北德州大学

The M.F.A. in Design with a concentration in Interior Design, ID M.F.A., in the College of Visual Arts and Design at the University of North Texas prepares students not only to meet but to define and re-invent solutions for the fundamental challenges that impact the interior design profession in an increasingly changing world.

The curricula in the M.F.A. program are designed and being taught to help future educators and designers to develop the conceptual, aesthetic, analytical and technical skills necessary to achieve their career goals. The M.F.A. is a terminal degree in this field that qualifies graduate candidates for an academic career. The M.F.A. is a “post-professional” program and for individuals primarily interested in a career in teaching at the university level. Accordingly, the M.F.A. program focuses on a pedagogy sequence and research methods while also formulating graduate students' research agenda.

At the end of the graduate program, our students should be well prepared to re-enter the profession with a specialized focus, or, if the minor in pedagogy is selected, in the field of interior design education in the university environment with identified areas of design research necessary for growth and tenure at the university level. As the world evolves from an economic model based on the production of products to one that will require the production of ideas, our graduates will be uniquely positioned to become the kinds of leaders in research, education and project management that our new, globally interdependent economy will demand.

Earning an M.F.A. in Design with a concentration in Interior Design prepares graduate candidates to advance their careers into leadership and management positions in academia, public or private sector organizations. Career opportunities for UNT ID M.F.A. graduates include the following.

• Interior design educator at the university-level
• Research and design consultant
• Interior design specialist in private and public organizations

Attributes of Strong M.F.A. Candidates

Applicants with identified deficiencies in professional experience or undergraduate coursework will be required to complete additional undergraduate coursework, or leveling, before being accepted into the interior design M.F.A. program. This graduate program is designed to help people with significant professional experience as interior designers who wish to teach at the university level.

This may be the program for you if you want to improve your abilities to:

• understand pedagogy for effective teaching
• identify and develop a concentrated area of study, focusing on a specific topic in interior design and its related fields
• expand their body of knowledge and contribute to knowledge exchange
• demonstrate effective writing and presentation skills
• investigate design solutions by means of research
• review literature related to their specialty
• comprehend appropriate research methodologies
• analyze and synthesize new information from diverse sources
• exercise critical thinking to create new ways of understanding
• understand the potential impact of research on individuals, groups and society
• build positive relationships between academia and the profession
• work in a collaborative environment