Interior Architecture is a major within the Department of Architecture, which is part of the School of Architecture and Allied Arts.

Interior Architecture Program
Department of Architecture
School of Architecture and Allied Arts

Undergraduate degree: B.I.Arch.
Undergraduate minor

Design a Stunning Career in Interior Architecture

The UO Department of Architecture has offered interior design coursework since 1922. The interior architecture program has a national reputation for excellence and is consistently listed as one of the top interior design programs in the country. FIDER (Foundation for Interior Design Education and Research) accredited degrees are offered at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The program is jointly sponsoring a new undergraduate degree program in Product Design.

The interior architecture curriculum at the UO is strongly design-oriented, augmented by theory and professional coursework. Beginning level course work is shared with architecture and provides a solid foundation from which to begin design studies. Advanced coursework includes color theory, electric lighting, and furniture design. Detailing allows in-depth study and research into specialized areas of interest.

Opportunities for work in interior architecture abound. You could be an interior designer within an architecture firm or act as a consultant. You could specialize in furniture design, facilities management, lighting design, set design, and interior design education.

To gain admission to the UO’s five-year interior architecture program, you must complete the UO application for admission (due December 1) in addition to the departmental application (due January 15). You must also have a portfolio that includes samples of your creative work, a personal essay, letters of recommendation, and academic transcripts that meet the department’s own standards of academic excellence.

Sample Courses 

• Understanding Contemporary Interiors covers an introduction to the theory of interior architecture as explored through illustrated lectures and projects involving analysis of space
• Color Theory and Application for the Built Environment includes principal color systems, methods of color harmony, effects of visual phenomena, and various psychological, cultural and historical implications
• Working Drawings in Interior Architecture includes preparation of working drawings for project designed in interior architecture studio
• Working Drawings for Furniture focuses on development of full-scale working drawings and as-built drawings of furniture projects from a furniture studio course