Interior Design, BFA

Students majoring in Interior Design, offered by the Department of Design , draw upon a wide range of University and Bay Area community resources to prepare for professional careers in both the private and public sectors in areas such as corporate, hospitality, institutional, office and retail planning, programming, and design. Preparation involves both conceptual and practical study of interior architecture with emphasis on critical thinking, communication skills, design process, emerging technologies, human factors, aesthetic sensibilities, visualization, laws, codes and regulations, and professional ethics. Admission to the BFA Interior Design program is by satisfactory passage of the portfolio review, which occurs after completing preliminary course work. After admission, continued satisfactory passage of subsequent portfolio reviews conducted at the end of each semester are required to continue to advance through the BFA IT program. All students in the Interior Design Program are required to complete a 1-unit professional internship as part of their degree requirements.

Students must pass a milestone portfolio review to remain in the BFA program. Students who do not pass the review will be changed to the Design Studies, BA .

San José State University is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), which is recognized by both the California Council for Interior Design Certification (CCIDC) and the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ).

Program Learning Outcomes

Program Roadmaps

The 4-Year Roadmap is available online. Roadmaps should be used in consultation with the catalog and your advisor to identify additional requirements for completing the major (for example, course grade minimums). Associate Degrees (ADT) Pathways are also available online.

Major-Specific Requirements

Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale in all major preparation and major required courses. Students who drop below a 3.0 for two consecutive semesters will have their degree status changed from the BFA to the Design Studies, BA .

1. Complete the Baccalaureate Degree Requirements

Students must satisfy the specific degree requirements for their undergraduate major and fulfill the following University degree requirements:

Academic (program total units with an average 2.0 GPA - “C” or better)
General Education (GE) (34 Lower Division + 9 Upper Division)
American Institutions (AI) (0-6 units) (may be satisfied in GE Areas 3A, 3B, 4, UD 3, or UD 4)
Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR) 3 units (see Writing in the Disciplines)
Physical Education (PE) (0-2 units)
Units in Residence (30 units, including 24 upper division and 12 in major)
Upper Division Units (40 units, including 12 upper div in major for BA, 18 upper div in major for BS)
Undergraduate Policies & Procedures

Apply for Graduation
Information about the Commencement Ceremony and Conferral of the Degree

Summary of Degree Units

Core Lower Division General Education: 19 (9 units may be satisfied by major coursework)

American Institutions/ US123 Requirements: 6 (Note: may be satisfied by GE coursework)

Upper Division General Education: 6 (3 units may be satisfied by major coursework)

Physical Education: 2

Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR): 0 (3 units may be satisfied by DSGN 100W)

Lower Division Humanities & the Arts College Requirement: 3

Upper Division Humanities & the Arts College Requirement: 2-4

Major Preparation: 39

Major Requirements: 43

Total: 120

2. Lower Division College of Humanities & the Arts Requirement (3 units):

3. Upper Division College of Humanities & the Arts Requirement (2-4 units):

Complete a course offered by the College of Humanities & the Arts in a discipline other than your major.

4. Major Preparation (39 units)

Preparation Courses (12 units)

ARTH 72 - Design in Society 3 unit(s) (GE Area 3A / Formerly Area C1)
DSGN 100W - Writing Workshop: Design 3 unit(s) (WID)
DSIT 10 - Sketching, Drawing + Modeling 3 unit(s)

Complete One Course From:

Highly Recommend Students take ARTH 70B

ARTH 70A - Art History, Prehistoric to Medieval 3 unit(s) (GE Area 3A / Formerly Area C1)
ARTH 70B - Art History, Renaissance to Modern 3 unit(s) (GE Area 3A / Formerly Area C1)
ARTH 70C - Arts of Asia 3 unit(s) (GE Area 3A / Formerly Area C1)

Additional Prep Courses (27 units)

DSIT 5 - Introduction of Interior Design and Architecture 3 unit(s)
DSIT 29 - Design Process 3 unit(s)
DSIT 33 - Architectural Presentation 3 unit(s)
DSIT 34 - Interior Architecture Foundation Studio 3 unit(s)
DSIT 83 - Visual Communication I 3 unit(s)
DSIT 102 - Computer Graphics for Interior Architecture 3 unit(s)
DSIT 103 - Interior Architecture Conceptual Design Studio 3 unit(s)
ENVS 1 - Introduction to Environmental Issues 3 unit(s) (GE Area 1B / Formerly Area A3)

Complete One Course From:

ENGL 2 - Critical Thinking and Writing 3 unit(s) (GE Area 1B / Formerly Area A3)
PHIL 57 - Logic and Critical Reasoning 3 unit(s) (GE Area 1B / Formerly Area A3)

5. Major Requirements (43 units)

DSIT 100 - Building Codes 3 unit(s)
DSIT 101 - Architectural Systems and Materials + Adv Modeling 3 unit(s)
DSIT 104 - Interior Architecture Space Planning Studio 3 unit(s)
DSIT 105 - Interior Architecture Advanced Design Studio 3 unit(s)
DSIT 106 - Architectural Project Materials 3 unit(s)
DSIT 107 - Furniture Design 3 unit(s)
DSIT 108 - Architectural Lighting Design 3 unit(s)
DSIT 109 - Object Design for Interiors 3 unit(s)
DSIT 110 - Capstone Thesis Studio 3 unit(s)
DSIT 111 - Interior Architecture Seminar 3 unit(s)
DSIT 112 - Professional Practice of Interior Archit 3 unit(s)
DSGN 127 - Internship 1-4 unit(s)

Complete One Course From:

ARTH 160 - Modern Architecture 3 unit(s)
ARTH 161 - Contemporary Architecture 3 unit(s)

Complete Two Courses From:

ART 46 - Introduction to Ceramics 3 unit(s)
ART 47 - Introduction to Metalsmithing 3 unit(s)
ART 105 - Advanced Digital Video 3 unit(s)
ART 132 - Topics in Intermediate Ceramics 3 unit(s)
ART 140 - Topics in Glass 3 unit(s)
ART 141 - Topics in Advanced Glass 3 unit(s)
ART 147 - Topics in Metalsmithing and Jewelry 3 unit(s)
ART 149 - Topics in Jewelry and Small Sculpture 3 unit(s)
ART 168 - Topics in Woodworking 3 unit(s)
ART 169 - Topics in Metal Sculpture 3 unit(s)
ARTH 162 - California Architecture 3 unit(s)
ARTH 163 - Twentieth Century Urban Design 3 unit(s)
ARTH 192C - History of Interior Design 3 unit(s)
DSGD 100A - Typography 3 unit(s)
ENVS 132 - Solar Home Design 3 unit(s)
ENVS 137 - Green Building Design Issues 3 unit(s)
PHIL 110 - Science, Technology and Human Values 3 unit(s) (GE UD Area 3 / Formerly Area V)
URBP 101 - The City 3 unit(s) (GE UD Area 4 / Formerly Area S)
URBP 120 - Intro to Housing Economics and Policy 4 unit(s)
URBP 142 - Introduction to Environmental Planning 4 unit(s)
URBP 151 - Introduction to Urban Design 4 unit(s)
URBP 152 - Introduction to Urban Design Studio 4 unit(s)

Total Units Required (120 units)

Student chapters of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) and the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) contribute to this professional program.