Interior Architecture & Design
Design Your Path to Success. Interior architects and designers create aesthetic and functional living environments for human needs in residential and commercial buildings. Designers work to meet human needs and well-being, as well as safety and building codes. Through their work, they also create healthy and healing environments, consider sustainability and environmental issues, and possess a solid understanding of construction and mechanical systems.
Mount Mary University’s accredited Interior Architecture and Design program has a reputation for excellence among employers, students and peers across the country. Our program provides you with the skills you’ll need to succeed: skills in space planning, problem solving, contract preparation, and material preparation. You’ll also learn how to work with professionals such as architects, engineers and construction contractors.
In the classroom and labs, you’ll access the latest industry standard software, including AutoCAD, Revit and SketchUp. The Interior Architecture and Design program has a dedicated computer drafting lab and product resource library.
As a program graduate, you can pursue careers in technical and artistic fields. Opportunities are available for full-time or part-time employment, at corporate or nonprofit organizations, in residential or commercial industries, in small towns or large cities and for specialized or general design.
View a sample program plan to see what courses you'll take in our Interior Architecture & Design program.
Learn MoreInterior Architecture & Design
Design Your Path to Success. Interior architects and designers create aesthetic and functional living environments for human needs in residential and commercial buildings. Designers work to meet human needs and well-being, as well as safety and building codes. Through their work, they also create healthy and healing environments, consider sustainability and environmental issues, and possess a solid understanding of construction and mechanical systems.
Mount Mary University’s accredited Interior Architecture and Design program has a reputation for excellence among employers, students and peers across the country. Our program provides you with the skills you’ll need to succeed: skills in space planning, problem solving, contract preparation, and material preparation. You’ll also learn how to work with professionals such as architects, engineers and construction contractors.
In the classroom and labs, you’ll access the latest industry standard software, including AutoCAD, Revit and SketchUp. The Interior Architecture and Design program has a dedicated computer drafting lab and product resource library.
As a program graduate, you can pursue careers in technical and artistic fields. Opportunities are available for full-time or part-time employment, at corporate or nonprofit organizations, in residential or commercial industries, in small towns or large cities and for specialized or general design.
View a sample program plan to see what courses you'll take in our Interior Architecture & Design program.
Faculty also work closely with design communities and industry partners and practitioners to create networking opportunities for you to meet professionals in class and through student organization activities. Industry experts often bring their experience to class and field trips are infused throughout the program.
As an Interior Architecture and Design student you'll also get to participate in an internship, which usually takes place during junior year. Department faculty will help you find a placement that is a good fit for your strengths and career goals. Example locations include architectural firms, design firms and office furniture dealerships—you may work on residential, corporate, healthcare, eldercare, hospitality, sales or sustainable design projects.
Mount Mary University offers an accredited four-year Bachelor of Arts in Interior Architecture & Design degree. An internship is required for all interior architecture and design students. The program requires a minimum of 70 credits of Interior Architecture and Design courses. Completion of the university’s core curriculum courses is also required.
Consult the Academic Catalog (PDF) for more details on requirements and courses for this major.
Student Achievement Data for the Bachelors of Arts in Interior Architecture & Design:
It typically takes a full-time student approximately 15 credits per semester over four years to complete the degree program.
The following data were collected using institutional records, LinkedIn searches and First Destination Surveys. The first destination survey is conducted prior to graduation. LinkedIn searches supplement the information for graduates who have not yet found employment or did not respond to the survey. For students for whom Mount Mary has information that graduated between Fall of 2025 and Summer of 2026, 100% are employed.
- Student Attrition and Retention
- 60% of full-time students admitted in the fall of 2025 returned in the fall of 2026 (40% attrition)
- Graduation Rates
- Of the students that graduated in Spring or Summer 2026, 72% graduated within 4 years of entering the program
- Acceptance into Graduate Programs
- 0% of Spring 2026 & Summer 2026 graduates entered into graduate programs
- Job Placement Rates
- Of the 9 students who graduated with a bachelor’s degree between Fall of 2025 and Summer 2026, whom MMU has info, 100% are employed in interior design or a related profession.
Mount Mary’s interior architecture and design program is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation and has been continually accredited since 1986. After completing your four-year bachelor’s degree and two years of experience, you will be eligible to take the National Council for Interior Designers Qualification (NCIDQ) Exam to become certified as a professional interior architecture and designer.
The interior design program leading to the Interior Architecture & Design degree is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation, www.accredit-id.org, 206 Cesar E. Chavez Ave SW, Suite 350, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503.
The CIDA-accredited program prepares students for entry-level interior design practice for advanced study and to apply for membership in professional interior design organizations. The Interior Architecture and Design degree granted by Mount Mary University meets the educational requirement for eligibility to sit for the National Council for Interior Design Qualification Examination (NCIDQ Exam). Learn more about NCIDQ Exam eligibility visit at this link.
Emili Spencer, MS, ASID, IIDA, WRID
Assistant Professor and Program Chair of Interior Architecture and Design
Phone: (414) 930-3137
Email: spencere@mtmary.edu
Pedro Lima
Assistant Professor of Interior Architecture & Design
Phone: (414) 930-3475
Email: limap@mtmary.edu
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