If you have an eye for design and enjoy helping others to decorate their spaces, you might be considering a career in interior design. And while a few successful interior designers have never taken a design course, the field is becoming more and more competitive. In order to be on the top of your game, you may want to consider earning a degree from a qualified interior design school.

What Will I Learn At An Interior Design School?

Classes at an interior design school go beyond the basics of what you can learn in a book. Courses focus on architecture, theories of design, color theory, and the basics of two-dimensional and three-dimensional thinking. You can take courses in color theory, and learn how lighting plays a key role in your designs. You will also learn some of the more practical matters in interior design, such as building codes, ecology, and basics of running a business. Many interior design schools offer two and three year programs to earn your degree, and have more specialized tracks available as well, such as computer-aided design and designing for businesses. They also help you to put together a portfolio of your work, and can help you to find an internship or job in the design field once you graduate.

What Should I Look For When Selecting An Interior Design School?

Just as with selecting any college, you should make a list before you start to look at interior design schools of things that are important to you. Do you want a campus that is near where you live, or do you want to relocate to a different area? Are you looking for an interior design school that focuses solely on interior design, or do you want a more general design school where you can take a wider variety of courses? Think about whether or not the interior design school offers the courses you most want to take. Also consider class size, faculty mentorship, and the diversity of the population before selecting your school. There are also websites devoted to helping students research interior design schools, and can be invaluable in your search. They allow you to look at many facets of the school in one place, including entrance requirements, statistics on the student body, and types of degree programs offered. You also want to consider if the school is just a design school or if it is a general university that offers programs and degrees in interior design.