School of Architecture and Design

Department of Architecture

Samia Rab, Chair

Bachelor of Interior Design (BID)

The profession of interior design lies between interior decoration and architecture. The interior designer must be competent to operate in both professions with an intimate knowledge of material selection, construction methods and furnishings as well as technical skills and construction expertise. Interior designers usually work as part of a design team, including architects, structural and mechanical engineers, and specialty consultants. They must possess a broad base of knowledge and skills.

Interior designers create and are responsible for all aspects of the interior environment: program, design, construction documents, supervision, lighting, and material and furniture selection. Like architects, they create interiors using space itself as a creative material, molded by architectural elements. They know intimately the materials of interior construction and finishing, decoration and lighting, and how to use these in innovative designs that support an overall spatial and formal idea.

Interior design services encompass research, development and implementation of plans and designs of interior environments. The objective is to improve the quality of life, increase productivity and protect the health, safety and welfare of the public. The professional interior designer must be able to see projects through from concept to physical completion.

Potential career options for persons majoring in interior design include interior designer, space planner and programmer, adaptive reuse designer, facilities planner, project manager, design journalist, educator, researcher, sales representative, renderer, healthcare designer, office planner and hospital designer.

The interior design program at AUS emphasizes creativity and innovation in the art of interior design while giving students a strong background in technique and practical knowledge. The program core comprises six rigorous design studios following the common foundations year. Interior design studios encourage the development of analytical and reasoning skills, as well as the ability to conceptualize, develop and present designs. Architecture and interior design share a common second-year studio to heighten students’ awareness and technical capabilities regarding primary formal, structural and tectonic issues. The interior design studios are supplemented by technical courses ranging from furniture design and materials and methods of interior construction to specific training in color and light.

The program prepares students for responsible design careers and is firmly committed to graduating individuals who can join the regional or international workforce as competent and creative entry-level professionals. The school is committed to providing students in interior design with both traditional and digital design presentation skills to broaden their marketability and design capabilities.

The program emphasizes topics critical to the sustainable development of society and the quality of life in the region, with an emphasis on the United Arab Emirates. Professional training and internships solidify the student’s contact and involvement with local practice. Interior design and architecture faculty members serve as both professional and academic mentors.

The Bachelor of Interior Design (BID) degree is intended for the student seeking a professional career in interior design. The program entails a minimum of four years of university studies plus professional training. A minimum of 139 credits comprise the degree program, including a minimum of 94 credits of required course work in interior design and closely associated fields. These courses represent the core of the interior design discipline.
Each student is required to extend the core curriculum with nine credits of approved interior design electives. The intent is to balance the concern for in-depth professional competence with the concern for the individual’s interest and aptitude. These courses should be selected in consultation with the student’s advisor.

The specialized professional curriculum is supported by a minimum of 42 credits of university requirements. Designed to ensure a broad educational foundation, this base is held in common among all graduates of the American University of Sharjah.
University studies represent a unique opportunity to explore other areas of interest. Based solely on individual interests, each interior design student must select nine additional credits of free electives from general university offerings. Some major required courses count toward general education requirements. In such cases, both requirements are considered as being met but the credits only count once toward total degree hours.

The curriculum is designed to meet requirements for licensure that prevail in the United Arab Emirates and to prepare the graduate for professional practice throughout the region. Some students may aspire either to advanced study in the field or to practice in a broader global setting. Accordingly, the curriculum follows established international norms for a professional degree in interior design.

Advancement in the Program

The number of seats in interior design is limited. Formal advancement is competitive. Only the most highly qualified foundations students will be promoted. To be considered for advancement to the second year of the Bachelor of Interior Design program, a student must successfully complete the following requirements:

• all four foundations studio courses (DES 111, DES 112, DES 131, DES 132) with a minimum GPA of 2.0 out of 4.0 in each sequence (design and drawing)
  
• both courses in history of material culture (DES 121 and DES 122)
  
• DES 100 Digital Media in Design
  
• MTH 111 Mathematics for Architects or its prerequisite (MTH 003), or MTH 103 Calculus I
  
• at least one course in writing (WRI) at the 100 level or above
  
• a minimum of 27 undergraduate credit hours (including the above courses)
  
• a minimum CGPA of 2.3

Formal notification of advancement in the program will be announced by the School of Architecture and Design in mid-June after release of final grades by the Office of the Registrar at the end of the spring semester. In the event that there are more students who qualify for advancement than available spaces, candidates will be promoted in the major based on academic achievement, and a waiting list will be established. In the event of a tie, students with the highest GPA in all four foundations studio courses will advance to second year. In the event of a second tie, students with the highest GPA in both courses in history of material culture (DES 121 and DES 122) and mathematics (MTH 111, MTH 003 or MTH 103) will advance to the second year. If there are available spaces at the time of fall registration, consideration will be given to those students who fulfilled requirements during summer session or who wish to change majors, based on the same advancement criteria as noted above. Students who need to repeat a second-year studio course will also be competing for the limited number of seats in the major.

Promotion Review in Interior Design

As an extension of the regular advisement process, the performance of each interior design student is reviewed following the completion of each of the second and third years in the program. A student must pass each review to continue in the major and must have attained:

• A minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of C+ (2.3) in all university courses
  
• A minimum major studio average of 2.3 in each year of the interior design studio sequence (IDE 201 and IDE 202, IDE 301 and IDE 302)

Notes:

* A grade of C- (1.70) is the minimum passing grade in a studio course. The minimum major studio average must be achieved to continue in the program.
* A student with a semester grade of D (1.00) in the fall studio may not continue into the spring semester of the studio sequence.
* A student who does not attain the required major studio average may repeat either studio.
* Any studio may be repeated only once.
* A student who fails to achieve the minimum studio average necessary for promotion after repeating a studio is dismissed from the program.

If the review has a negative outcome, the department will assist a candidate in transferring to a field that holds better promise.

Degree Requirements

A minimum of 139 credits, including the following, is required:

• a minimum of 42 credits of general education requirements (of which six credits double count as major requirements)
• 85 credits of major requirements
• a minimum of nine credits of approved interior design electives
• a minimum of nine credits of free electives
• six weeks of approved professional training (internship)

In order to graduate with a Bachelor of Interior Design degree, a student must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.0 and have attained a studio average of 2.3 in the final studio sequence (IDE 405 and either IDE 406 or IDE 492).

General Education Requirements (42 credits)

• English language competency requirement (minimum of 12 credits):  100 level or above of English (ENG)/writing (WRI) courses
  
• Arabic heritage requirement (minimum of 3 credits)
  
• mathematics and/or statistics requirement (minimum of 6 credits): MTH 103 or MTH 111 and one other math or statistics course
  
• science requirement (minimum of 6 credits): PHY 104 and one other science
  
• humanities and social sciences requirement (minimum of 15 credits): DES 121, DES 122 and at least six of the remaining nine credits taken in the social sciences area (DES 121 and DES 122 double count as major requirements)
  
• computer literacy requirement: satisfied through extensive use of computer resources throughout the interior design curriculum
  
• information literacy requirement: satisfied through WRI 102

For complete information on general education requirements, please refer to the Graduation Requirements section within the Academic Policies and Regulations section of this catalog.

For information about designated requirements, please refer to University Degree Requirements.

Major Requirements (85 credits)

In addition to the foundations courses, the following courses constitute the major requirements for the Bachelor of Interior Design degree:

• IDE 201 Architectural and Interior Design Studio I
• IDE 202 Architectural and Interior Design Studio II
• IDE 223 History of Interior Design
• IDE 235 Interior Construction
• IDE 236 Interior Materials
• IDE 251 Color and Light
• IDE 301 Interior Design Studio III
• IDE 302 Interior Design Studio IV
• IDE 324 Modern Practices in Interior Design
• IDE 335 Furniture Design Basics
• IDE 352 Environmental Control Systems in Interior Design
• IDE 364 Introduction to Computer-Aided Drawing
• IDE 397 Internship in Interior Design (6 weeks)
• IDE 405 Interior Design Studio V
• IDE 461 Project Management
• IDE 462 Design Management
• IDE 406 Interior Design Studio VI or IDE 492 Final Project Design

Internship

To qualify for the Bachelor of Interior Design degree, students must fulfill the internship requirements prior to graduation. The purpose of the internship is to expose students to the profession and give them an opportunity to apply their academic knowledge in a practical experience. The internship consists of a minimum of 240 work hours with an approved employer. Fulfilling the internship requirement is a prerequisite for registering in some studio courses. Interior design students are highly encouraged to complete the internship program during the summer after completion of their third year of studies.

Please see the proposed sequence of study for a specific strategy for completing these graduation requirements in four years.

Final Project Option

Fourth-year interior design students normally complete two studio courses. Students who select the final project option will substitute IDE 492 Final Project Design (6 credits) for the second studio course (IDE 406). In addition, IDE 491 Final Project Research (3 credits) must be completed before IDE 492 and will count as a major elective. The final project option is subject to departmental approval.

Major Electives (minimum of 9 credits)

All other ARC and IDE courses not listed above count as major electives.

Free Electives (minimum of 9 credits)

Any courses offered at or above the 100 level.

Minor in Interior Design

Students enrolling in the interior design minor should have normally completed a minimum of 30 credits of course work and have a GPA of 2.5 or higher.

The following rules apply:

• The minor consists of a minimum of 18 credits, including at least nine credits in courses at or above the 300 level in interior design.
  
• At least nine credits of the 18 credits required for the minor must be taken in residence at AUS.
  
• At least six credits of the nine credits at or above the 300 level must be taken in residence at AUS.
  
• Free electives can be taken toward the minor.
  
• A grade of at least C- in each course and a GPA of at least 2.0 must be earned in courses taken to satisfy the minor.

Students seeking a minor in interior design must complete the following courses or their equivalent. All course prerequisites must be satisfied.

Minor Requirements (9 credits)

A student must complete nine credits from the following courses:

• IDE 223 History of Interior Design
• IDE 235 Interior Construction
• IDE 236 Interior Materials
• IDE 251 Color and Light
• IDE 335 Furniture Design Basics

Minor Electives (minimum of 9 credits)
Nine credits in IDE courses at the 300 level or above.

Back