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2008–2010 Undergraduate Catalog

Bachelor of Science Degree in Interior Design

The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Interior Design is a four-year Council for Interior Design Accreditation (formerly FIDER) accredited professional degree. The minimum number of semester credit hours required for the degree, including Core Curriculum requirements, is 132, at least 39 of which must be at the upper-division level. Students are advised to complete the B.S. in Interior Design degree coursework in the order indicated within the “Recommended Curriculum” issued by the College of Architecture for their catalog year.

Transfer Students: All transfer students are required to submit a bound portfolio (maximum size 8.5 inches by 11 inches) to the College of Architecture as soon as admittance to the University is approved. Portfolios must be received at the College of Architecture prior to the second week in March for Fall Semester admissions; and prior to the second week in August for Spring Semester admissions. The portfolio must clearly demonstrate creative and communicative skills in written and graphic form. A complete transcript of all professional courses accompanied by the catalog descriptions from the originating institutions must be included. Do not send slides or original work. A postage-paid, self-addressed return envelope must be included for return of the work to the candidate. The portfolio will be reviewed by a faculty committee to determine the student’s placement within the curricular sequence.

Foundation to Technical Gateway: Available openings within the Technical Sequence (third and fourth year courses) are limited and, therefore, entry is competitive. Entry is determined by a combination of portfolio review and overall grade point average (GPA) in accordance with the following formula (on a 4.0 scale):

Overall GPA 50%
Portfolio Review 50%

Students who fail to be admitted into the Technical Sequence may wait a year in order to resubmit a new portfolio and improve their overall GPA by that time.

Portfolio Review: All students in the B.S. in Interior Design program are required to submit their portfolio for review prior to entrance into the third year of their interior design studies. Without a portfolio submission, students will not be permitted to take any 3000-level or above courses in the Interior Design program. The bound portfolio (maximum size 8.5 inches by 11 inches) will be submitted in accordance with the schedule and information provided by the Department Chair in conjunction with the Design IV studio faculty. The portfolio must clearly demonstrate design and communicative skills in both written and graphic form. A Portfolio Review Committee composed of faculty from the College of Architecture will evaluate the portfolio.

Laptop Initiative: The Laptop Initiative program requires that students entering the second year of the design studio sequence (Design III) have their own laptop computers and required software. Digital technology will be integrated into the studio work and will be necessary in order to fulfill project requirements. Specifications for hardware and software bundles are available at the College of Architecture Web site (http://www.utsa.edu/architecture/) and the Department of Architecture office.

Student Work: The College of Architecture reserves the right to retain, exhibit, and reproduce work submitted by students. Work submitted for grading is the property of the College and remains such until it is returned to the student.

All candidates seeking this degree must fulfill the Core Curriculum requirements and the degree requirements, which are listed below.

Core Curriculum requirements: Students seeking the Bachelor of Science degree in Interior Design must fulfill University Core Curriculum requirements in the same manner as other students. The courses listed in the table below satisfy both degree requirements and Core Curriculum requirements; however, if these courses are taken to satisfy both requirements, then students will need to take additional courses in order to meet the minimum number of semester credit hours required for this degree. For a complete listing of courses that satisfy the Core Curriculum requirements see pages 5–9 of this catalog.

Degree Requirements

1. 93 semester credit hours in the major passed with a grade of “C” or better in each course (ARC 1413 and ARC 2413 may also be used to satisfy Core Curriculum requirements):
   
   
   1. Foundation Sequence. 39 semester credit hours of required lower-division architecture and interior design courses:
      
      

      ARC 1213	Design I
      ARC 1226	Design II
      ARC 1313	Architectural Drawing
      ARC 1413	Architecture and Culture
      ARC 2116	Design III
      ARC 2126	Design IV
      ARC 2213	Building Technology I
      ARC 2413	History of Architecture: Prehistory through Medieval
      ARC 2423	History of Architecture: Renaissance through Nineteenth Century
      IDE 2143	Interior Materials and Assemblies I

      
      
   2. Technical Sequence. 54 semester credit hours of required upper-division architecture and interior design courses:
      
      

      ARC 3343	Building Technology IV
      ARC 3353	Building Technology V
      ARC 3613	History of Modern Architecture
      IDE 3153	Interior Materials and Assemblies II
      IDE 3213	History of Interiors and Furniture I
      IDE 3223	History of Interiors and Furniture II
      IDE 3236	Interior Design Studio I
      IDE 3246	Interior Design Studio II
      IDE 4133	Interior Design Topics
      IDE 4203	Interior Design Details and Construction Graphics
      IDE 4233	Computer Projects in Design
      IDE 4266	Interior Design Systems Studio
      IDE 4276	Interior Design Topics Studio
      IDE 4513	Practice and Ethics

      
      
2. 3 semester credit hours of electives