Interior Design Certificate

Line, space, balance, value, texture, perspective—these are just a few of the elements and principles that designers engage with to create strong design solutions. This introductory course teaches the fundamental design process that designers engage with to create commercial and residential interiors. 

Through assignments, students apply 2D design fundamentals, theory, and principles to develop aesthetically pleasing and functional interiors for residential and commercial spaces. This course builds confidence in the design process for beginners and professionals by focusing on perception and thinking, historic and current references, and craftsmanship. 

Explore Interior Design Fundamentals

Investigate how color influences perception, communication, branding, spatial experience, emotion, and human behavior when designing interior spaces. This course explores the principles, psychology, science, and application of color across multiple design disciplines. Through lectures, critiques, demonstrations, and hands-on assignments, students develop both conceptual understanding and practical color proficiency. By the end of the course, students will achieve foundational proficiency with color as it applies to spatial, graphic, digital, and material contexts.

Explore Color Theory and Design

From carved and gilded wood to stone from great marble slabs to semi-precious Pietra dura inlays, interior design has been used to craft exceptional and useful items for interiors across the ages. This course examines the evolution of interior design and furniture from the Industrial Revolution through contemporary practice, focusing on the cultural, technological, artistic, and social forces that transformed interior environments and furnishings in post-industrial society. 

Students explore major design movements that shaped modern interiors, decorative arts, and furniture design, including Arts & Crafts, Art Nouveau, Modernism, Art Deco, Mid-Century Modernism, Postmodernism, Minimalism, Sustainable Design, and contemporary global practice. They also investigate how Los Angeles and Southern California became important centers for modern furniture, residential experimentation, hospitality interiors, and lifestyle-based design. By the end of the course, students will have developed foundational historical knowledge that provides context for their design practice.

Explore History of Interior Design and Furniture

This foundational studio course teaches visual communication fundamentals central to interior design professionals, including drawing, 2D design composition, and architectural drafting. Emphasis is placed on developing perceptual acuity, spatial literacy, and graphic precision while establishing industry-standard drafting conventions.

Students explore the principles of 2D design—including hierarchy, balance, rhythm, proportion, alignment, and contrast—and apply them directly to interior drawing and drafting exercises. By the end of the course, students produce a cohesive portfolio of hand-drafted interior plans and composed presentation sheets that demonstrate both artistic sensitivity and technical discipline—forming the graphic foundation required for subsequent coursework in perspective drawing, digital drafting, and advanced interior design studios.

Design a celebrity-themed restaurant while learning to develop scaled plans, concepts, and presentation boards that clearly and graphically communicate intention and technical competency. This course introduces students to space planning with a focus on hospitality design, specifically full-service restaurant environments. Students take part in a comprehensive design process, including conceiving, designing, and executing a restaurant space for a client.

Attention is given to technical planning strategies, ADA and safety compliance, professional drafting standards, hospitality industry best practices, and the unique operational requirements of restaurant interiors.

Explore Interior Design Applications I

Advances your graphic communication skills using advanced drafting and perspective drawing techniques for interior environments. Building upon foundational drafting and visualization techniques, this course emphasizes precision, spatial accuracy, and the ability to translate complex interior concepts into clear, professional visual documents. Students produce hand-drafted drawing packages and accurately constructed perspectives that demonstrate spatial understanding, control of proportion, and professional presentation standards expected in interior design practice. They refine orthographic drafting skills—including dimensioned floor plans, interior elevations, sections, enlarged details, and reflected ceiling plans—while simultaneously developing advanced perspective techniques such as one-point, two-point, and multi-point interior perspectives. 

Explore Interior Design Presentation II

Design a single-family residential home while building on the skills and knowledge developed in Interior Design Applications Ⅰ. Students take part in a comprehensive design process, from ideation to execution of fully resolved residential design drawings. By the end of the course, they will have completed a fully resolved residential design project demonstrating competency in space planning, textile application, technical documentation, and professional presentation appropriate for internship or entry-level practice in residential interior design. Topics emphasize the integration of spatial planning, material selection, and human-centered design with a focused exploration of textiles and fabrics as primary drivers of interior experience.

Bring your interior design ideas to life using AutoCAD, an industry-standard space design tool. This course prepares students with skills to create 2D drawings and layouts suitable for professional presentation. Students transition from basic geometry to producing complex technical documents, including residential floor plans and construction details. The curriculum emphasizes precision, interface proficiency, drawing, editing, and the ability to translate conceptual sketches into accurate digital drafts. 

Explore AutoCad for Interior Design

Explore the dual nature of light as both a technical and atmospheric tool to describe 3D space. This introductory architectural lighting course teaches students to manipulate the qualities of light to define architectural space while mastering the mathematical calculations required to ensure functional, code-compliant illumination levels. Assignments include creating a technical lighting plan that meets both aesthetic goals and energy-efficiency standards. By the end of the course, students will have developed familiarity with technical considerations, terminology, lighting technologies, and design techniques for a variety of interior applications.

Explore Interior Lighting Design

Build your confidence in spatial visualization and digital workflow through this beginning-level three-dimensional design course. Students are introduced to the principles of 3D design and developmental digital modeling skills using  SketchUp. 

Students learn the core elements of 3D design—point, line, plane, volume, void, texture, light, and structure—and apply these principles in a digital environment. They use SketchUp to clearly communicate depth, surface quality, and light through various 3D scenes and perspectives.  Through assignments including volumetric compositions and interior or architectural spatial studies, students learn to practice translating concepts and designs into digital models. 

This course is appropriate for students within design disciplines seeking an introduction to three-dimensional design and beginning digital modeling.

Explore Interior Design Presentation III

Explore the technical, analytical, and design-based applications of architectural lighting within commercial and institutional environments. Building on the foundation of Interior Lighting Design, students investigate advanced lighting strategies, including photometric analysis, layered lighting systems, energy code compliance, daylight integration, and lighting quality metrics such as uniformity, glare control, and visual comfort.

Using industry-standard lighting simulation software, students develop professional lighting layouts, perform illuminance calculations, and evaluate lighting performance against recognized standards, including IES recommendations and current energy mandates. Weekly assignments require students to construct increasingly complex lighting models and generate professional documentation, including calculation reports, reflected ceiling plans (RCPs), and fixture schedules. Emphasis is placed on the integration of design intent, technical performance, and regulatory compliance, preparing students for professional lighting specification and documentation workflows used in commercial interior practice.

Learn the fundamental systems and sequencing of residential construction through the progressive fabrication of a scaled balsa-wood-framed model. Each week, students construct a critical stage of a house, from foundation through roof, while learning the structural logic, terminology, materials, and building science principles associated with each phase. Students develop practical knowledge of load paths, framing systems, structural components, building envelopes, and construction coordination. Through model-making, diagramming, and technical discussion, students gain a tangible understanding of residential construction methods used in contemporary light wood-frame buildings. By the end of the course, students complete a fully assembled sectional or open-wall model that clearly communicates the hierarchy and interaction of building systems.

Explore the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a design and visualization tool within the field of interior design. In this course, students learn how AI software can support design ideation, space planning, rendering, and the development of professional presentations. Utilizing AI platforms such as Midjourney, DALL·E, RoomGPT, and SketchUp, emphasis is placed on responsible use of AI technologies to enhance creativity, workflow efficiency, and communication in the design process. Through guided exercises and studio assignments, students develop foundational AI skills and explore current industry applications of AI in design practice, including visualization, concept development, and client communication. 

Learn the fundamental concepts and workflows of Building Information Modeling (BIM) using Autodesk Revit. The course focuses on creating intelligent 3D building models, documenting, and coordinating architectural and interior design information in a digital environment. Through guided exercises and project-based assignments, students develop the ability to model basic building geometry, create floor plans, elevations, and 3D views, and generate professional documentation sets suitable for interior design and architectural presentation. Emphasis is placed on spatial organization, accuracy, annotation standards, and efficient workflow practices commonly used in professional design offices. By the end of the course, students produce a small-scale residential or commercial interior model with a documentation set that demonstrates foundational BIM competency.

Examine the environmental, social, and economic impacts of sustainable principles, systems, and strategies in interior design.  This course introduces industry standards and rating systems such as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design), WELL Building Standard, and emerging regenerative and circular design frameworks. Emphasis is placed on practical decision-making within the interior designer’s scope of work, including finishes, furnishings, lighting, water use, and operational performance. Students learn how responsible material selection, energy-conscious design, indoor environmental quality, and resource management contribute to healthier, more resilient spaces. Through case studies, material analysis, and applied design exercises, students develop the knowledge and vocabulary necessary to participate meaningfully in sustainable design processes and collaborate with multidisciplinary project teams.

Kitchens and bathrooms are among the most complex and technically demanding spaces in residential design, requiring careful coordination of function, ergonomics, building systems, materials, and aesthetics. This course introduces students to the principles and practices of kitchen and bath design with a focus on current industry standards, emerging technologies, and contemporary products available in today’s marketplace. Topics include cabinetry systems, plumbing fixtures, lighting design, ventilation, accessibility, sustainable materials, and integrated technology solutions.

Emphasis is placed on planning, product selection, code compliance, and current industry trends. Students learn to design functional kitchen and bathroom layouts using established guidelines, such as NKBA planning standards, while exploring contemporary materials, fixtures, appliances, and smart technologies available in the marketplace. Through weekly assignments, students develop professional design documentation and product specifications, culminating in a final kitchen or bath design presentation.

Explore the design, specification, and performance of window treatments as functional architectural elements that contribute to passive environmental control within interior spaces. Students examine how shading systems regulate daylight, glare, privacy, solar heat gain, and thermal comfort while supporting energy efficiency and occupant well-being. Emphasis is placed on sustainable materials, passive design strategies, and emerging technologies, including motorized, solar-powered, and automated shading systems. Through lectures, case studies, material research, and applied design exercises, students develop the ability to select and specify interior window treatments that reflect current industry trends, integrating aesthetics, sustainability, smart controls, and building performance. 

Expand your knowledge of the Interior Design industry in this intensive 5-week course. Students explore a comprehensive overview of the business, legal, and operational procedures essential to a successful interior design practice. Students learn the full arc of professional practice, from contracts and project management to ethical conduct, with a specific focus on modern entrepreneurial business, including branding, AI tools, and social media strategy. This course prepares students to transition from design proficiency to professional competency.

No. The certificate is designed for beginners as well as professionals expanding their skills.

No portfolio is required.

Most students complete the certificate in approximately four terms (about 16 months).

Courses are offered primarily online with select on-campus offerings

Yes. Students graduate with portfolio projects demonstrating residential and commercial interior design work.

Students gain experience with AutoCAD, SketchUp, BIM workflows, digital presentation tools, and emerging AI applications for interior design.