Interior Design, BA

CBU's interior design major develops students in the art of applying artistic principles and techniques to the professional planning, designing, equipping, and furnishing of interior spaces – preparing them to pursue professional practice as interior designers.

Request Info

Program Intro

The interior design major at CBU creates a rich design environment marked by the confluence of advanced practice, contemporary theory, and social engagement. Our primary goal is to help students develop the capacity and judgment necessary to understand the built environment and generate interior design as a critical response, so that each student can engage both the discipline of interior / environmental design on multiple levels – artistic, technological, social, political, environmental, economic, spiritual – necessary to be a successful practitioner and a conscientious citizen with a biblical worldview.

65 Units

View All Courses

17 Required Major Courses
100 % Christian Faculty and Staff

Why Study Interior Design at CBU?

Faith Integrated into the Curriculum

CBU's interior design program offers a Bachelor of Arts degree preparing students to be successful professionals and experts into the world of environmental / interior design – while simultaneously living biblically based missional lives.

Optional Elective Focus

CBU's interior design program is built a for a flexible curriculum, allowing students to utilize electives to support their interests. Situated within a large art and design college, interior design majors have the chance to draw from other fields to enhance their education.

Many Opportunities to Engage with the Profession

CBU Interior Design aims to develop interior designers who demonstrate professional excellence and personal integrity, are servant leaders in their communities and who live biblically based, missional lives within the profession. While this is a regular topic of discussion during class, we also aim to provide key opportunities for our students outside the class to engage with the profession, apply their skill sets in a missional setting, and participate in developing industry leading research. CBU has partnerships with the following organizations and chapters: CRUX, Church Design Research Institute, and Freedom by Design.

Program Details

IND 250: Space Planning and Code

This course focuses on space planning with an emphasis on programming and behavior aspects of space. 

IND 280: Materials, Finishes, and Sourcing

This course explores the process of material research and its use in the design of interior space.

IND 340: The Historic Interior

This course examines the Historic Interior from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, considering the fine, decorative, and luxury arts produced, the artists and figures who produced them, and the historic styles and context in which these interiors were produced.

View All Courses

Krysten Burton

Assistant Professor of Architecture

Office Phone: 951-552-8377
E-mail: kburton@calbaptist.edu

Katherine Kaford, Ph.D.

Professor of Art History
Associate Dean, College of Architecture, Visual Arts and Design

Office Phone: 951-552-8816
E-mail: kkaford@calbaptist.edu
Office Location: James Building, Room 453

Keelan Kaiser, M.Arch.

Professor of Architecture
Program Director of Architecture

Office Phone: 951-552-8149
E-mail: kkaiser@calbaptist.edu
Office Location: ARCH 103, https://zoom.us/j/509396321?pwd=Z09GR0JnTGR5SDBydk5NTkdTY0RQdz09

Kristi Lippire, M.F.A.

Professor of Visual Art
Advisor for Art Club

Office Phone: 951-552-8736
E-mail: klippire@calbaptist.edu
Office Location: Adams Business Park, building C space 33

Matthew Niermann, Ph.D., M.S.

Associate Professor of Architecture
Associate Dean of College of Architecture, Visual Arts and Design (CAVAD)
Program Lead, Illustration/Interior Design

Office Phone: 951-552-8670
E-mail: mniermann@calbaptist.edu
Office Location: James 478

David Ogoli, Ph.D.

Professor of Architecture
Fellow of The Cambridge Commonwealth Trust

Office Phone: 951-552-8195
E-mail: dogoli@calbaptist.edu
Office Location: 3739 Adams Room 214

  1. Faith Integration: Majors will apply a Christian worldview to the moral and ethical questions inherent in the interior design industry.
  2. Design Literacy: Majors will demonstrate a critical and working familiarity with the themes and concerns of interior design.
  3. Creative Thinking: Majors will demonstrate the ability to engage in associative/spatial thinking dynamically channeled through various media.
  4. Media Fluency: Majors will command the inherent dynamics of three-dimensional design and two-dimensional media as applied to the principles of professional interior design techniques and best-practices workflows.
  5. Professional Awareness: Majors will assess the professional implications of their expressive decisions and to apply techniques of professional presentation.

CBU Interior Design is dedicated to training quality and qualified interior designers. As part of this process, CBU has developed and aligned its curriculum to the Council for Interior Design Accreditation standards. Additionally, CBU intends to pursue CIDA accreditation as quickly as the accreditation timeline allows.

CBU Interior Design encourages all students to engage and pass the NCIDQ Examination.  There are multiple paths to qualify for the NCIDQ exam – one of which is by earning a BA in Interior Design.  CBU intends to pursue CIDA accreditation, but until such time accreditation is awarded, students earning a BA in Interior Design from CBU will qualify to sit for the NCIDQ exam in the same time frame.

For more information on NCIDQ Exam qualification, please refer to the NCIDQ Exam website.

Career Possibilities

The path to becoming a licensed interior designer is a multi-step process that includes education, experience and examination. 

  • Interior Designer
  • Interior Decorator
  • Interior Design Consultant
  • Professional Organizer
  • Furniture Designer
  • Commercial Realtor
  • Home Stager
  • Exhibit Designer
  • Event Planner
  • Film Set Designer

Related Programs

Request More Information

Ready to See Differently?

Discover. Define. Ideate. Prototype. Test. Our demand of the student is simple. See Differently.