Interior Architecture MFA
MASTER OF FINE ARTS
The only CIDA-accredited program in the nation’s capital, we create innovative design thinkers
Our mission is to educate future designers on all aspects of the discipline so that they contribute to and advance the field of interior design through professional projects and creative research.
Our four core goals are design excellence, creative scholarship, sense of community and identity, and outreach and engagement with Washington and beyond.
In the Master of Fine Arts in Interior Architecture (IA) 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-based curriculum, the core of our program, is where you’ll learn to design three-dimensional environments through the use of dynamic concepts, cutting-edge materials, and innovative methods and techniques.
Our studio projects take advantage of our location in an arts + design school within a major research university in the nation’s capital. Through interdisciplinary studies we collaborate with diverse GW departments, work on adaptive reuse projects positioned within historic contexts in DC, and on projects that highlight the global vision of the university.
Through our studio-based core curriculum, you’ll learn about habitable environments ranging from small interiors to larger, more complex commercial and institutional spaces. With projects focused on current design issues as well as lectures and critiques from distinguished professionals, the IA program is a carefully sequenced series of courses building on theoretical, technical and creative challenges and experiences.
The IA program is for students who excelled in undergraduate studies and received a Bachelor Degree in a subject other than interior design and architecture. This studio-based MFA is a terminal degree, providing opportunity for teaching at the college/university level, as it is equivalent to a PhD in another field.
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 from pedagogy to sustainability to architectural and design history to lighting, publishing as well as speaking at national and international design conferences.
In addition, Design Intelligence ranked our program #17 in our size category for Interior Design Schools Most Hired From by Firms in 2018-19.
The interior design program leading to the MFA in Interior Architecture is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation, 206 Cesar E. Chavez Ave SW, 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 MFA in Interior Architecture granted by the George Washington University meets the educational requirement for eligibility to sit for the National Council for Interior Design Qualification Examination (NCIDQ Exam). For more information about exam eligibility, visit their site.
PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS
MORE TO EXPLORE
INFORMATION SESSIONS
MFA and MA in Interior Architecture
Date: Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Time: 6:30-7:30pm ET
Location: Online
MFA and MA in Interior Architecture
Date: Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Time: 6:30-7:30 p.m. EST
Location: Online
MFA and MA in Interior Architecture
Date: Tuesday, January 7, 2025
Time: 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Location: Online
FLOURISHING CONVERSATIONS WITH STEPHANIE TRAVIS
BECO Management’s Amy Kwak interviews Stephanie Travis, director of the interior architecture program, who talks about reviving pen and paper in a digital age.
JENNIFER HICKS: THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE
Watch Jennifer Hicks, shown here as a second-year MFA student, talk about what inspires her and her process. Hicks, who also spent 8 years as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Air Force, is now a designer at STUDIOS Architecture.
INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE AT THE CORCORAN
Our program offers students a unique opportunity to study, learn and create within a creative environment at a major research university. Watch scenes from our studio-based curriculum.
Featured Faculty:
Stephanie Travis and Catherine Anderson
Professor & Program Head Stephanie Travis and Professor Catherine Anderson recently published Interior Design is Not Decoration And Other Ideas (Laurence King Publishing Ltd), an inspiring book exploring all aspects of interior design in 100 engaging and beautifully illustrated entries.
Interior design is not about paint colors and accent cushions. It is an important practice that affects all our lives. This entertaining book explores the world of interior design with a snappy set of 100 entries, all explaining what interior design is in an attractive format. The wide range of topics covered just proves that interiors are an integral part of our lived experience. The book will appeal to students, professionals, and anyone interested in the fascinating subject of what surrounds us.
Program of Study
The IA program is a rigorous full-time, five-semester 60-credit curriculum that takes two years to complete. Students begin the program in the fall semester only.
What is the difference between interior design, interior architecture and architecture? Learn more in our handout (PDF).
Courses Curriculum Map (PDF)Technology Requirements (PDF) Certification Tracks (PDF)
Application Process
Applicants to the IA program must follow the standard graduate application process but must meet these specific requirements as well:
- Prospective students must not have an undergraduate degree in Interior Design or Architecture.
- Prospective students must have undergraduate degree with 30 credit hours of liberal arts and science courses.*
- A portfolio that shows creative work (i.e., photography, sketches, and fine art) is required; an interview may be requested. Please note that the inclusion of interior design projects within the portfolio is not required nor expected. The objective of the portfolio is to see your artistic and design-related pursuits.
- The GRE exam is not required
- Two recommendations on business letterhead
* Liberal arts and science courses include: English composition, oral communication, logic, literature, foreign language, history, fine arts history, philosophy, biology, botany, zoology, mathematics, physics, chemistry, anthropology, archeology, sociology, psychology, economics and humanities, and do not include professional studies (i.e., business courses) or studies that are considered interior design coursework. The program is accredited by CIDA, Council for Interior Design Accreditation.
COSTS AND 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 and 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, D.C.'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 re-adapted, specifically in urban areas.
Incorporating conceptual and practical thinking with a design- and technical-based education, the IA 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 D.C. 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 US 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 exhibit design, art consulting, and academia.
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.
AWARDS + PRESS
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. Another student was recognized as a Metropolis Future 100, which honors the top 100 graduate students in architecture and design programs in the U.S. and Canada, sponsored by Metropolis Magazine.
Dezeen Magazine
Each year, a selection of our Interior Architecture M.F.A. students are featured in Dezeen, an influential architecture, interiors, and design magazine. See work from 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024.
How the Coronavirus Is Changing Architecture
Home and office will share more features post-pandemic, GW professor and student say. Read the full article.
FIRMS EMPLOYING OUR RECENT GRADUATES
- Smith Group Architecture and Planning, DC
- Darryl Carter Inc., DC
- Lisa Galano Design Consultancy, NYC
- Christopher Boutlier, DC
- Atelier MJK, DC
- KSS Architects, Philadelphia
- Paris Forino Interior Design, NYC
- MCLA Architectural Lighting Design, DC
- Gensler, DC
- Studios Architecture, DC
- Distinctive Designs by Janelle, DC
- BKV Group, DC
- Streetsense Design, Bethesda
- Baskervill Architecture and Planning, DC
- HDR Design, DC
- CORE Architecture + Design, DC
- //3877 Architecture + Planning, DC
- Interior Matter Design, DC
- Freelance Design Consultant, DC EYP Architecture and Engineering
- Hickok Cole Architects, DC
- OTJ Architects, DC
- Sun Design Remodeling
- Robin Chell Design, Seattle
- M Design Studio, Alexandria
- Blake Dickson Commercial Real Estate Brokerage, DC
- DMoreno Design Freelance Designer
- Hapstak Demetriou, DC
- KGD Architecture, DC
- LKK Design Co, DC
- Zoe Feldman Design, DC
Hannah Gilbertson (MFA ‘20) was a semi-finalist in the 2019 Steelcase NEXT Student Design Competition where she was given the challenge of designing the interior of a learning center/extension space (NEXT HUB) for the hypothetical "NEXT University."
Hannah’s concept for her submission was rooted in a student’s journey through academia. “I wanted the space to celebrate the act of learning; reflecting both the formal and structured phase of learning as well as the more informal, innovative phase that students experience as they make their way through school.”
“The Steady Beat” by Hannah Shafer
Corcoran NEXT
The Corcoran hosts NEXT every year as a celebration of the art and scholarship of our graduating students. In 2021, Interior Architecture M.F.A. students like Hannah Shafer designed spaces that deliver architectural intellect and societal benefits. "The Steady Beat" is a recording studio and artist social club in Washington, D.C., that was designed with these limitations in mind—as space supportive of female excellence and collaboration.
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT DATA
Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts in Interior Architecture
2021 Graduates
For the BFA, it typically takes a full-time student taking approximately 15 credits per semester to complete the degree within four years, focusing on Interior Architecture classes in the final 2.5 years of the program. For the MFA, it typically takes a full-time student taking 12 credits for five consecutive semesters, starting in the fall semester, to complete the degree program. This data was collected by referring to LinkedIn, to see where students were employed, as well as emailing alumni directly.
Attrition and Retention
BFA: 87% of students admitted to the program in spring of 2019 graduated in the Spring of 2021, putting attrition at 13%
MFA: 80% of the cohort beginning the IA Program in the fall of 2019 graduated in the spring of 2021
Graduation Rates
BFA: 87% of the cohort beginning the IA program in the spring of 2019 graduated in the spring of 2021
MFA: 80% of the cohort beginning the IA Program in the fall of 2019 graduated in the spring of 2021
Degrees Awarded
May 2021:
BFA: 20
MFA: 12
Acceptance into Graduate Programs
BFA: 10% of students who graduated in 2021 applied for graduate school, and all were accepted.
Job Placement Rates
BFA: 85% of students who graduated in 2021 are employed in interior design or a related profession.
MFA: 92% of students who graduated in 2021 are employed in interior design or a related profession
The interior design program leading to the BFA in Interior Architecture and the MFA in Interior Architecture is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation, 206 Cesar E. Chavez Ave SW, 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 BFA in Interior Architecture and the MFA in Interior Architecture granted by the George Washington University meet the educational requirement for eligibility to sit for the National Council for Interior Design Qualification Examination (NCIDQ Exam). For more information about exam eligibility, visit their site.
CONTACTS
Campus Address
Flagg Building
500 17th Street, NW, Suite 130
ciarc
gwu [dot] edu (ciarc[at]gwu[dot]edu)
202-242-6706
Program Information
Program Administrator
ciarcgwu [dot] edu (ciarc[at]gwu[dot]edu)
Program Head
Stephanie Travis
stravisgwu [dot] edu (stravis[at]gwu[dot]edu)
Advising
Graduate Faculty Advisor, MFA + MA
Nadia Volchansky
volnagwu [dot] edu (volna[at]gwu[dot]edu)
Graduate Faculty Advisor, MA
Douglas Crawford
dcrawfordgwu [dot] edu (dcrawford[at]gwu[dot]edu)