Interior Architecture
BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS
Push the boundaries of design as you conceptualize three-dimensional spaces
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 Corcoran's Interior Architecture (IA) Program offers students a unique opportunity to study, learn and create within a creative environment at a major research university. Our program is the only Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) accredited program within Washington, D.C., and one of ten interior programs located at universities that rank in the top 63 of U.S. News and World Report's list of national research universities. Featured in House Beautiful, our program was rated one of the best in the country for Interior Architecture programs. Our program is also ranked #5 among the Best Bachelors in Interior Design on collegerank.net. In addition, Design Intelligence ranked our program #17 in our size category for “Interior Design Schools Most Hired From by Firms” in 2018-19.
We foster a community that encourages creativity and pushes the boundaries of design with an emphasis on conceptual thinking and the design process. Through our studio-based curriculum, the core of our program, students learn to design three-dimensional environments through the use of dynamic concepts, cutting-edge materials and innovative methods and techniques.
Undergraduates that receive their BFA in Interior Architecture can also apply to stay at GW for one additional, consecutive year to receive their Master in Arts in Interior Architecture and receive 10% off through the Grad2Grad Program.
INFORMATION SESSIONS
Date: Thursday, September 19, 2024
Time: 7:00-8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Online
Date: Thursday, November 14, 2024
Time: 7:00-8:00 p.m. ET
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.
WHY STUDY AT GW
- Quality of education: We are the only program in Washington, D.C., accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA). Programs accredited by CIDA adhere to a strict set of educational guidelines that are considered necessary to succeed in the profession.
- Recognition: GW is the 10th highest-ranked national university that offers interior architecture.
- Collaboration: GW has many diverse disciplines, creating the opportunity for cross-collaboration. Our students have worked on studio projects to design new spaces across the university, including the School of Media and Public Affairs, the Philosophy Department and laboratories in the Biology Department.
- Inspiration: Nearby examples of hotels, restaurants, fashion forward retail and modern furniture stores provide inspiration for our students.
- Networking: We bring in professionals from the top architecture and interior design firms in D.C. for critiques, lectures, events and to serve on our advisory board. Activities like these help our students make connections and find jobs.
- International stage: Our professors are internationally-recognized design experts who bring their unique experiences and projects into the classroom.
- Creative careers: With more than 75,000 jobs generating $5 billion annually in income across design, media, and other creative/artistic fields, D.C.’s creative sector is a major asset to the city’s economy.
- Location: Washington, D.C. has a dynamic arts and culture scene, diversity, food and young population.
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.
LEARN INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM
What You'll Study
In the IA program you’ll take a core studio and two supporting courses each semester, with topics ranging from graphics to drawing to lighting. The core studio sequence starts with Studio 1; as the studios progress, the projects, which range from residential to commercial to institutional, increase in scale and complexity. The final studio (Studio 5) is the capstone project, where each student creates and designs an individual project based on individual design interests. In addition to general requirements, all students complete an internship for real-world experiences.
What is the difference between interior design, interior architecture and architecture? Learn more in our handout (PDF).
Study the World
IA students have the chance to study abroad and explore design concepts and ideas in a variety of cultures. Our curriculum is designed so that students have the option to study abroad in the spring semester of their junior year, which is the third semester of the program. From locations such as Berlin, Rome, London, Paris and Copenhagen, our students and faculty travel the world finding new knowledge and creative inspiration.
Where You'll Go
In D.C. alone, the creative sector includes more than 75,000 jobs generating $5 billion annually in income across the design, media and other creative/artistic fields, with career possibilities always growing. Graduates of the BFA program have gone on to jobs at Waldo's Designs, Deborah Berke Partners, Mark Cunningham Inc., Freelance Space Planning & Design, Washington Workplace as well as starting their own practices.
STUDENT HIGHLIGHTS
Kyle Layman, B.F.A. ’24
As a senior, Layman created the concept of Dumbarton Grove: Retreat and Venue in Douglas Crawford’s Studio 5 course. It is an overnight retreat and venue located in the main house of the historic Dumbarton Oaks in DC. Using slow-living principles as inspiration, the programming and amenities found here would aim to help visitors revive purpose and intention in their everyday life.
Mariel Joven, B.F.A. ’24
Joven’s senior project, The New Age of Living: A Blueprint for Intergenerational Residentials, was meant to elevate the quality of life for the aging population by establishing a new standard of living and integrating them more effectively into the broader community. The implementation of inclusive, universal and sustainable design principles aims to redefine the norms of intergenerational living.
Ella Kuehnert, B.F.A. ’24
Fika is a Swedish daily practice that means more than 'to take a break' – it's a way of living. Kuehnert’s final project, Fika: Hostel and Social Spa, aims to bring this healthy lifestyle to DC at the active Swedish embassy in Georgetown. This project focuses on combating the loneliness epidemic by integrating Nordic wellness rituals, such as social bathing and mandatory breaks, into American culture.
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
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 St, NW, Suite 130
[email protected]
202-242-6706
Program Information
Program Administrator
Liz Meitner
[email protected]
Program Head
Stephanie Travis
[email protected]
Advising
Undergraduate Advisor
Nadia Volchansky
[email protected]