About the program

The Interior Architecture and Design program offered by the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, provides high quality individualized professional education that is responsive to expertise evident in current and projected modes of professional practice. The professional development of the students is further enhanced by the program’s unique relationship to the extraordinary industrial and artistic development of the City of Las Vegas, which provides opportunities to engage in innovative and creative design projects. Graduates are well prepared to pursue advanced studies or to make a seamless transition into the profession and advance onto positions of increased responsibilities and achievement of professional licensure.

Central to the philosophy of the Interior Architecture and Design program is the premise that design professionals share a common corpus of knowledge that is to comprise the basis of the curriculum for the first two years in the Lower Division Studies. After the completion of this unified course of foundation studies enriched by the liberal arts and sciences, students advance to cultivate diverse skills and knowledge in the more specialized Upper Division Studies. Interior architectural design, construction technologies, global business practices and communication constitute the program’s core coursework and incorporate significant concern for sustainable development. The final project based design studio emphasizes large-scale hospitality environments to reflect the multi-layered complexity and functional diversity of environments that characterize the multiple realities of contemporary practice.

In view of the fact that many of the increasingly complex needs of populations diverse in age, abilities, and cultural backgrounds can be creatively addressed through innovative design, graduates of the program successfully engage in the practice of providing professional interior architecture and design services in various contexts of residential, commercial and institutional design.

Learning Objectives

The Bachelor of Sciences – Interior Architecture and Design degree is accredited by CIDA, the Council for Interior Design Accreditation. For accreditation, programs must demonstrate that each student possesses the knowledge and skills defined by the following learning outcomes:

Global Perspective on Design

Entry level designers have a global view and weigh design decisions within the parameters of ecological, socio-economic, and cultural contexts.

Student work demonstrates understanding of the concepts principles, and theories of sustainability as they pertain to building methods, materials, systems and occupants.

Students understand the implications of conducting the practice of design within a world context and, how design need may vary for a range of socio-economic stakeholders.

Human Behavior

The work of interior designers is informed by knowledge of behavioral science and human factors.

Students understand that social and behavioral norms may vary from their own and are relevant to making appropriate design decisions.

Student work demonstrates the ability to appropriately apply theories of human behavior, to select, interpret and apply appropriate anthropometric data, and appropriately apply universal design concepts.

Courses Included:

• History of the Built Environment/Discussion
• Design Foundation 
• Art Appreciation
• Survey of Art History 
• Interior Architectural Systems