Education Articles from College Matching Service

If you want to have a beautiful house to boast off then you need to hire both a good architect as well as an interior designer so that the interior of the house looks equally good as the outside. This is exactly what an interior designer is supposed to do. Provide a house with excellent interiors.

However, there are other job responsibilities of an interior designer also and these are:

a) Understanding the building: As an interior designer you must have a thorough idea of the building and for that you need to go through the blue print of the building before and design the interior space without disrupting any safety measure and also make it comfortable for people having physical problems. For understanding the building you also need to have meetings with architects, electricians and building contractors to see whether the interior design is not creating any safety hazard. This is because often the interior designers suggest some remodeling and up gradations to the rooms.

b) Planning the steps: As a interior designer you need to work with a plan and the first step of the plan is programming which means focusing on the wishes of the clients. The next step that follows is to form a design plan and then provide an estimation of the cost. After forming the design and cost estimation then it is time to require the necessary furnishings and other articles needed to beautify the interiors.

c) Make a good combination of lights with colors in the interiors: The main concern of any interior designer is how to decorate a space beautifully with the right combination of lights, colors, textures and furniture so that it meets the requirements of the clients. For this he or she needs to do the following:

• Choose the furnishings
• Suggest if the room needs remodeling
• Choose color scheme of the rooms
• Restore a room or a building following a historical model if required.

These are in a nutshell the job responsibilities of an interior designer.

Headquartered in Denver, Westwood College offers quality degree and program that prepares students for a thriving future. The institution is committed to offer career education for lifelong success. Westwood College offers more than 18 bachelor degree and associate programs in interior design, computers & information technology, fashion, gaming, criminal justice and business. It is a postsecondary learning institute that offers career-focused programs on education. The main aim of Westwood College is to prepare undergraduates for satisfying jobs in demanding careers. Each program offered by the institution is designed with guidance from the business leaders to guarantee that the set of courses prepares students for their chosen career.

Westwood College offers Interior Design Bachelor Degree Program which helps students to use their creativity in designing restaurant, retail store, corporate office and private residence. Through this program, students also learn to use their skills of architecture and color principals in order to make things look fabulous. The Interior Design program offered at Westwood College teaches students skills in interior furnishing, construction technology, graphic drawing and color theory so that students can create beautiful designing works during their career. Westwood College certainly offers career-focused education in interior designing so that students can start their profession within three years.

The Interior Design Program of the institution trains students in creative and technical aspects of interior design. The use of classroom instruction and lectures and computer labs using interactive technologies make the classes challenging and motivating. Students, taking part in Interior Design Program, starts with courses such as CAD I – basic Auto CAD, basic Drafting and Design Graphics. This program combines practical with the artistic and offers wide education that will facilitate the students with business knowledge and technical skills required in the workplace.

A profession in Healthcare Management can be suitable if a student has interest in areas such as customer service, admissions, billing and finance. The Healthcare Management program offered at Westwood College emphasizes on details of healthcare industry and covers principles of business management. This program of Westwood College is complete, and has interactive courses that emphasizes on career major. Career-based courses include law and Compliance in Healthcare, Introduction to Business, Communication Skills in Healthcare, and Budgeting. Students of the institution are taught these courses using multimedia applications that offer an interactive learning experience.

Through the Healthcare Management degree program offered at Westwood College, students can imagine themselves applying the principals of human resource management, defining specific healthcare requirements in long-term care, performing statistical study to enhance efficiency, and interpreting healthcare laws. Some careers in healthcare management include Assistant Clinical Manager, Assistant Administrator and Assistant Office manager. This program is suitable for students who desire to work efficiently in health services management.

In the constantly evolving world of fashion if you have an online degree in fashion then it will help you immensely in your career option. These online degrees in various aspects of fashion would let you work as a store manager, fashion event planner, fashion consultant and even as assistant buyers.

There are various online degrees related to fashion offered by various universities. Some popular degrees are:

a) Bachelor of Arts in Fashion Merchandising: This course is offered by International Academy of Design and Technology. In this online degree course you would get to know about various fundamentals of fashion such as designing, retail management, visual merchandising and marketing communication. You would also learn to design and print the advertisements, create the products of fashion and promote various events of fashion. To be eligible for this degree course you need to have a high school diploma with you.

b) Bachelor of Science Fashion and Retail Management: If you want to know how to develop, analyze and finally implement all the strategies related to sales of fashion merchandise then you should opt for this course offered by the online division of The Art Institute of Pittsburgh. To be eligible for this course you need to be a high school graduate or have an associate degree or something higher than that before applying for admission

c) Associate of Arts in Fashion Merchandising: This degree would help you choose varieties of career in the world of fashion. This is a two year course and it will let you know the concepts of selling, distributing and buying of fashion merchandise.

d) Master of Arts in Fashion Merchandising: This degree is instituted to provide the students with professional expertise in the field of fashion merchandising. In this course you would learn about consumer behavior, branding techniques and know how to oversee an entire department.

So you can opt for any of these courses if you want to become a professional in the field of fashion.

The main job of Interior designers is to augment the aesthetics and safety of interior spaces. Interior designers plan interior spaces of all types of hospitals, hotels, restaurants, school, private residences, shopping malls, theaters, airport terminals and offices. An interior designer must be capable of reading blueprints and understand fire codes. Postsecondary education, mainly bachelor’s degree is necessary to start career as an interior designer.

Stages of Interior Design Career

Education: College education is most important to start profession as an interior designer. In some state, an individual will not be recognized as an interior designer if he/she does not meet certain educational requirements. Many schools, universities and colleges of art and design provide degree courses in interior design. The Council for Interior Design Accreditation sets standards for the interior design education.

Experience: Career as an interior designer is based on three main steps. After formal education in interior design, the next in entry-level experience, that is followed by qualifying examination. An internship may increase the university degree of an individual. The quality of practical experience makes an interior designer successful in his career. “Interior Design Experience Program” offers the guidance for becoming a flourishing interior designer.

Experience: To become an interior designer, an individual must pass a qualifying examination. The examination ensures whether a student is qualified to become an interior designer. NCIDQ (National Council for Interior Design Qualification) is responsible for declaring individual as a proficient interior designer. NCIDQ regularly conducts research, and uses the collected information to revise the exam. To start a career in interior design an individual must have proper education in interior design, and must gain interior design experience.

An individual, who has met the experience, education and the requirements of the examination, is considered as a certified interior designer. An interior designer must be capable of managing people and customer relationships, and must have business knowledge to become successful in his/her career.

To begin your career as an interior decorator you need to complete interior design degrees from any recognized colleges and universities. There are several renowned institutes that offer various courses in interior design. These are:

Sheffield School : This interior design school offers three courses that you can pursue from your home. These are:

• The Sheffield Complete Course in Interior Design: This course enables you to learn everything you require to know about interior design. It is their oldest and most popular course. The features of this course include:

1. 30 complete and brilliantly illustrated Lessons Booklets, which cover every vital aspect of interior design.

2. Reference Guides which are created especially by a team of professional interior designers.

3. Audio CDs that contain discussions with professional decorators.

• The Complete Course in Wedding & Event Planning: This course is specially designed to embrace everything necessary for you to know regarding the art and business of wedding and event planning. The course content ranges from creating a guest list, to creating a beautiful wedding design, to hiring vendors, so as to coordinate memorable events. The features include:

1. 20 complete lessons including "Look Book" supplements.

2. 6 Sheffield Study Guides, which helps you step-by-step through your lesson.

3. 2 Virtual Internship projects that are carefully evaluated by working wedding planners.

• The Feng Shui Interior Design Course: This course is enables you to learn the Chinese system approach to interior design. This approach has been practiced since thousands of years. These are some of the features of the course:

1. 6 Feng Shui Study Guides including articles by well known Feng Shui experts.

2. Audio CDs which helps to reinforce the most essential ideas from your lessons and feature.

3. 3 comprehensive textbooks- The Feng Shui House Book, Feng Shui Revealed, and The Western Guide to Feng Shui.

Interior Design is a distinctive course that helps you to learn the combination of aesthetics, technology and professional practice. These interior designers utilize their creativeness, professional education, and experience to plan the free space and furnish the interiors of homes, and public buildings. These public buildings include restaurants, offices, hospitals, retail establishments, theaters, and hotels.

Career Options:

An interior decorator, after completing the degree of interior design successfully, has several career options to choose from. These students can begin their career as junior designer, intermediate designer, design assistant, senior designer, lighting designer, project management and many more. The professional and diverse orientation of these courses can also enable you to start a career within interior design and architectural consultancies. You can also establish your own Interior Design firm and penetrate into building or supervisory contracts including both residential and commercial projects.

Course Content:

The course content of an online interior design degree generally includes:

• Drawing
• Computer-Aided Design
• Perspective
• Architecture
• Ergonomics
• Furniture design
• Spatial planning
• Ethics
• Color and fabrics
• Psychology

Online Colleges:

There are numerous schools of interior design that offer online interior design degrees. These are:

• Penn Foster Career School : This school of interior design offers distance learning facilities to students around the world and has three programs including Floral Designer, Home Remodeling and Repair, and Interior Decorator. This school is recognized by the Accrediting Commission of the Distance Education and Training Council and by the Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools for high school and vocational-technical programs. The Penn Foster Career School is affiliated with DANTES and offers affordable prices, and 0% interest financing and personalized payment plans that suits all the students around the world.
• Ashworth University : It is a broadly respected and nationally recognized distance education school that offers two interior design degrees- Professional Floral Design Program, and Professional Interior Decorating Program. The students of Ashworth University receive ample texts and study materials by mail and the monthly tuition fee is interest free.

There are various online interior design degree programs that offer students the opportunity to learn a comprehensive set of courses. In present days designing means something more than decorating. The interior decorators have an intense impact on every people’s life by creating comfortable surroundings to live, work, and relax. Generally the course content includes history and basic principles and applications of interior design, space planning, utilization of color and lighting, blue print reading, drafting floor plan, and the application of various fabrics, accessories, and design materials in interior design.

There are also other programs which include more focused, symposium and project courses.

After completing these courses you can begin your career as:

• Interior Designer
• Fabric Designer
• Floor Plan Drafting
• Retail Store Designer
• Lighting-Consultant
  
  

Bachelor Degree in Interior Design:

A bachelor degree in interior design serves as a foundation and looks after the technical and creative factors of interior design . Completing this degree is necessary for entering the field as interior design in United States is regulated in 24 states. It is in fact a criterion that you should fulfill before applying for your license. The course content includes computer-aided drafting (CAD) and design , space planning, 3D design , problem solving, the history of design and architecture, safety and building codes, interior construction and detailing, drawing, drafting, color, and basic design principles. The coursework of some colleges and universities also contain specialty design that include hospitality design , exhibit design, corporate design , and retail store design. Additionally, this course also facilitates you to learn the different methods and procedures to correspond your interior design solutions with the help of a variety of visual media.

There are also several other interior design programs available online. These include:

• Diploma in Interior Design
• Certificate in Landscape and Garden Design
• Higher National Diploma in Interior Design
• Diploma in Image and Fashion Styling
• Certificate in Color Consultancy
• Certificate in Lighting Design
• Certificate in Commercial Design Consultancy

It is a common belief that interior design is a practical discipline and can only be studied through regular courses in a classroom or studio. Though it is indeed a hands-on skill, it is utterly possible to achieve an online interior design education. However, there are certain factors you must consider before pursuing an online degree of interior design.

Take course related advice from a recognized counselor:

While selecting an online college for achieving interior design degree you should take course related advices from a professional counselor. There are several interior design colleges and universities, who appoint professional interior decorators as advisors. In fact most of these advisors have also completed their interior design degrees through online educational institutes. Thereby they can provide a very good advice to the new students. It is a very effective method to acquire support from these experienced professional as well as to remain motivated and focused.

Get a thorough knowledge about the software:

There are several online interior design schools that are using the 3D interior design software. Thereby if you have a prior knowledge or at least pursue some crash course upon the software, it will prove to be a great advantage for your career. This will further help you to create hypothetical designs and also for cost estimations.

Get hold of the latest audio and DVD learning materials:

The online interior design degree programs that you are undertaking provides certain audio and DVDs of lectures. Apart from these, you should also obtain the latest audio or video materials so as to up date your knowledge and enhance your skills. In fact you should make the maximum utilization of the audio materials as they help you get a break from the computer screen. It also enables you to learn as you complete other works.

Staying focused and motivated while pursuing this degree is very essential to succeed. There are some online interior design schools that prepare you for qualifying the exam that will officially permit you to start designing once you successfully complete your course.