Every Course. Purposefully Designed.
Explore every course within the Master's Certificate in Interior Design, from Design Foundations through advanced software, commercial design, business strategy, and the professional portfolio capstone. Guided by accomplished Dallas professionals, students gain the creative, technical, and business expertise needed to prepare for successful careers in interior design.
Fundamentals of Interior Design
The Fundamentals of Interior Design course establishes the creative, technical, and professional foundation for every successful designer. Students develop design principles, space planning skills, color theory, materials knowledge, and presentation techniques while completing residential design projects that prepare them for advanced study throughout the Master's Certificate curriculum.
AutoCAD
Efficiently and accurately create professional drawings to present to clients using AutoCAD (2-D Computer Aided Design drafting software). Such accuracy and efficiency in the design process facilitate more successful presentation of ideas and designs for the designer and improved communication and comprehension for clients or team collaborators.
SketchUp
Students learn techniques tailored to aid in the design and presentation of client projects. Students begin by mastering SketchUp's 3D modeling techniques, including shortcuts, essential tools, and efficient workflows that streamline the design process. They then create 2D and 3D plans and elevations, textures, and get practice with advanced built-in rendering techniques to create photo-realistic images for professional projects and presentations.
Revit
Students develop the concepts and technical skills necessary to present custom-modeled, drafted and rendered objects and features for interior design projects. Extensive comprehension of Revit commands and features are applied by each student to create a detailed two-story loft apartment, communicating a custom design concept using 2D and 3D views.
Commercial Design
Students gain the knowledge and skills required to work on various commercial design projects across a variety of commercial industries and project types. The course will span commercial interior design theory and process, codes and construction documents, contract products, sourcing and presentation. Students implement learning objectives into weekly assignments which culminate in a thoughtfully executed final presentation demonstrating an understanding of the commercial design process. The Fundamentals of Interior Design, SketchUp, and AutoCAD courses are required as prerequisites for this course.
Adobe Suite
Students develop the skills to create professional visual presentations and develop their portfolios. Students develop boards with graphics, photography, floor plans, material palettes, and presentation layouts that communicate design ideas clearly and professionally to clients.
Construction Basics
This intensive course provides students with the basic understanding of a construction project, and how it facilitates a successful design. Students will learn about the sequence of events within a construction project, the various systems associated with the creation of a project, and how to work with contractors. They will be able to identify significant milestones in a project and how they relate to each other as well as read a construction schedule and project estimate. They will gain an understanding of how a construction project is managed, from conception to completion.
Business & Entrepreneurship
Each student develops a first-year business plan and learns how to effectively track goals to achieve success. This process includes the discovery of each student's unique strengths, defining a business strategy and key objectives that align with those strengths, and developing a marketing and sales plan consistent with financial goals. Students present their first-year business plans at the end of the course.
Kitchen & Bath Design
This course demystifies the complex decision-making processes involved in balancing both the practical and aesthetic considerations required of kitchen and bath design. Through a series of lectures, showroom field trips and project work, students will gain an understanding of layout requirements and hands-on familiarity with the variety of cabinetry, plumbing fixtures, appliances, flooring, countertops, and lighting. Designers strategically use these factors to successfully integrate codes, ergonomics, safety, ventilation, performance, and functionality into kitchen and bath designs. Students will apply and demonstrate their core understanding of kitchen and bath design during their final project which will include one kitchen and one bath. Students will present their final projects to the class in order to prepare them for the practical communication of their designs to clients, contractors, suppliers and tradespeople who will each play a role in transforming kitchen and bath designs into reality.
Master's Portfolio Capstone
This studio capstone course will guide you through the process of curating a professional portfolio that showcases your brand, designs and projects to show potential clients and employers your skills as a professional designer. There are three scheduled class dates, followed by three individual 1:1 meetings that you will schedule with your course instructor to complete your portfolio. By the end of the course, you will be prepared to present your Master's Certificate portfolio at your graduation ceremony, and then to clients or employers as you venture out into your design career.
Your Design Career Starts Here
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