Interior Design

Interior design students complete a 320 hour internship under the direct supervision of a licensed interior designer or architect following the successful completion of ID 340 Residential Design I and ID 439 Contract Design I. Students gain valuable experience working for residential, commercial, hospitality and healthcare design firms throughout U.S. and are often hired into entry-level careers from this experience.

Interior design majors have access to several  scholarships opportunities.

Students should apply through the "Golden Opportunities" GO System through the University Foundation.  Applications are typically accepted mid-December through mid-February.

The following scholarships are available to interior design majors:

• Anderson Retail Endowed Student Scholarship
• Debbie B. Shemper Art and Interior Design Memorial Scholarship Endowment
• Haworth Award for Excellence in Interior Design
• Interior Elements Interior Design Annual Scholarship
• James Isola Interior Design Memorial Scholarship Endowment
• Lois Arender Drain Scholarship Endowment

• ID 497CA International Housing and Interiors (3 Credits)

• Italian Interiors and Design:  2000 years of Italian Design

• This 18-day Intersession course (Fall 2023) will immerse students in an intensive exploration of Italian culture, design, and architecture spanning a 2,000-year period. Site visits will focus on the works of two highly influential designers, Andrea Palladio (1508-1580) and Carlo Scarpa (1906-1978) while in Venice and the Veneto region of Italy. Students will experience ancient ruins, medieval villages, and exceptional sculptural and architectural masterpieces of the Renaissance while in Florence with day trips to Siena and San Gimignano in the Tuscany Region. Optional weekend excursions will be offered to Rome and Pompeii.

Learn more about Study Abroad

The University of Southern Mississippi
Bachelor of Science in Interior Design

In accordance with the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) accreditation requirements, the Southern Miss Interior Design Program collects and publishes information regarding student achievement including aggregate data addressing attrition and retention, graduation rates, job placement rates, and acceptance into graduate programs. 

Length of Program

It typically takes a full-time student taking approximately 15 credits per semester four years to complete an interior design degree, while students that transfer or change their major into interior design can expect to complete the degree in three years taking on average 12-15 credits per semester.

Data Collection Method

The following data was collected using institutional records and an alumni survey that was administered 3 months after graduation.

Job Placement Rates for Recent Graduates

• 100% (9/9) graduates from the May 2022 graduating class were employed within the design field by Sept. 1, 2022.  One student did not respond to the survey.
• 86% (6/7) graduates from the May 2021 graduating class were employed within the design field by Sept. 1, 2021. Three students did not respond to survey.
• 78% of graduates from the May 2020 graduating class were employed within the design field by Sept. 1, 2020.
• 71% of graduates from the May 2019 graduating class were employed within the design field by Sept. 1, 2019.
• 100% of graduates from the May 2018 graduating class were employed within the design field by Sept. 1, 2018.
• 100% of graduates from the May 2017 graduating class were employed within the design field by Sept. 1, 2017.
• 90% of graduates from the May 2016 graduating class were employed within the design field by Sept. 1, 2016
• 100% of graduates from the May 2015 graduating class were employed within the design field by Sept. 1, 2015.
• 72% of the students that graduated in May 2014 were employed in a design firm by May 1, 2014 (before they graduated).
• 91% of students that graduated in May 2013 were employed in a design related position by Jan. 1st of 2014.

Graduate School Acceptance Rate

• No students from the May 2022 graduating class applied to graduate school
• No students from the May 2021 graduating class applied to graduate school.
• One student from the May 2020 graduating class applied to graduate school and was accepted into the Savannah College of Art and Design.
• No students from the May 2019 graduating class applied to graduate school.
• No students from the May 2018 graduating class applied to graduate school.
• No students from the May 2017 graduating class applied to graduate school.
• 100% (2 students) from the May 2016 graduating class that applied to graduate school were accepted. (Univ. of Minnesota M. Arch. and Savannah College of Art and Design).
• No students from the May 2015 graduating class applied to graduate school.
• 100% of graduates from the May 2011 and 2012 graduating classes who applied to graduate school were accepted.   No graduates from 2013 and 2014 have applied to graduate school.
• Recent graduates (2011-present) are currently attending Florida State University and Stephen F. Austin University earning a M.S. Degree in Interior Design.

Time to Degree

• 100% of graduates from the May 2022 graduating class earned their degree in 4 years 

• 90% of graduates from the May 2021 graduating class earned their degree in 4 years while 10% earned their degree within 7 years

• 78% of graduates from the May 2020 graduating class earned their degree in 4 years while 22% earned their degree within 5 years.

• 75% of graduates from the May 2019 graduating class earned their degree in 4 years while 25% earned their degree within 5 years.

• 62.5% of graduates from the May 2018 graduating class earned their degree in 4 years while 37.5% earned their degree within 5 years.

• 50% of graduates from the May 2017 graduating class earned their degree in 4 years while 37.5% earned their degree within 5 years. 12.5% did not complete their degree.

• 80% of graduates from the May 2016 graduating class earned their degree in 4 years while 20% earned their degree within 5 years.

• 66.67% of graduates from the May 2015 graduating class earned their degree in 4 years while 33.33% earned their degree within 5 years.

• 57.15% of graduates from the May 2014 graduating class earned their degree in 4 years while 28.57% earned their degree within 5 years. 14.29% did not complete their degree.

• 66.67% of graduates from May 2013 graduating class earned their degree in 4 years while 11.11% earned their degree within 5 years. 22.22 percent did not complete their degree.

Retention/Attrition Rates

• 81% of the Interior Design Majors enrolled during the Spring 2022 semester returned in the Fall 2022 semester, putting attrition at 19%
• 88% of the Interior Design Majors enrolled during the Spring 2021 semester returned in the Fall 2021 semester, putting attrition at 12%
• 90% of the Interior Design Majors enrolled during the Spring 2020 semester returned in the Fall 2020 semester, putting attrition at 10%.
• 89% of the Interior Design Majors enrolled during the Spring 2019 semester returned in the Fall 2019, putting attrition at 11%.
• 89% of the Interior Design Majors enrolled during the Spring 2018 semester returned in the Fall 2018, putting attrition at 11%.
• 84% of the Interior Design Majors enrolled during the Spring 2017 semester returned in the Fall 2017, putting attrition at 16%.
• 84% of the Interior Design Majors enrolled during the Spring 2016 semester returned in the Fall 2016, putting attrition at 16%.
• 83% of the Interior Design Majors enrolled during the Spring 2015 semester returned in the Fall 2015, putting attrition at 17%.
• 100% of interior design majors enrolled during the 2014 spring semester are returning for the fall 2014 semester to continue their degree program in Interior Design, putting attrition at 0%.
• 77% of interior design majors enrolled during the 2013 spring semester returned for the fall 2013 semester to continue their degree program in Interior Design, putting attrition at 23%. 

Last Edited on April 17, 2023