Academic Catalog

Interior Design Department

Rachel Pike, Chair
Annex South Room 101N
Phone: 617-989-4046

Faculty

Professors

• Herbert Fremin, AIA, IDEC, NCIDQ
• Frederick Kuhn, ISDA
• Rachel Pike, ASID, IDEC, NCIDQ, LEED AP

Associate Professors

• Robert Meszaros, AIGA
• Sam Montague, IDSA
• Jeffrey Michael, IDSA

Assistant Professors

• Peter Greenberg, AIA, IDEC, LEED AP
• Nick Ortolino, CAA
• Ralf Schneider, IDSA
• Sean Stewart, AIA, LEED AP, NCIDQ
• Lynette Suslowicz, IIDA, NCIDQ
• Simon Williamson, IDSA

Department Vision and Mission Statement

The Interior Design program recalls and reinforces the mission of the Institute by preparing and graduating students with excellent diverse skills qualifying them for the demands of professional life.

The program recognizes that academic preparation is the foundation of lifelong learning in a dynamic and evolving profession and seeks to develop student fluency and competence in an array of basic skills and processes with equal insight into the artistic, technical, and managerial competencies of practice. More precisely the program graduates students with a broad overview of the profession by balancing a curriculum equally weighted in creativity—the art of design—and fundamental technical knowledge with the business acumen required to realize their conceptions.

The program orientation and the structure of the curriculum rest on a tripartite base: Wentworth’s “Student Learning Goals,” CIDA accreditation standards, and the NCIDQ definition of the professional interior designer. These three standards recognize the specialized and diverse knowledge and skills required in practice, and affords graduates substantial preparation for professional licensure. To achieve this balanced orientation, the program seeks to:

• foster creativity and artistic vision
• develop fluency with a design process
• broaden intellectual depth
• develop technical skills and the craft of making
• introduce students to the business of design
• offer the opportunity to work efficiently both independently and collaboratively in teams
• recognize the broad professional fiduciary responsibilities to the general public including but not limited to ethical practice, regulatory requirements, and growing public concerns for resource conservation and sustainability.

Degree Program

Interior Design: Leading to the Bachelor of Science degree

Program Description

The program is structured as ten semesters in four calendar years - eight academic semesters plus two semesters of full-time cooperative work experience. The first cooperative work semesters is scheduled in the junior and the second in the senior year. An optional coop work experience is offered in the summer between the sophomore and junior year. The first year (foundation) is shared with the Industrial Design Program.

A portfolio is not required for admission to the freshman year, however, advancement into the junior year of the BINT program is based on a student’s past performance and demonstrated skill level to succeed in the more advanced courses offered in the junior and senior years. Approval to continue on into the junior year will be based on the following:

• a minimum of 65 earned credits with an overall 2.0 GPA in their first two years of study
• a 2.5 GPA for all courses completed with the prefix DSGN and INTD
• successful portfolio review of their related discipline projects (completed and in progress)

The program is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA). Graduates of the program may seek employment as interior design professionals in interior design and architectural firms, corporations, institutions, and government offices, or as sales professionals for interior design product manufacturers. Some graduates have pursued advanced degrees in interior design, architecture, fine arts, and business administration. After two years of professional experience, graduates may sit for the NCIDQ examination for professional certification.

Design Studio Grade Requirement

The following grade requirement must be achieved to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Interior Design. This requirement applies to: Interior Studio I (INTD 211), Interior Studio II (INTD 301), Interior Studio III (INTD 401), Interior Studio IV (INTD 501), Interior Studio V (INTD 601) and Directed Studies Studio (INTD 621). 

The final grade must be a "C" or better if the final grade in the previous design studio is less than a "C".

Students who receive a grade below a "C" for two consecutive semesters are not permitted to continue in the studio sequence until they successfully repeat the second studio for which they received a substandard grade.

Freshman Year

Fall Semester	Course	R	L	C
DSGN105	Drawing I	0	6	3
DSGN130	Design I	1	6	4
DSGN135	Intro to Computer Graphics	1	2	2
ENGLISH	English Sequence†	4	0	4
MATH211	Plane and Solid Geometry	4	0	4
	Total	10	14	17
Spring Semester	Course	R	L	C
DSGN165	Design II	1	6	4
ENGLISH	English Sequence†	3	0	3
INTD155	Technical Drawing I	1	6	4
INTD225	Technical Studies I	3	0	3
PHYS211	Conceptual Physics	3	2	4
	Total	11	14	18

Sophomore Year

Fall Semester	Course	R	L	C
ELECTIVE	Lower Level Social Science Elective	3	0	3
INTD211	Interior Studio I	1	8	5
INTD220	History of Interiors I	3	0	3
INTD275	Technical Studies II	3	2	4
INTD285	Technical Drawing II	2	4	4
	Total	12	14	19
Spring Semester	Course	R	L	C
ELECTIVE	Lower Level Social Science Elective	3	0	3
INTD230	Presentation Techniques	2	4	4
INTD290	History of Interiors II	3	0	3
INTD301	Interior Studio II	1	8	5
INTD325	Technical Studies III	3	2	4
ENGL350	Sophomore Writing Assessment	0	0	0
	Total	12	14	19
Summer Semester	Course	R	L	C
COOP300	Pre-Cooperative Work Term (Optional)			0

Junior Year¹

Fall Semester	Course	R	L	C
ELECTIVE	Design Elective2	-	-	3
INTD401	Interior Studio III	0	12	6
INTD455	Material and Furniture Specifications	2	0	2
INTD485	Behavioral Aspects of Design	3	0	3
INTD500	Construction Documents	2	4	4
	Total	-	-	18
Spring Semester	Course	R	L	C
COOP400	Co-op Work Semester I			0
Summer Semester	Course	R	L	C
ELECTIVE	Upper Level Humanities or Social Science Elective*	4	0	4
INTD430	Interior Architectural Lighting	3	2	4
INTD501	Interior Studio IV	0	12	6
ELECTIVE	General Elective	-	-	3
	Total	-	-	17

Senior Year

Fall Semester	Course	R	L	C
COOP600	Co-op Work Semester II			0
Spring Semester	Course	R	L	C
INTD515	Building Regulatory Requirements	2	0	2
ELECTIVE	Upper Level Humanities or Social Science Elective*	4	0	4
INTD460	Textiles	3	2	4
INTD570	Programming for Interior Design	2	0	2
INTD601	Interior Studio V	0	12	6
	Total	11	14	18
Summer Semester	Course	R	L	C
COMM270	Business Communications	3	0	3
ELECTIVE	Upper Level Humanities or Social Science Elective*	4	0	4
INTD610	Professional Practice	4	0	4
INTD621	Directed Studies Studio	0	12	6
	Total	11	12	17

R=Class Hours Per Week, L=Lab Hours Per Week, C=Semester Credit Hours

^†Please refer to the English sequence requirement

*Please refer to the upper level humanities/social science elective requirement.

¹Prior to entering junior year courses, students must have completed the prerequisites outlined above.

²Courses selected with the Faculty Advisor’s approval to complement and to broaden the student’s educational experience.