Interior Design Major
Students interested in residential, hospitality, or commercial/industrial interior design receive career-ready training and can also explore textile, exhibition, and/or environmental design.
Moore's Interior Design major is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) and prepares students for innovative careers in the industry and related fields. We believe in the seven basic principles—balance, unity, rhythm, emphasis, scale & proportion, contrast, and details—our training gives graduates the tools they need to consider this longstanding tradition through a new and sustainable lens. The BFA in Interior Design curriculum is structured to teach the fundamentals of interior design and the coursework remains nimble to reflect advancements in technology while maintaining its rigor and dedication to problem-solving excellence. Our faculty share a commitment to collaboration that explores diverse disciplines and concepts, fosters integrity of design, and builds the skills our students need to become creative leaders in the global economy.
LAND YOUR DREAM JOB
Moore's Interior Design alumni have landed jobs at internationally-recognized firms and continue to shape the future at forward-thinking companies.
Gensler
Abby Schwartz Associates
Marguerite Rodgers Ltd.
Bernardon
Nelson
SFCS Architects
RD Jones & Associates
Interior Design Student Work
The program is supported by a Foundation experience in its first year and includes a broad spectrum of Creative & Critical Studies courses in the years that follow. Students will network with design firms, meet professionals working in the field, and learn to navigate professional organization/association memberships as they grow into an ethically responsible design professional. All Interior Design students will gain invaluable experience during their required internship in the summer preceding their senior year, and will receive support from our Locks Career Center as they prepare to launch their own career. See what current students and recent alumni have accomplished.
Lucy Franck ’24
Izabella Groysman ’23
Natasha Cannavaro ’22
Delaina George ’23
McKaylah Marshall ’23
Haley Pattinson ’23
Bri Senft ’24
KICKSTART YOUR CAREER WITH A PAID INTERIOR DESIGN INTERNSHIP
100% of Moore's Interior Design students are employed via a paid internship the summer preceding their senior year and gain real-world experience working with firms like:
Ashli Mizell
JacobsWyper Architects
Studio Friedman
ROHE Creative
Interior Design Core Curriculum
Year 1 is your Foundation year! You’ll get a head start with your bridge-to-major class (Visual Communication for Interior Design) and choose between drawing or design in your second semester.
- 2D Design
- 3D Design
- Foundation Drawing I
- Visual Thinking
- Visual Communication
- Color Theory
- Drawing for Visual Communication OR Creative Design
- Writing Workshop I & II
- Art History I & II
Immerse yourself in your major in Year 2. Classes like Linear Perspective for Interiors, Materials & Construction and Digital Representation will give you foundational skills for future work.
- Materials & Construction
- History of Interior Design
- Digital Representation
- Interior Design I & II
- Linear Perspective for Interiors
- Modern Art History Course
- Non-Western Art History
- Gender, Race, Class & Power
In Year 3, go further in classes like Interior Building Systems and Lighting, and start to think about your future through electives and Professional Development, which will prepare you for an exciting $1,000 paid summer internship.
- Interior Design III & IV
- Lighting
- Advanced Digital Representation
- Interior Building Systems
- Building Info Modeling
- Professional Development I
- Creative & Critical Studies Electives
- Studio Electives
In Year 4, take your final electives and additional classes in Construction and Historic Preservation, and apply the skills you’ve learned to a final thesis project. Then get ready for your journey to post-graduation success!
- Historic Preservation
- Construction Documents
- Programming & Research
- Interior Design Thesis
- Professional Development II (Internship)
- Creative & Critical Studies Electives
- Open Electives
Take the Next Steps!
We're looking forward to meeting you and telling you more about the Interior Design BFA program at Moore. As the only independent art & design college in Philadelphia, we're ready when you are—apply today!TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR EXPANSIVE INTERIOR DESIGN PROGRAM FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT
Materials Library
An interior designer’s playground, stocked with state-of-the-art equipment and thousands of fabric, color and material samples that will help you bring your projects to life.
Computer Labs
Everything Interior Design majors need for digital work: 27” iMacs, Epson P800 17”x22” inkjet printers, Xerox black and white and color printers, and scanners for documents up to 18”x24” in size.
FabLab
Your future favorite place on campus, featuring a laser cutter/engraver, 3D scanners/printers, CNC Router, ceramics decal printer and a digital embroidery machine.
Print Shop
In addition to a brand-new risograph, you’ll have access to two etching presses that can be used to make drypoints, etchings, monotypes and relief prints, and a darkroom with light exposure units, a spray sink and a vacuum table for screenprinting.
Professional Shooting Studio
Fully equipped with a Hasselblad H5D-50 50MP camera, colored backdrops, green screen, strobes, hot lights and other accessories.
NETWORK WITH THE INTERIOR DESIGN PROS
You’ll also meet guest critics and speakers—designers in the field who started out just like you—at special department events. Here’s a glimpse of some of our recent visitors:
Abby Schwartz, FARA, NCARB
Schwartz started her own business, Abby Schwartz Associates, LLC in 1992, focusing on residential additions and renovations and growing over time to include larger and more varied projects. She has been featured in multiple publications and is president of the Pennsylvania Council of the Society of American Registered Architects.
Carol Elia, ASID, LEED-AP
Founder and principal of Philadelphia-based firm CR Design, Elia is a LEED-AP accredited designer, a frequent guest speaker at industry events like Neocon, Leading Age and the Environments for Aging Conference, and a founding member of the Interior Design Legislative Coalition of Pennsylvania.
Michelle Reese, NCIDQ
Reese is an associate, project interior designer at Francis Cauffman Architects and works on producing renderings, selecting finishes and furniture, construction documentation and construction administration. A graduate of Moore, she regularly participates in student design critiques and is a member of the Interior Design program advisory board.
Delaina George ’23
Check out more student work!
WHY CHOOSE INTERIOR DESIGN AT MOORE?
- CREATE: We'll train you to indulge your creativity and engage your curiosity around built environments—our curriculum explores residential, commercial, and hospitality design through a sustainable lens.
- ACCESS: You’ll meet and learn from industry professionals through critiques, lectures, and mentoring with our CIDA advisory board and gain real-world experiences on career-focused field trips.
- COMMUNITY: Your paid internship—the summer before your senior year—will connect you to the right people, allowing you to network your way into a job doing what you love after graduation!
IN OUR OWN WORDS
Moore opened up my professional path. The studios are small and intimate, which allows students and teachers to establish connections. Having teachers who are able to focus on your work and how you can improve was very important to me.
MEET YOUR INTERIOR DESIGN MAJOR
Watch our Meet Your Major: Interior Design video to take a deeper dive into everything this program has to offer!
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PostedOnce a backdrop in the 1993 film “Philadelphia,” the iconic space was reimagined by Moore Interior Design alumna Hope Velocette ‘10, blending cinematic history with contemporary design.
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PostedMoore alums are soaring in their fields, using their unique talents and skills as artists and designers to make a difference in the world around them. Meet Kate Rohrer, an Interior Design hero, and learn more about her career.
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Interior Design Student Carlee Herman ‘26 Places in Top Five at Regional Interior Design Competition
CategoryPostedInterior Design major and transfer student Carlee Herman ’26 was awarded an honorable mention at the Jacobs Student Design Competition, placing her in the top five winners out of 35 students.
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PostedMeet Julia Kerr, an Interior Design student who returned to college life after nearly a decade in the restaurant industry.
