<p>My rising senior daughter is looking into interior design programs. We are Missouri residents though, and the University of Missouri does not have an architecture program. It does have an accredited (CIDA) interior design program however. We have also toured Kansas State Architecture, Arkansas and Iowa State, which all offer interior design through their architecture colleges. My question is would it be better to graduate with an interior design degree from an architecture college, or does it not matter if the program is accredited? Cost is a concern too, as Missouri would be lowest cost for her with automatic in-state scholarships, followed by Kansas State and Arkansas who do reciprocal in state tuition. Iowa State would be the most expensive. Kansas State's degree is also a five year program leading to a Master's in Interior Architecture, so this is different too. It was her least favorite college campus, however. Any advice about the differences is appreciated! </p>
<p>I’m not that familiar with interior design programs so I can’t comment on the individual schools, except to say that Kansas State’s College of Architecture Planning and Design is well respected.</p>
<p>You might investigate financial aid at a few other colleges and universities with good design programs. Run their net price calculators and see how your estimated family contribution comes out: you might be surprised.</p>
<p>In addition to pursuing large “full service” universities, she might also look at some design schools and private colleges. Financial aid can be variable, though, so use the net price calculators to get an idea of the relative cost. Some will also offer merit scholarships. You have to research each separately.</p>
<p>I would suggest your daughter look at Cincinnati, Savannah and Auburn. If she’s open to the Northeast, then RISD, Pratt, Parsons, Boston Architecture College. Cornell if she has the academic background.
Cincinnati’s co-op program can help defer costs.</p>
<p>There’s a good deal of overlap between the study of interior design and interior architecture, but the nuance of difference may make one or the other more appropriate for your daughter. She’ll also have to weigh the different career paths viable with the different degrees. I suspect that interior design is much like architecture in that the internships, summer jobs and connections you make during your school years greatly impact how you do when you get out, so look a the programs’ career placement too.</p>
<p>This article might help:<a href=“Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design at the University of Houston - University of Houston”>Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design at the University of Houston - University of Houston;
<p>momrath, Thank you so much for your response as well as for the link to the description of the two disciplines, it was very helpful! </p>
<p>Regarding your suggestions of other schools, I am familiar with the reputation of these schools, and we have looked into the cost of some of them (Auburn, Savannah, RISD). They still are very expensive for us when we run the net price calculators. We have also heard that despite generous aid, art schools remain the most expensive option for undergrad. She is a high achieving student GPA- and class rank wise (top 5%), as well as strong extracurriculars, but right now sits at a 27 ACT, which does not bring in much merit aid, nor make her eligible for a school like Cornell. She is studying and retaking this in October, however. Costs are hitting us hard as she has a twin sister who is heading to college too!</p>
<p>With her sister headed to Mizzou, we were just curious about that program and the differences/strengths/weaknesses being located outside of an architecture college.</p>
<p>Thank you again for your advice!</p>
<p>I have a son in the College of Design at Iowa State… he is an urban planning major. Very good comprehensive school.</p>
<p>Just remember that you are not admitted into a major until after Frosh year at Iowa State COD. Should have a backup plan just in case as interior design program is a tough admit.</p>
<p>I think you are lucky because K State has one of the better interior design programs in the country. As an interior designer you are going to be dealing with architects your whole career and the better you can relate to them and have shared experiences, the better. Some of the independent programs I have seen amount to not much more than rag picking (not that there is anything wrong with rag picking ;-). What you are looking for is rigor in the program: the ability to shape space and think three dimensionally. K State is one of the better ones in this regard. I have not heard much about Arkansas.</p>
<p>rick</p>
<p>@rick12 thank you for your reply and for sharing your knowledge about independent programs, your take is what I suspected after touring four architecture schools. My daughter is also an artist, with many art awards earned in high school, and I also wondered if a program like Mizzou’s not based in an arch or design school would have the same core of design education? The K-State program is the most intriguing option for her, I agree. Also, the interior architecture/product design M.Arch will allow her to investigate industrial design, which she is also has an interest. </p>
<p>I think I need to take her back to K-State to reconsider it when school is in session, (we saw it on a hot summer day) as right now it is at the bottom of her list as far as how she liked the University and city of Manhattan. Another reservation about K-State (and this topic could probably be an entirely new thread on here I imagine!), the assistant dean we met made an off-hand comment that indicated students spend “an average of 60-80” hours in studio. This didn’t phase my daughter, as she just heard “studio time=fun!” I was appalled at this number of hours and in fact started double guessing if I heard it right. I made it a point to ask every other college we met with their studio expectations. At each college, this inevitably turned into a conversation about how Architecture students need to be good “time managers”. It became comical because it was essentially the same answer every time, although each school said their was no actual “requirement” and that we should look closely at individual school’s culture when it comes to studio time. So maybe it was accurate? </p>
<p>It was interesting - and definitely something to clarify on a return visit. Obviously I know there is a studio element to design degrees, but I don’t think 17-18 year olds really know what 60-80 hours a week means. This is also why we visited universities that also had other majors that were of interest to her besides interior design/ architecture. </p>
<p>60-80 hours per week in studio is no exaggeration, at least for architecture students. D2 is about to begin her fifth year of her B. Arch program, and she easily puts in that much time. Not to create a horror story, but she spent 38 hours in studio during her very first weekend of her freshman year! I’d say that the dropout rate for arch students is at least 50% during their first year. One of the reasons she selected her school (Top 50 USNWR large public research university) was so that she would have multiple options if she decided that architecture was not for her.</p>
<p>By the way, D2 considers studio to be so much a part of her school that she does pretty much all of her other schoolwork there. She’s also in the Honors College and is double-majoring. It’s all doable - but time management - yes, very important. </p>
<p>Wow - that is insane! Unfortunately students aren’t aware how agressive the BArch program can be. So it pays to research this like you are doing. </p>
<p>Just in case you aren’t aware, there are many different ways to meet the Architecture requirements. We were told that NAAB recommends the 4+2 route which is 4 years Bachelor of Science - Architecture (undergraduate) + 2 years Masters in Architecture. </p>
<p>The BArch is a 5 year undergraduate accelerated program of the 4+2 program. There are around 163 credits required for the BArch which means there will be at least 4 semesters of 18 credits which is extremely difficult. That is equivalent to 6 AP’s to a High School Student. </p>
<p>@QuietType - you said your daughter is double majoring? Wow, that’s really impressive since there is usually little or no extra room to take courses while taking the BArch program. How is she able to do that and can I ask what she is double majoring in? Thanks.</p>
<p>Let me add a little perspective to the 60 to 80 hours a week comment. I have twin boys: one just graduated with an architecture degree, the other just graduated with a Mechanical Engineering degree. The engineer worked harder and the quality of his college experience was lower. Yes the architect spent a lot of hours in studio, but it was an incredibly close knit group of students and he did all of his school work in studio surrounded by his friends. The engineer did not have nearly the friends and support group, and he spent all his hours in the library or working in his bedroom alone. We won’t even mention the fact that there were almost no women in the ME program.</p>
<p>If you buy into the architecture school culture you can have a great experience. It is one of the more immersive experiences on campus. I think most students find out very quickly how they feel about studio and the required hours. If after a couple of semesters they feel like studio is a beating, they should think about another major. I would also note that the drop out rate for engineering is at least equivalent to architecture.</p>
<p>rick</p>
<p>My son’s experience (in an MArch program) was similar to Rick’s son’s. The studio was an extension of the classroom and by default, home. Sure eventually the work got done, but there was also a whole lot of socializing–discussing architecture, chewing over design problems, commiserating, celebrating, collaborating. Studio was the heart and soul of the department, and a fun place to hangout. As I understand it, architecture is a highly collaborative field, so this kind of immersive team building is ultimately valuable and pertinent. </p>
<p>The downside I think was that my son didn’t see much of the University except the path from his apartment to his studio. This was less of an issue for him since he’d already enjoyed a quality undergraduate experience, but may be a trade off for a BArch. </p>
<p>I am curious, though. Does anyone have statistics for the drop out rate for BArch and MArch programs?</p>
<p>My daughter’s (BArch) class started with about 90 students. Only about 44 or 45 finished the program–most of those who dropped did so after the first or second semester. I would also be interested to learn if this is the norm.</p>
<p>@Quiet Type: 60-80 hours per week in studio is no exaggeration, at least for architecture students. D2 is about to begin her fifth year of her B. Arch program, and she easily puts in that much time. Not to create a horror story, but she spent 38 hours in studio during her very first weekend of her freshman year!</p>
<p>My D is about done with her first week and thankfully she didn’t have to put in “38 hours in studio”. She is part of the 4+2 program and had an assigment due Wednesday and she completed it by 7 pm Tuesday night. She also worked on it Tuesday morning before her noon class. </p>
<p>She attended an Arch. two week career discovery program and that showed her what a 5 year BArch is like. She said the BArch program was highly intense and the 4+2 is more relaxed. </p>
<p>We were told if you can afford it, definitely take longest route you can. I don’t want my D to have to drop out simply because it is a highly intense accelerated program. </p>
<p>I’m glad to see that some schools that offer the BArch are now offering a 4+2 program. That’s great! </p>
<p>To understand the 60-80 hours a week observe your arch student during summer breaks…They go thru studio withdrawal…</p>
<p>Also the focus in later years is on electronic means of design rather than traditional (i.e. less model building and design on paper etc) and there’s not as much work done in the studio so the rest is done at the student’s place of living. No point pulling an all nighter at a studio if you can pull the same all nighter in your apartment. </p>