Bachelor of Design in Interior Design - Online

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Interior Design - Online

Bachelor of Design in Interior Design - Online

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Design the Spaces Where People Live, Heal, Work, and Belong. Entirely Online

MICA's Bachelor of Design (BDes) in Interior Design is a 120-credit, fully asynchronous online degree that prepares students to become skilled, ethical, and career-ready interior designers. The curriculum aligns with nationally recognized NCIDQ content areas and is structured to support a future CIDA accreditation application, combining creative depth with the technical and professional rigor employers expect.

Spring, Summer, Fall Intakes

100% online, fully asynchronous

120 credits
(30 credits)

8 terms; accelerated pathway available for AAS/AS transfer students

Bachelor of Design (BDes) in Interior Design

Curriculum aligned with NCIDQ (National Council for Interior Design Qualification) certification content areas.

Curriculum structured to support a future CIDA (Council for Interior Design Accreditation) application.

Structured, credit-mapped pathway for students with an AAS or AS in Interior Design.

Two-course sequence — Capstone: Research & Programming and Capstone: Project & Presentation — plus a Comprehensive Portfolio course.

Early professional shadowing experience + supervised internship (minimum 120 hours)

$16,260 per semester

Program Overview

Vision. Precision. Execution.

The Bachelor of Design in Interior Design at Maryland Institute College of Art prepares students to become skilled, ethical, and forward-thinking interior designers capable of addressing the complex demands of contemporary practice. The 120-credit curriculum integrates design thinking, technical proficiency, professional practice, and human-centered solutions that support health, safety, welfare, and social responsibility within the built environment.

Delivered in a fully asynchronous format, the program expands access for working adults, career-changers, and Associate-degree completers while maintaining the sequencing, studio critique, and assessment rigor expected of a professional design education. Students move from a shared foundational core in visual thinking, research methods, and design history into a progressively advanced sequence of interior design studios such as residential, commercial, and health-and-wellbeing typologies, supported by technical coursework in materials and textiles, lighting, building systems, codes, and construction documentation using industry-standard tools including CAD and Building Information Modeling (Revit).

The degree culminates in a two-course capstone sequence and a comprehensive portfolio course, giving graduates a polished, professional body of work alongside academic preparation aligned with NCIDQ content areas.

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How to Apply to MICA

MICA’s innovative curriculum, state-of-the-art facilities and world-class faculty come together to support a single purpose: provide a no-holds-barred education and experience that will prepare you to be a creative leader in the 21st century. If you would like to receive more information, please click on the link below to fill out a form.

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Why MICA for Interior Design

Coursework is mapped to nationally recognized NCIDQ content areas such as programming and space planning, building systems and materials, lighting, codes and life safety, construction documentation, and professional practice, so graduates complete the academic preparation required for NCIDQ eligibility and are positioned to pursue the required professional experience and examination after graduation.

Creative studios emphasize authorship, narrative, and a distinct design point of view; technical coursework in materials, lighting, building systems, and digital tools ensures those ideas can be realized as buildable, code-compliant solutions. Students move from concept and story through fully coordinated construction documentation which is the same arc practiced in professional firms.

Inclusive design, accessibility, and evidence-based decision-making are embedded throughout the curriculum rather than treated as a single course, which prepares graduates to design for diverse populations, health-and-wellbeing environments, and complex real-world constraints.

Students with an Associate degree in Interior Design (AAS/AS) follow a structured, credit-mapped pathway into upper-level studios and technical coursework, reducing time to degree while meeting the same professional and licensure-eligibility standards as the traditional-entry track.

100% Online

Flexible Without Compromise

The fully asynchronous format is built for working adults and nontraditional learners, but studio critique, iterative project development, and performance-based assessment preserve the rigor of an in-person design education. Career preparation — including a supervised internship, portfolio development, and support through MICA's Joseph Meyerhoff Center for Career Development — is built into the sequence.

Who Should Apply

This program is designed for:

First-time college students who want a professional, licensure-oriented interior design degree delivered entirely online
Associate-degree (AAS/AS) graduates in Interior Design seeking a structured transfer pathway to a bachelor's degree
Working adults and career-changers who need asynchronous scheduling to complete a degree alongside a job or family commitments
Design-adjacent professionals — drafters, showroom staff, design assistants — seeking the credential required for advancement, NCIDQ eligibility, and licensure
Students who want a curriculum grounded in accessibility, universal design, and social responsibility alongside technical and business fundamentals

Career Outcomes

Graduates are prepared for entry-level roles across residential, workplace, hospitality, and healthcare design, including:

Interior Designer or Interior Design Assistant
Junior Designer
Space Planner
CAD/BIM Technician
Lighting Design Assistant
Design Associate (residential, workplace, hospitality, or healthcare)
Sustainable Design Coordinator

With professional experience and licensure, alumni are positioned to advance into project designer, design manager, or independent practice roles.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, interior designers earned a median annual wage of $63,490 in May 2024, with employment projected to grow 3% from 2024 to 2034 and about 7,800 openings projected annually nationwide (BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024 data).

Curriculum Overview

The 120-credit curriculum unfolds across three years (eight terms), moving from a shared design foundation into discipline-specific studios and technical coursework, then into professional practice and capstone.

Year 1

Design foundations shared with MICA's Bachelor of Design cohort — drawing, writing, and making as modes of inquiry; design history; systems and modular thinking — followed by Foundations of Interior Design, space planning, CAD drafting, materials and textiles, and Interior Design Lab I: Residential.

Year 2

Human-centered design and design theory; Building Information Modeling (Revit); Interior Design Lab II: Commercial; lighting design; building codes and construction documents; history of interior design; Interior Design Lab III: Health and Wellbeing; an early professional shadowing experience.

Year 3

Business essentials and financial planning; project management; Building and Environmental Systems; a VR/AR spatial-experience studio; Interior Design Lab IV: a participatory, community-based design charrette; a supervised internship (120+ hours); the two-course capstone sequence; and a Comprehensive Portfolio course.

Frequently Asked Questions

The program's curriculum is structured to align with nationally recognized interior design education standards and to support a future application to the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA). It is not currently CIDA-accredited. MICA is regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE).

Yes. The curriculum is aligned with NCIDQ (National Council for Interior Design Qualification) content areas, including programming, building systems, codes, lighting, and construction documentation. Graduates complete the academic preparation required for NCIDQ eligibility and then pursue the required professional experience and examination after graduation.

Yes. The BDes in Interior Design is delivered 100% online in a fully asynchronous format. There are no scheduled class meeting times, though courses include structured deadlines, critique, and faculty feedback.

The standard path is 8 terms across 3 years for 120 credits. Students entering with an AAS or AS in Interior Design follow an accelerated, credit-mapped pathway that can shorten time to degree.

Yes. MICA offers a structured transfer pathway for students with an AAS or AS in Interior Design, allowing qualified students to move directly into upper-level studios and technical coursework rather than repeating foundational content.

Students gain proficiency in CAD drafting, Building Information Modeling (Autodesk Revit), and digital visualization, with an introduction to emerging spatial technologies including VR and AR for design communication and testing.

Graduates are prepared for entry-level roles such as Interior Designer or Assistant, Junior Designer, Space Planner, CAD/BIM Technician, Lighting Design Assistant, and Design Associate across residential, workplace, hospitality, and healthcare sectors, with room to advance into project designer, design manager, or independent practice roles with experience and licensure.

Yes. Students complete an early professional shadowing experience followed by a supervised internship of at least 120 hours with a design firm or practitioner, coordinated through MICA's Joseph Meyerhoff Center for Career Development.

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Bachelor of Design in Interior Design - Online

Bachelor of Design in Interior Design - Online