The Interior Design Program at Mississippi State University had its beginnings in the Home Economics Unit as part of the College of Agriculture. Although Home Economics had its beginning as a research unit in 1924, the teaching of undergraduate courses did not begin until 1969 when the unit was changed to the Department of Home Economics. The first Interior Design graduate was in 1971.
The International Interior Design Association (IIDA) is a professional networking and educational association of more than 10,000 Members in 8 specialty Forums, 9 Regions, and more than 30 Chapters around the world committed to enhancing the quality of life through excellence in interior design and advancing interior design through knowledge.
A Professional Organization of
The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) is a community of people—designers, industry representatives, educators and students—committed to interior design.
A Professional Organization of
The Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC) is dedicated to the advancement of education and research in interior design. IDEC fosters exchange of information, improvement of educational standards and development of the body of knowledge relative to the quality of life and human performance in the interior environment. IDEC concentrates on the establishment and strengthening of lines of communication among educators, practitioners, educational institutions and other organizations concerned with interior design education.
A Professional Organization of
The Department of Interior Design has some additional fees for materials, field trips, and other items that enhance our students’ education. The program strives to be able to offer comparatively low lab fees thanks to support from alumni and friends.
Interior design students also need to purchase a variety of tools and materials to help them succeed in their studio coursework, including drawing equipment and materials for drawings and models during the school year. A student should budget for at least $300 per semester for these extra costs.
Each senior is required to submit a professional portfolio for faculty review and provide work for a senior exhibit in the spring of their senior year.
Mississippi State University interior design students are receiving awards in national and regional competitions, and alumni of the program are employed by many of the top-100 interior design firms in the United States, working on projects throughout the world.
A portfolio review is required for our students and takes place the summer between their second and third year in the program.
The portfolio review consists of original work from art foundation courses and interior design foundation courses.
Students must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher and a 2.5 in the interior design major core. Students will have two opportunities for portfolio submission.