opportunity to explore not only the broad practice of interior design but also realities related to a specific discipline of interior design.
Students enroll in three courses related to the professional internship experience. Each course is designed to support a unique aspect of the professional internship experience:
Collaboration is a central aspect of interior design practice. While the Interior Architecture - eCampus program is primarily asynchronous, students will learn about and practice various modes of collaboration to help prepare them for professional practice. Students will experiment with collaboration utilizing technology to support classroom learning and to complete course assignments and studio projects. Students will have the chance to collaborate with each other, with faculty, and with practicing industry professionals throughout the program.
The profession of interior design continues to be vibrant and essential. In light of recent global realities, understanding how the environments in which we live, learn, and work affect us is critical. Interior environments, how they are created, and the components used to create them are ever evolving. Because of this, professionals with knowledge and skills related to creating them continue to be a vital part of society.
Our professional organizations are a wealth of information about current statistics, career opportunities, and events happening in the profession:
American Society of Interior Designers:
International Interior Design Association:
National Kitchen and Bath Association:
International Facilities Management Association:
Illuminating Engineering Society: