Despite what many people might think, interior design is just as much a technical discipline as it is a creative one, and an accredited online Bachelor's Degree in Interior Design reflects these notions. In addition to developing professionals with strong insights in structural aesthetics, the best online bachelor degree interior design programs focus on an almost architectural understanding of the way objects fit together to create unique spaces. Interior designers need to treat color, space, and orientation with equal merit, and success in this field is typically dependent on an individual's ability to be continuously creative with simple designs. Online bachelor interior design degree graduates typically work with the delicate interaction of art and function.
Online Bachelors Degrees in Interior Design Requirements
As with most design degrees, online bachelor interior design students should have a passion for art as well as an interest in structures. The successful student is one who is hands-on and enjoys manipulating everyday objects into innovative and unique arrangements. Top online bachelors of interior design programs will also emphasize the ability to solve problems, as a lot of interior design projects have mathematical space and aesthetic constraints.
Some questions that
online school students should consider before enrolling in an online bachelor degree interior design program include:
- Am I creative and innovative?
- Can I take criticism in stride?
- Do I enjoy solving challenges of constraint?
- Do I have an interest in structures, shapes, and spaces?
- Do I enjoy art in general?
For students interested in a 2-year introduction to the field, an online associate's degree in interior design is a practical first-step towards learning some of the basics of interior design.
Online Bachelor Degree in Interior Design Education
Top online interior design bachelor's degree programs typically take 4 to 5 years to complete. The types of degrees available through the best online bachelor in interior design programs include:
- Bachelor of Arts in Interior Design (BA in Interior Design)
- Bachelor of Science in Interior Design (BS in Interior Design)
Information on Interior Design Courses
The best online bachelor's of interior design programs focus on the integration of architectural principles of space and the development of an artistic, uniquely aesthetic eye. Interior design is much like conveying an idea through verbal or aural communication, and courses in online bachelor interior design degree programs unsurprisingly work towards honing these abstract skills into a professional set.
Some
courses found in top online bachelor degree programs in interior design include:
- Event Planning
Often times, major events like weddings will require interior designers to arrange formal settings. This online bachelor of interior design course teaches students how to handle these kinds of large-scale, limited-duration projects.
- Entrepreneurship
This course teaches students how to market their skills effectively to leverage business opportunities in the artistic, highly subjective field of interior design.
- Negative Space
Students learn how to organize basic shapes and structures to enhance visual impact through negative space, a technique that adds emphasis to interior design schemes.
- Principles of Color
In this online bachelor of interior design course, students learn how to use color harmony to add aesthetic cohesiveness, mood, or layers of sophistication to their unique projects.
- Structures
Students learn the mechanical principles of various structures in this course, in order to help them better understand how to use common objects to their advantage in design schemes.
Specializations and Concentrations
The specialties and concentrations often available through good online bachelor of interior design programs include:
- Event Design
- Interior Design Marketing
Careers in Interior Design
Those students who graduate successfully with an online bachelor of interior design degree have many career options to from. Some popular choices include:
- Floral Designer
Floral designers work with live greenery. They cut, maintain, and arrange flowers into large-scale displays. These professionals are most often hired for weddings, but can apply their expertise to just about any major event that requires unique and natural decoration. Floral designers make an average $25,000 per year.
- Entrepreneur
Entrepreneurs combine an artistic eye with business principles to create thriving businesses based on superior interior design. These professionals are hardworking and spend a lot of time networking and acquiring venture capital for their enterprises. Entrepreneurs can make up to $50,000 per year or more.
- Event Planner
Event planners work with contractors to provide designs for major events like banquets, weddings, and public gatherings. These professionals deal more with the set-up of large-scale spaces and make approximately $44,000 per year on average, with 16 percent growth foreseen for the next 8 years.
- Design Consultant
After generating an appealing portfolio, interior design graduates often choose to do professional consulting. Consultants are hired to provide design and logistical advice to individuals who wish to redesign their personal spaces. Consultants can make up to $45,000 or more per year, with an 83 percent increase in the general consulting realm expected into 2018.
- Apparel Manufacturer
Apparel manufacturers work in the fabrics industry, both designing and helping in the processing of common and rare fabrics. These professionals often use their knowledge of textiles as they apply directly to interior design (drapery, upholstery, etc.). Apparel manufacturers make around $33,000 per year. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, this sector is expected to see projected growth of 11 percent between 2008-2018.
Interior design is a constantly changing, dynamic field that provides a combination of business, technical, and aesthetic skills. A bachelor's degree in interior design from a top online school will give individuals the training and education to enter this field with confidence.
