UW-Stout's CIDA-accredited Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) in Interior Design is a four-year, pre-professional degree that blends fine art, design and technical disciplines to prepare you for a career creating meaningful, life-enhancing and safe interior environments. Our program provides a learning environment that fosters creativity and collaboration between art, design and technical disciplines. You will develop the sensibilities, techniques, and methods related to residential and commercial space planning, lighting design, sustainable design, construction documentation, and to collaborate with architects and construction professionals.
97% of Graduates Employed or Continuing Education Within 6 Months
Career-Defining Curriculum
At UW-Stout, we offer a strong and comprehensive curriculum taught by expert, experienced faculty. Students in this program are interested in art and architecture as well as in interior design. Course work includes preparation for:
- Professional Best Practices
- Materials Specifications
- Budgets & Contracts
- Lighting Systems
- Historical & Theoretical Considerations
- Human Factors
- Presentation & Communication Skills
Program Overview
Use the Request Information form to receive a program summary and learn more about the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Interior Design.
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The B.F.A. in Interior Design is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (www.accredit-id.org 206 Grandville Avenue, Suite 350, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503) and prepares students for entry-level interior design practice, for advanced study, and to apply for membership in professional interior design organizations. The B.F.A. Interior Design granted by the University of Wisconsin-Stout meets the educational requirement for eligibility to sit for the National Council for Interior Design Qualification Examination (NCIDQ Exam). For more information about NCIDQ Exam eligibility visit: https://www.cidq.org/eligibility-requirements.
UW-Stout's School of Art & Design is accredited by the National Association for Schools of Art and Design.
Through theory, practice, and history, you will gain creative and critical thinking skills to successfully problem-solve in the interior design field.
"Stout was one of the best things that ever happened to me. I met some of my best friends, had the most amazing educators, tons of fun, and of course, received a quality education."
~ McKenna HeckB.F.A. Interior Design
Industry-Experienced Faculty Instruction
Forget TA-taught classes and 200-person lectures. At UW-Stout, building close relationships with our industry-experienced and academically accomplished interior design faculty will play a key role in your polytechnic education and your career. Learn more about your future instructors!
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Professional Internship Placements in Interior Design
Take your education into industry and earn while you learn through UW-Stout’s award-winning Cooperative Education & Internship Program (CEIP) and other placements. Unlike traditional internships, our professional paid and pro bono credit-earning experiences connect you with leaders in your field, including national brands and boutique interior design and architecture firms, to ensure you’re set up for success long before you graduate. More than a third of Stout students accept positions after graduation with their internship employer.
- Ashley Furniture Industries, Inc.
- Blue Pencil Collective
- BWBR Architects
- Cuningham Group Architecture, Inc.
- DLR Group
- Fluid Interiors
- Jodi Gillespie Interior Design
- Mood Interior Designs, Inc.
- MSR Design
- RAMLOW/STEIN Architecture + Interiors
- RSP Architects
- The Samuels Group, Inc.
- Sketchworks Architecture LLC
- Wold Architects & Engineers
Portfolio of Student Work
Careers
The B.F.A. Interior Design program will prepare you for a career in interior design that encompasses residential and commercial space planning, lighting design, research, construction documentation and sustainable design. Our graduates create meaningful, safe, and life-enhancing interior environments that contribute to the cultural, social, and environmental well-being of society.
Recent Employers
- 20 Below Studio
- BWBR Architects
- Cedar Corporation
- Fenson Construction, LLC
- HDR
- MS&R Architecture & Interior Design
- Nordeen Design Group
- Target Corporation
- Walsh Design Group
Select Position Titles
- Health Care Interior Design
- Hospitality Interior Design
- Office/Corporate Interior Designer
- Space Planner
- Residential Interior Designer
- Retail Designer Interior Designer
- Sustainability Specialist
Goals of the B.F.A. Interior Design
- Nurture thoughtful, independent, and creative thinkers.
- Promote an interactive studio culture where students explore innovative design solutions, both independently and collaboratively.
- Educate future professional interior designers through theory, practice, research, and history.
- Teach relevant curriculum in support of our accreditation.
- Develop articulate practitioners and advocates with sensitivity to social, environmental, and cultural issues.
- Prepare successful communicators in speaking, writing, and graphic methods and technical systems.
- Establish and maintain industry connections and relationships.
Enduring Values of the B.F.A. in Interior Design
• Student-focused
• Respect, Compassion & Empathy
• Function & Safety
• Beauty & Meaning
• Sustainability & Stewardship
• Community & Inclusivity
• Health & Well-Being
• Ethics & Professional Integrity
• Evidence-Based & Conceptual Design
• Purposeful Problem-Solving
• Lifelong Learning
New First-Year Students
Students admitted as Pre-Bachelor of Fine Arts (Pre-BFA) students will join an exciting community of first-year art and design students with classes and events geared towards preparing you for a successful application to the intended BFA program.
Acceptance Into the Pre-BFA & BFA Program
Your acceptance into UW-Stout automatically enters you into the Pre-BFA program that you chose on your application. Starting with incoming first-year students for fall 2026, you have two potential pathways into your BFA major.
We’re here to help guide you along the way.
- Pathway 1: Submit a Portfolio Before Enrolling in Your First-Year Coursework.
Before the start of school, you may submit an independent portfolio for review. If successful, you will be approved for direct-entry into your BFA major and will not be required to apply for the major later. You will still complete the School of Art & Design’s First-Year Experience (FYX) regardless of that outcome. If your portfolio review is unsuccessful, or if you choose not to pursue this pathway, you will still enroll as a “Pre-BFA” in your chosen BFA major. Deadlines and requirements are below. Ready to apply or have questions? Email artdesign@uwstout.edu. - Pathway 2: Submit a Portfolio During or After Your First-Year Coursework.
You enroll as a “Pre-BFA” student and develop a portfolio from the School of Art & Design’s FYX to apply for formal acceptance into your BFA major. After enrolling at UW-Stout, you have two opportunities to apply for acceptance.
What do I need to get accepted into my BFA program?
Pathway 1: After Admission to Stout, Submit the Following by Feb. 1 (Priority Deadline) or April 1 (Regular Decision).
- Your portfolio is the most important part of your application. It is evaluated on artistic and conceptual content, design, composition, technical skill, and creative potential. Your portfolio should contain 12 examples of your best and most recent work that showcases your technical skills and idea development. Select works that demonstrate the depth and breadth of your creative experiences and interests. Your portfolio may include works in a variety of media, including two-dimensional work, photography, three-dimensional work, design, architectural renderings, interactive media, websites, video and animation. Portfolio samples may come from formal assignments or outside of an art class.
- Submit an essay, saved as one PDF, that includes responses of 150 words or less for each of the three prompts below. Incorporate terms and concepts learned to discuss your work.
- Please tell us about your pre-college background, including your experience with making art or design, your educational experience, and influences.
- Tell us about a single project this year that has been included in the portfolio. Why did you include it? What skills did you learn from this project (technical, critical, creative/process)? Which of your strengths do you think it highlights?
- Give us a vision for your future self: What areas will you improve on? What opportunities have been revealed with your learning at Stout? Describe your career objectives.
- A $10 application fee is assessed at the time you electronically submit your portfolio.
Pathway 2: Commonly submitted at the end of the second semester.
- 2.0 or higher UW-Stout cumulative GPA and a grade of C or better for all art, art history, and design courses.
- A personal essay of 300-500 words about how your Foundations work represents your preparedness for your intended major
- Your FYX portfolio
Transfer Students
- All transfer students will be admitted as a Pre-Bachelor of Fine Arts (Pre-BFA) student. Upon acceptance information will be provided on how to submit a portfolio and essay to be reviewed by a committee of School of Art & Design faculty, who will determine direct admissions into the BFA major of your choice.
- Priority Deadlines:
- Spring Admission: October 1 at 9 a.m. CST
- Fall Admission: March 1 at 9 a.m. CST
- Submissions may be made after the priority date; however, there is no guarantee when it will be reviewed for a decision nor what art-specific coursework you may be able to get into after the review is completed and whether or not registration for the next semester has begun. There is a $10 application fee assessed at the time you electronically submit your portfolio.
Transfer students are considered for both fall and spring. This includes portfolio and essay submission by the priority deadline. Students applying for one of the BFA programs will remain admitted as a "Pre-BFA" student if you:
- do not submit a portfolio/essay
or - apply after the BFA program has closed
or - are not approved for the BFA program after submission of a portfolio/essay.
You may then apply for a change of major in subsequent semesters, depending upon available openings in the program. If needed, BFA Foundations courses will be available to "Pre-BFA" students pending seat availability.
Mission
The mission of the B.F.A. in Interior Design is to provide a positive and dynamic learning environment that fosters creativity, design thinking and collaboration. It is the integration of knowledge accumulated through studies in design, art, the humanities, technology, aesthetics, and design theory that prepares the interior design student to skillfully create meaningful, safe, and human-centered interior environments that contribute to the cultural, social and environmental well-being of society. It is our goal, through academic rigor and carefully constructed curriculum, to educate the future leaders in the interior design industry. Project based and hands on learning are at the core of the educational experience, which aligns with University of Wisconsin-Stout’s Polytechnic values.
Program Advisory Committee
| Emily | DeGallier | Territory Sales Manager | Forbo Flooring Inc. |
| Lisa | Kirkbride | Senior Account Manager | Milliken & Company |
| Sara | Kunnick | Interiors Section Leader | Hennepin County Facility Services |
| Rochelle | Maresh | Principle | Woo Consulting Firm |
| Veronica | McCracken | Associate | MSR Design |
| Brittany | Blunt | Senior Interior Designer | Sustainable 9 |
| Lorrie | Albers | Interior Project manager | RSP Architects |
| Tina | Branstad | Senior Interior Designer | BWBR Architects |
| Krista | Tesky | Lead Designer | Target |
| Amy | Saarem | Interior Design Senior Manager | Ashley Furniture |
| Laiken | Green | Lighting Designer | IMEG |
| Olivia | Heitke | Student | UW-Stout |
| Julie | Peterson | Professor | UW-Stout |
| Nicolette | Brehm | Professor | UW-Stout |
| Shelley | Pecha | Professor; Program Director; Chair, Design Department | UW-Stout |