Interior Design Specialization

The Interior Design Specialization at OCAD University is part of the Environmental Design program. The Environmental Design: Interior Design Specialization is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation.

This CIDA-accredited program prepares students for entry-level interior design practice, for advanced study, and to apply for membership in professional interior design organizations. The Bachelor of Design Degree granted by OCAD University meets the educational requirement for eligibility to sit for the National Council for Interior Design Qualification Examination (NCIDQ Exam). Learn more about NCIDQ Exam eligibility. 

On top required courses for the Environmental Design program, Interior Design Specialization students are required to take four additional courses and an Interior Design thesis course.

Students gain innovative and conceptual leadership abilities based on cultural and contextual knowledge, theory, creative process, communication skills and professional practice.

The Interior Design Specialization at OCAD University is part of the Environmental Design program and is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA). 

Students interested in all types of spatial design progress together throughout the program. There are 4 identified courses and a specific Interior Design thesis course that the students in the Interior Design Specialization are required to take, aside from the courses all Environmental Design students study.

The Environmental Design: Interior Design Specialization Program utilizes Respectful Design as a philosophical base by aiming to create environments and experiences that take into account both built and organic structures.

Students follow a curriculum that recognizes and values inclusivity and empowers the rich diversity of Canada’s different demographics. This curriculum recognizes the consequence of our architectural and cultural histories.

In this program, students cultivate innovative and conceptual leadership abilities within the fields of Interior Design and Environmental Design based upon cultural and contextual knowledge, theory, philosophy and conceptual knowledge, creative process, communication skills and professional practice.

 

CIDA Accreditation


The Interior Design Specialization in the Environmental Design Program leading to the Bachelor of Design Undergraduate Degree is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation, www.accredit-id.org, 206 Cesar E. Chavez Ave SW, Suite 350, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503. 

The CIDA-accredited program prepares students for entry-level interior design practice, for advanced study, and to apply for membership in professional Interior Design organizations. The Bachelor of Design Degree granted by OCAD University 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: www.cidq.org/eligibility-requirements.

 

Course Credits per Academic Year
 

It typically takes a full-time student taking approximately 5 Course Credits per semester four years to complete the degree program with a total of 20 Course Credits.

 

Student Attrition and Retention


Based on data collected using institutional records 6 months after the class of 2023 graduated 88.8% of students admitted in the fall of 2022 returned in the fall of 2023, putting attrition at 11.2%.

 

Graduation Rates
 

Based on data collected using institutional records 6 months after the class of 2023 graduated of the students graduating in 2023, 48% graduated in 4 years.

 

Acceptance into Graduate Programs
 

Based on the 2021 Alumni Survey sent to graduating students of the program 6 months after graduation (by OCAD University Career Development) 10% of students who graduated in 2021 applied for graduate school, and 100% were accepted to at least one of the programs they applied to.

 

Job Placement Rates
 

Based on the 2021 Alumni Survey sent to graduating students of the program 6 months after graduation (by OCAD University Career Development) 71% of the students that responded to the survey who graduated in 2021 were employed in Interior Design or a related profession.

Schools and programs our graduates are in or have graduated from

  • Aalto University, Finland, March
  • Academy of Fine Arts, Gdansk, Poland, Master of Fine Art
  • Columbia University, New York, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation, March
  • Dalhousie University, Halifax, March
  • Illinois Institute of Technology, IIT, Chicago, March
  • Lund University, Sweden, Faculty of Engineering, Masters in Urban Design, Sustainable Urban Design
  • McGill University, Montreal, March
  • Nordic Five Tech (Alliance of five Universities in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden), dual Master's in Sustainable Urban Transitions
  • Parsons, New York, March
  • Pratt Institute, New York, March
  • Ryerson University, Toronto, Diploma in Restoration Architecture
  • UIC Universitat Internacional de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain, Sustainable Emergency Architecture, March
  • University of Birmingham, England, MSc Urban and Regional Planning
  • University of British Columbia, Vancouver, March
  • University of Calgary, March
  • University of Manitoba, March
  • University of Michigan, March
  • University of Toronto, MArch, Master's of Landscape Architecture
  • University of Edinburgh, MArch