New York School of Interior Design (NYSID) has just announced three new degree programs, greatly expanding the college's educational offerings.
MFA in Interior Design
MFA in Interior Design will provide students possessing a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field the opportunity to attain the professional-level education necessary to become licensed interior design practitioners.
The program will focus on the formulation, proposal, and execution of design solutions in a safe, sustainable, and aesthetically pleasing way. The curriculum combines seminar and studio courses in art and design history, graphic communication, technical skills and knowledge, professional practice, and interior design studios. The program will culminate in a capstone project, developed over two semesters of research and close supervision of a faculty advisor.
"The First-Professional MFA in Interior Design degree is an important addition to our academic programs, and the timing is fortuitous," said President Christopher Cyphers. "This program offers students from diverse academic backgrounds the unique opportunity to obtain a first-professional graduate degree in a discipline so integral to how we experience the interior environment, and there is no greater time than now for all manner of interior designs that are sensitive to its occupants, their particular needs, and the necessity to design spaces that limit their impact on the environment."
Scott Ageloff, NYSID's Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean explains that the MFA "will provide graduates with a professional-level interior design education emphasizing critical thinking, creativity, history, and sustainability. This advanced degree is designed to provide the industry with outstanding professionals and future design educators."
MPS in Sustainable Interior Environments
This post-professional degree is structured to prepare design professionals to assume leadership roles in developing and maintaining environmentally conscious interiors. The first class is slated for June 2010, with students in the program beginning their studies with an eight-week summer session and completing the program the following May.
"A vast amount of human and material resources are used to create interior environments," said NYSID President Christopher Cyphers. "It was clear that we needed to do our part by providing rigorous professional education in the area of sustainable interior design."
Scott Ageloff, NYSID's Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean added, "We have been integrating green practices within our curriculum for some time, but this new program offers working professionals the chance to learn the principles and concepts of sustainability and the analysis, evaluation and selection of the materials used to design, build, and maintain interior spaces."
The curriculum will expose students to a range of topics, research methods, integrated design development methodologies, and sustainable project management practices. Course work will address the history and theory of sustainability, principles of sustainable materials, natural and artificial lighting and control systems, integrated systems design, indoor air quality, green textiles, furnishings and decorative elements, and life cycle assessment. The program will include two major studio courses designed to integrate acquired knowledge and research while exploring both residential and non-residential environments.
This 30-credit MPS requires completion in one year and is structured to accommodate working professionals by offering all classes in the evening and on weekends. Graduates will be prepared to achieve LEED Certification.
Admission to the MPS in Sustainable Interior Environments requires formal acceptance and a first-professional degree in interior design, architecture, or a closely related field, as well as a portfolio demonstrating the applicant's professional-level education and experience.
BA in History of the Interior and the Decorative Arts
This groundbreaking program is formulated as an undergraduate liberal arts degree in art history with a special focus on the interior environment and the objects it contains. This will be the first academic-focused degree for the college.
"There are numerous art history baccalaureate programs devoted to the history of architecture and/or the decorative arts," said Scott Ageloff, NYSID's Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean. "This program, however, is the first one whose main focus is the interior and its furnishings and decorative objects."
President Christopher Cyphers commented that "the field of interior design has been growing and gaining recognition over the past decade. Developing an undergraduate program to study the history and theory of the discipline is the logical next step. We are very excited to be embarking on this new area of the college and contributing to the scholarship of the field."
Traditional academic courses provide the foundation for the curriculum; in addition students will be required to take a number of studio courses so they can experience the creative process of design first hand. The 120-credit degree is composed of 37 general education credits, 16 design studio credits, 56 major area lecture and seminar credits, 8 elective credits, and a 3-credit internship. Graduates of the BA in the History of the Interior and the Decorative Arts would be prepared to go on to work in museums and galleries, showrooms, design media and journalism, and other design industry establishments, or to seek advanced degrees in historic preservation, art history, interior design, architecture or other disciplines related to the built environment.
There is also a new Institute for Continuing and Professional Studies, which began offering classes this summer, but will be expanding to two additional locations in the fall. The classes will primarily be geared toward the design professional, with a few general courses for those with an interest in interior design.
The classes will primarily be geared toward the design professional, with a few general courses for those with an interest in interior design.
There will be a diversity of noncredit workshops, and professional development classes and lectures carrying CEUs and LUs, all taught by NYSID's outstanding faculty of highly accomplished interior designers, architects, visual artists, and art and design historians.
For design professionals who are looking to broaden their client base or want to enhance their marketing strategies, a variety of courses will be offered, including Breaking into Healthcare Design, Identifying and Building Client Relationships, and BRANDED! Are You a Designer or Are You a Brand?
There will also be a number of courses on sustainability practices, with everything from Preparatory Workshop for the LEED Professional Accreditation Exam to Sourcing Green Products to Green Light!: Introduction to Sustainability and Lighting for Designers.
A range of technology courses will also be offered, providing the interior designers the opportunity to stay fluent in the latest computer programs. Classes include: AutoCAD 2006 to AutoCAD 2009: What's New?, Introduction to Revit, and 3D Image Modeling Using 3D Studio Max.