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.
The Master of Fine Arts in Interior Architecture at the Corcoran School prepares students to design innovative, functional environments through a studio-based curriculum emphasizing conceptual thinking, creative exploration and the design process. Students work with emerging materials, methods and technologies while developing projects ranging from intimate interiors to complex commercial and institutional spaces.
Located within an arts and design school at a major research university in Washington, D.C., the program offers opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration, adaptive reuse projects in historic contexts and engagement with contemporary global design issues. A carefully sequenced curriculum combines studio projects with lectures and critiques from distinguished professionals, building students’ theoretical, technical and creative expertise.
Designed for students with bachelor’s degrees in fields other than interior design or architecture, the MFA is a terminal degree that can prepare graduates for professional practice and teaching at the college or university level. Students learn from internationally recognized faculty whose research and professional work span sustainability, design history, lighting, pedagogy and other areas of the field.
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
Application Requirements Apply Find Funding Our Faculty Our Spaces Contact
MORE TO EXPLORE
INFORMATION SESSIONS
Each academic year, we offer virtual information sessions led by faculty to help prospective students learn more about our programs, faculty expertise, and application process.
Fall 2026 session dates will be announced in August.
Check back here to view upcoming sessions and register to attend.
MFA and MA in Interior Architecture
Date: Tuesday, October 21, 2025
Time: 10:00-10:45am ET
Location: Online
This session is part of the CCAS Graduate Programs Open House event. Attendees of this session will receive an $80 application fee waiver.
MFA and MA in Interior Architecture
Date: Wednesday, November 12, 2025
Time: 10:00-10:45 a.m. EST
Location: Online
MFA and MA in Interior Architecture
Date: Tuesday, January 13, 2026
Time: 10:00-10:45 a.m.
Location: Online
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.
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT DATA
Bachelor of Fine Arts and Master of Fine Arts in Interior Architecture
2021 Graduates
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
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.
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.
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
Douglas Crawford
dcrawfordgwu [dot] edu (dcrawford[at]gwu[dot]edu)
Advising
Director of Graduate Studies
Scott Jones
scottjonesgwu [dot] edu (scottjones[at]gwu[dot]edu)
REQUEST INFORMATION
Items marked with an asterisk (*) are required.