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Interior Design

Types of Degrees Interior Design Majors Are Earning

Those studying Interior Design have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	363
Associate’s Degree	1,508
Bachelor’s Degree	2,775
Master’s Degree	1,005

What Interior Design Majors Need to Know

Programs in Interior Design emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Interior Design graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Interior Design emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Design — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 6.1 / 7.
• Building and Construction — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a Interior Design program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Interior Design careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Interior Design graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Thinking Creatively	4.6 / 7
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.4 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.4 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.2 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Interior Design professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Autodesk Revit	Computer aided design CAD software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Autodesk 3ds Max	Video creation and editing software	—
Adobe Creative Cloud software	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Trimble SketchUp Pro	Computer aided design CAD software	✓
McNeel Rhinoceros 3D	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Adobe Illustrator	Graphics or photo imaging software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Adobe InDesign	Desktop publishing software	✓

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Interior Design graduates include:

• Interior Design Professor
• Associate Professor
• Adjunct Instructor
• College Faculty Member
• College Professor
• Architecture Instructor
• Architecture Professor
• Faculty Member
• Landscape Architecture Professor
• Adjunct Professor
• Interior Design Instructor
• Instructor
• University Faculty Member
• Lecturer
• Interior Design Faculty Member

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Interior Design graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	35.3%
Doctoral degree	31.2%
First professional degree	15.4%
Master’s degree	8.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	7.7%
Some college courses	1.2%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.8%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Interior Design?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 91.6% of Interior Design degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	5,176	91.6%
Men	475	8.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Interior Design graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	3,289	58.2%
Asian	288	5.1%
Hispanic or Latino	987	17.5%
Black or African American	288	5.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	22	0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	5	0.1%
Two or More Races	231	4.1%
Race Unknown	147	2.6%
International Students	394	7.0%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Interior Design Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Interior Design graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$32,054
4 years	$41,389
5 years	$46,982

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $46,982 — roughly 47% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Interior Design Programs

Distance learning is reported by IPEDS for Interior Design. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	5	9
Bachelor’s	4	4
Master’s	3	3

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Interior Design Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Interior Design graduates earn a median of $41,389 four years after completion — roughly 9% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Design and Applied Arts	50.04
Commercial and Advertising Art	50.0402
Commercial Photography	50.0406
Design and Applied Arts, Other	50.0499
Design and Visual Communications, General	50.0401
Fashion/Apparel Design	50.0407
Game and Interactive Media Design	50.0411
Graphic Design	50.0409
Illustration	50.0410
Industrial and Product Design	50.0404

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.