Bachelor of Interior Design
Click here for the Interior Design website
Please note that the Interior Design Program is currently under revision and courses are likely to change. For more information, please contact the Faculty of Design, Interior Design.
Description
The Interior Design Program provides four years of full-time study (September – April), to students wishing to pursue a professional career related to built environments.
The Program is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (formerly FIDER – the Foundation for Interior Design Education Research) at the first professional degree level. The Council for Interior Design Accreditation is an international agency whose mission is to "lead the interior design profession to excellence by setting standards and accrediting academic programs."
The program works closely with the professional design community and responds to the needs and advice of that community through the following aims:
- Provide an education that includes all facets of interior design with emphasis on experience and skills in theory, research, critical analysis, problem-solving, design concepts, working drawings and specifications, technology, presentation media techniques, professional business practices and procedures, and awareness of human needs in built environments
- Prepare students for work in interior design and/or architectural offices
- Provide a practical and theoretical knowledge base that conforms to the definition and practice of interior design as described by the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) and as endorsed in the North American definition of an Interior Designer
- Provide design education, using specific reference to interior design, which will allow students to develop career readiness for an interdisciplinary design environment
The mission of the program is "educating leaders for the profession of interior design". For more information you may view our department web site at: www.kwantlen.ca/design/interior_design.
Definition of Interior Design
Our program supports the definition of interior design established by official interior design accrediting bodies http://www.ncidq.org/who/definition.htm.
Application and Entrance Requirements
Applicants must have one of the following:
- English 12 with a minimum B or
- C or higher in any one of the following (or equivalent): ENGL 1100 or ENGQ 1099 or ABEE 0091 or ABEE 0092
- B or higher in ELST 0381 and ELST 0383
- Kwantlen English Placement Test, with a recommendation to ENGL 1100
- LPI with an essay score of 30 or higher
- C or higher in ENGL 1100 or equivalent English course completed and transferred from another post secondary institution
Applicants currently in high school must submit an interim high school transcript by March 31st as proof of interim grades. Proof of final grades is required as soon as they become available. To ensure that Kwantlen automatically receives your final grades from the Ministry of Education, be sure to submit the online Post Secondary Institutions Selections form: www.bced.gov.bc.ca/transcript/transcript-psi.htm.
For applicants who are currently taking English preparatory courses, interim grades must be submitted by March 31st, with proof of final grades required by April 30th.
For applicants currently attending another post-secondary institution, you must submit a final official transcript and a Request for Transfer Credit form by April 30th.
For all other applicants, proof of having met the program's English proficiency requirement must be provided within two weeks of receipt of your application.
Any applicant who has not submitted proof of the English requirement by the specified dates will be removed from the list of eligible applicants.
Applicants are encouraged to apply as early as possible starting November 1.
Applicants should visit www.kwantlen.ca/design/interior_design/admission for detailed information about Interior Design. The information on these websites will assist applicants in their preparation.
Interview and Portfolio Review
Faculty will review the eligibility of candidates based on the contents of the portfolio and results of an interview (including prior learning assessments). Applicants who are not admitted into the program for September and who wish to reapply the following year may want to register in the general education courses required by the program. (see http://www.kwantlen.ca/design/interior_design.html).
Applicants must ensure Enrolment and Registrar Services has their current address. It is the applicant's responsibility to contact Enrolment and Registrar Services if mailed communications are not received.
Content
The Interior Design Department regularly upgrades its program to meet the ever changing needs of the industry.
The interior design program simulates a professional design environment. This "virtual design studio" offers integrated courses and curriculum, and emphasizes learning outcomes and employability skills throughout. These include: leadership skills, problem solving and creative thinking skills, teamwork, personal management, writing/oral/visual and interpersonal skills, reading and research skills, visual literacy, mathematical and technological skills, citizenship, and an ability to view issues through a global perspective.
The interior design curriculum is organized into streams which are integrated within each year and over the four years of the program. Although the program is comprised of individual courses, it may be described as a studio project, supported and surrounded by the necessary theory, practical experience and skills development. (see http://www.kwantlen.ca/design/interior_design/courses.html)
Successful applicants may take their general education and non discipline specific courses prior to entering the program and/or during the summer semester in order to lighten their workload during the term. Many courses are usually offered during the summer semester.
Industry personnel may contact the Program Coordinator to access individual courses of interest without applying for the complete program. Access is determined by permission of the Coordinators and space availability.
Year One
Semester 1
- IDSN 1111 Studio 1
- IDSN 1121 Materials
- IDSN 1135 Design Awareness I
- IDSN 1141 Technical Representation I
- IDSN 1145 Drawing for Interior Design
Semester 2
- IDSN 1202 Studio II
- IDSN 1221 Components
- IDSN 1235 Design Awareness II
- IDSN 1241 Technical Representation II
Year Two
Semester 1
- IDSN 2300 Studio III
- IDSN 2322 Building Systems I
- IDSN 2331 Design Theories I
- IDSN 2342 Drawing and Rendering I
- IDSN 2371 Environmental Human Factors
Semester 2
- IDSN 2400 Studio IV
- IDSN 2422 Building Systems II
- IDSN 2431 Design Theories II
- IDSN 2442 Drawind and Rendering II
Year Three
Semester 1
- IDSN 3500 Studio V
- IDSN 3525 Building Systems III
- IDSN 3531 Design Theories III
- IDSN 3551 Site Tutorial II
- IDSN 3590 Major Site Tutorial
Semester 2
- IDSN 3600 Studio VI
- IDSN 3625 Contract Documentation
- IDSN 3635 Design Theories IV
- IDSN 3642 Representation
- IDSN 3690 Major Site Tutorial
Year Four
Semester 1
- IDSN 4000 Senior Studio
- IDSN 4720 Acvanced Design Studies
- IDSN 4785 Professional Practice I
Semester 2
- IDSN 4000 Senior Studio
- IDSN 4720 Advanced Design Studies
- IDSN 4885 Professional Practice II
Variable Timetable (not lock-step)
- IDSN 4900 Self Directed Study
- IDSN 2345 Computer Drawing 1 (required before entering year 3)
- IDSN 2445 Computer Drawing II (required before entering year 3)
- IDSN 3660 Interior Design Practice (Experience)
- ENGL 1100 Writing, Reading and Thinking: An Introduction (required before entering year 2)
- 12 credits approved General Education Electives
General Education
For information about the general education component of the program; and a list of approved general education electives, visit the general education page at: www.kwantlen.ca/design/interior_design
Full Course Listing
Advancement from one year to a subsequent year of this program is dependent on passing grades in all courses of that year (passing grade for all Studio courses, including the final semester, is 68% or B-).
Additional Information
The third year of the program includes a Major Site Tutorial (IDSN 3590) as part of curriculum requirements, the cost of which is borne by the student. (See http:// www.kwantlen.ca/design/interior_design/site_tutorials)
The Interior Design program is delivered in an e-mobile environment which includes laptops, computers, software, and support. Students need to include "fee for service" costs of the laptop and requisite course software for the duration of the 4 year degree program (approximately $1,200 each year). Students are advised not to purchase a laptop computer as all required equipment, software and services will be supplied by Kwantlen on the "fee for service" basis www.kwantlen.ca/design/interior_design/fees.
Interior Design information sessions are scheduled once in the Fall and once in the Spring semesters to answer questions from prospective students and to allow applicants to review portfolios of current students. These sessions have been of great benefit to those people interested in entering the program. Please visit www.kwantlen.ca/events to confirm dates, times and location.
Graduation
Upon successful completion of this program, students are awarded a Bachelor of Interior Design (B.I.D.). This Bachelor degree, followed by two cumulative years of work experience in the profession, qualifies graduates to write the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) examination. This in turn, allows professional membership in the Interior Designers’ Institute of British Columbia (IDIBC), the Interior Designers of Canada (IDC), and International Interior Design Association (IIDA).
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