Interior Architecture
MASTER OF ARTS
Post-Professional Degree
Aiming to create ethical, socially conscious design thinkers of the built environment and leaders in the industry
Please email [email protected] if you have any questions about admissions or the program.
In the Interior Architecture program at the Corcoran School, we believe in fostering a community that encourages creativity and pushes the boundaries of design with an emphasis on conceptual thinking and the design process. Our studio projects, the core of our curriculum, take advantage of our location in an arts and design school within a major research university in the nation’s capital, and our mission to participate in projects that positively impact social change aligns with the global vision of the university.
The post-professional Master of Arts (MA) is designed to educate students who have previously received an undergraduate degree in interior design, interior architecture or architecture, who want to continue to challenge themselves in an academic setting. This condensed 30-credit one-year program is an integrated curriculum meaning all of the courses within each semester are cohesive, with course content working in tandem and increasing in complexity throughout each semester.
The MA program is developed to expand on operational skills, and it is expected that students will be accepted into the program having already mastered foundational knowledge of the interior design industry in addition to being able to use both the analog and digital tools necessary to design and communicate interior spaces.
Through our studio-based core curriculum, you will work on solving problems with a focus on serving clients of varied income and diversity, with emphasis on teamwork, leadership and social responsibility, preparing you to take on leadership roles in your future firms, allowing for a creative process that leads to collaborative design solutions, and enabling you to make positive changes within your work environments as well as the built environment. You will be expected to research new materials, methods and design solutions, and apply newly acquired cognition to design interiors that contribute to the body of knowledge of the profession.
Our Interior Architecture (IA) professors are internationally recognized design experts and authors who bring diverse experiences and projects into the classroom. As a part of this intellectual environment, our faculty research focuses on aspects of the profession ranging from pedagogy to sustainability to architectural and design history to lighting, with professors publishing as well as speaking at national and international design conferences.
Our students win many prestigious design competitions such as the Steelcase National NEXT Student Design Competition, where in 2021, we had three students in the top 10 entries from 900 entries and 65+ programs entered. We also had a student recognized as a Metropolis Future 100, which is one of the top 100 graduate students in architecture and design programs in the US and Canada sponsored by Metropolis Magazine.
In addition, Design Intelligence ranked our program #17 in our size category for Interior Design Schools Most Hired From by Firms in 2018-19.
INFORMATION SESSIONS
MFA and MA in Interior Architecture
Date: Thursday, November 17, 2022
Time: 7:00-8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Online
MFA and MA in Interior Architecture
Date: Thursday, January 12, 2023
Time: 7:00-8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Online
NOTE: This is the final information session for the Fall application cycle!
WHAT YOU'LL STUDY
Program of Study
The IA MA program is a rigorous full-time, two-semester 30-credit curriculum that takes one year to complete. Students begin the program in the fall semester only.
What is the Difference Between Interior Design, Interior Architecture + Architecture? (PDF)
APPLICATION PROCESS
Applicants to the IA MA program must follow the standard graduate application process but must meet these specific requirements as well:
- Prospective students must have an undergraduate degree in interior design, interior architecture or architecture.
- A portfolio that shows creative work is required; an interview may be requested.
- The GRE exam is not required
- Two recommendations on business letterhead
The program is accredited by NASAD, the National Association of Schools of Art & Design.
COSTS & FUNDING
The Student Accounts Office provides up to date cost information on our program.
The program has a number of support packages that it offers to select students, and students are automatically considered as part of the application process. You may also find fellowships through the Office of Fellowships & Assistantships. The Office of Student Financial Assistance also has more information on aid opportunities.
THE PROFESSION
With 75,000+ jobs that generate $5 billion annually across design, media and other creative fields, Washington, DC's creative sector is key to the city's economy. There is no shortage of need for interior designers in our city, or nationally, as interior spaces are constantly renovated and readapted, specifically in urban areas.
Incorporating conceptual and practical thinking with a design- and technical-based education, the IA MA experience prepares our students for meaningful, creative employment in the design field. Our program also brings in many professionals from leading architecture and interior design firms in Washington, DC for critiques, lectures and events such as our advisory board. Activities like these help our students make connections and find jobs.
Our graduates have gone on to successful careers across the United States and internationally at reputable architecture and interior design firms such as SmithGroup, Gensler, OTJ Architects, Perkins + Will, RTKL, Studios Architecture, CORE architecture + design, HapstakDemetriou+, and more. Our graduates have also started their own firms, freelanced independently, and worked in creative fields that align with interiors, such as exhibition design, art consulting and academia.
CONTACT US
Flagg Building
500 17th Street, NW, Suite 130
[email protected]
202-242-6706
Program Administrator
Liz Meitner
[email protected]
Program Head
Stephanie Travis
[email protected]
Graduate Faculty Advisor
Catherine Anderson
[email protected]
MA Advisor
Douglas Crawford
[email protected]