Launch your career as a professional interior designer
Honours Bachelor of Interior Design Honours Bachelor Degree program
Dream, inspire and create. This ARIDO- and IDC-recognized, hands-on program will prepare you for your career as a professional interior designer.
Program information
Program description
Express your creativity and become a leader in the growing field of interior design. At Georgian College, we value the potential of our students and provide an innovative and collaborative learning experience with a focus on hands-on learning. Access to current digital technology, and a four-month Co-op semester offer exceptional job preparation that is well recognized by the professional community. Students in this program work closely with faculty who have extensive industry experience in a studio environment similar to a professional design office. You are challenged to rethink the built environment by advocating positive change in a rapidly evolving global context.
Explore and design sustainable interior environments that support and enhance human health, safety, well-being, performance, and experience. At Georgian, you construct sophisticated interior designs and document construction drawings and specifications to communicate concept development and design resolution and to celebrate creative vision.
Founded on the broader aspects of evidence-based research, professional practice, and design integrity, this ARIDO recognized bachelor’s degree program provides opportunities to explore your personal expression and establishes you as an innovator in the field of interior design.
Intake information
| Start date | Campus |
|---|---|
| Fall 2026 | Barrie Downtown |
Tuition and fees
- Visit our tuition and fees page for detailed information on the cost to attend Georgian.
- You can afford this! Explore OSAP as well as awards, scholarships and bursaries to help you pay your way to graduation.
Work-integrated learning
- This program includes a co-op work term component where you’ll gain experience in a workplace related to your field of study.
- Learn about types of work-integrated learning at Georgian.
What are the admission requirements for the Honours Bachelor of Interior Design program?
Honours Bachelor of Interior Design admission requirements
- Ontario Secondary School Diploma (OSSD), or equivalent, mature student status
- Six Grade 12 U or M level courses with a minimum average of 65 per cent, including:
- Grade 12 U English with a minimum grade of 65 percent
- Grade 11 or Grade 12 U or M level Mathematics with a minimum grade of 60 percent
Applicants who meet the above admission requirements may be conditionally accepted pending submission and scoring of the digital portfolio as outlined below. Failure to provide the portfolio and/or meet the required portfolio score by the first day of classes may result in an offer of admission being revoked and withdrawal from courses.
Interior Decorating diploma graduates from all Ontario colleges, with an overall grade point average (GPA) of 70 per cent (B) or greater, can apply to our Advanced Standing stream.
Mature applicants may also be considered for admission to this program providing their previous school performance and/or recent work record suggests a strong possibility of academic success. In order to qualify, applicants must be 19 years of age on or before the commencement of the program and must have been away from formal education for at least one year immediately prior to beginning studies. Mature applicants must meet subject prerequisites prior to registration.
Applicants should be aware that first-year enrolment is limited; satisfying minimum entrance requirements does not guarantee admission.
Selection Process
Digital Portfolio
In addition to academic requirements, all Honours Bachelor of Interior Design (BAID) applicants must submit a digital portfolio within two weeks of application, and include the following:
- Cover Page: Full name, OCAS and/or Georgian College student number (both if available), address, telephone number, and email address.
- Perspective line drawing of a chair. Use construction lines to show proper perspective methods, hand-drawn in a medium of your choice.
- Perspective drawing of an interior space or building facade. Using an actual space or building this piece should be hand-rendered in your medium of choice.
- Colour still life study. Choose five different objects, one of which must be transparent. Create a unified composition of all five objects. You may use a medium of choice, but it must be in colour and rendered by hand.
- Creative work of your choice. This work may be anything in any medium to express your creativity. This may include, but is not limited to, graphic/industrial design, crafts, furniture, ceramics, fashion, painting, printmaking, sculpture, etc.
Please submit your work as one (1) multi-page .pdf to: portfolios@georgiancollege.ca
File name: Include your name and your 9-digit Georgian College student number. For example, yourname_student#_interiordesign.pdf.
Note: This electronic application copy will be kept on file in the department.
Portfolio Due Date: Portfolios are due within two weeks of when the application is submitted. Offers are extended on a ‘first come first served’ basis; therefore, it is in an applicant’s best interest to submit all required documentation promptly.
Additional information
The college has been granted a consent by the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities to offer this applied degree for a seven-year term starting December 8, 2023. The College shall ensure that all students admitted to the above-named program during the period of consent will have the opportunity to complete the program within a reasonable time frame.
Non-core courses are required in all degree programs to meet the Ministry of Colleges and Universities benchmark for depth and breadth in degree-level learning. These courses are designed to give students the tools to develop interdisciplinary perspectives that inform their approach to their own discipline, their continued education and their life outside work.
Students are required to take: at least one first year interdisciplinary course (INTS1xxx); two introductory courses in their choice of disciplines outside their main field of study, which may include psychology (PSYC 1000 or PSYC 1001), social science (SOCI 1000), humanities (HUMA 1012), or science (SCEN 1000); one advanced course in a discipline (ex. PSYC3xxx, SOSC3xxx, HUMA3xxx), and; one upper level interdisciplinary course (INTS4xxx). These courses and any remaining non-core course requirements to be selected from the program list.
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) requirements
Accreditation
Council for Interior Design Accreditation
The interior design program leading to the Honours Bachelor of Interior Design is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation, www.accredit-id.org, 206 Cesar E. Chavez Ave SW, Suite 350, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503.
The CIDA-accredited program prepares students for entry-level interior design practice, for advanced study, and to apply for membership in professional interior design organizations. The granted by meets the educational requirement for eligibility to sit for the National Council for Interior Design Qualification Examination (NCIDQ Exam). For more information about NCIDQ Exam eligibility visit: https://www.cidq.org/eligibility-requirements.
Turn your Interior Decorating diploma into a degree
Graduates of Interior Decorating diploma programs from any Ontario college with a minimum 70 per cent GPA (B average) can apply to the Advanced Standing stream of this program.
What career paths can I take as an interior designer?
Your Honours Bachelor of Interior Design degree gives you many career opportunities
There are numerous avenues to pursue for productive and creative interior design careers. These pathways include corporate/office design, residential and condominium design, hospitality design, retail design, exhibition design, health care design, civic design, and historic preservation. Many graduates enter directly into positions within established interior design and architectural firms. Career opportunities also include interior design positions in government, facilities space planning, and real estate development.
Georgian College provided us with a well-rounded knowledge base in all areas of competencies that would be tested on the Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ) exams, as well as when entering the industry. The small class sizes provide a hands-on learning experience with one-on-one interaction that contributed to a thorough understanding of all project criteria and concepts. The education we received in the Honours Bachelor of Interior Design program made us feel well prepared in our profession.—Katie Cannell, Intermediate Designer at Aspen & Ivy (class of 2020)
—Jessica Davies-Thompson, NCIDQ, ARIDO, Interior Designer at Design by Bobbi (class of 2020)
Why study Honours Bachelor of Interior Design at Georgian?
Integrated curriculum
Our program is focused on a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to provide our students with a solid foundation to develop skills, achieve goals and launch a successful career in the design industry.
Georgian’s unique learning style includes a core creative design problem, developed in studio, supported by digital media, communications and building science courses.
This style of teaching will allow you to showcase your work and produce industry standard design and documentation projects. For a glimpse, check out the interior design student award winners gallery.
Small class sizes
Our small class sizes provide you with beneficial one-on-one learning in a mentor-style relationship with instructors.
You’ll also develop strong relationships with classmates. As you will learn not only from your instructors but from peers, camaraderie between students is critical to the learning process and your growth as a designer.
I chose Georgian because it’s a leader in co-op education. This was important to me because I’m an international student and wanted Canadian work experience. Georgian not only helped with securing a co-op work term, it gave me lots of opportunity to apply my skills. The best part? I’m still working part-time for my co-op employer, and getting even more experience.
Nguyen Huong Giang, Honours Bachelor of Interior Design student
Relevant work experience
Practical, hands-on learning gives you the skills, networking and competitive edge needed to succeed in the industry!
A 14-week, full-time co-op experience is included between the third and fourth years of the program, during which you’ll gain relevant work experience in the field.
Industry partners who hire our students for co-op work terms include design firms, architecture firms and construction companies.
Exceptional learning environment
At Georgian, we take pride in our exceptional classroom experience. Faculty work hard to integrate guest speakers, field trips, guest reviews and community partnerships. Read the story of our 2022 graduating class who participated in an ARIDO industry competition as a course-based activity.
You’ll also be encouraged to collaborate with community partners, where opportunities for think tank design development are explored and developed.
Expert faculty
Learn from professionals working in the field of interior design. Georgian faculty are highly trained experts with years of experience, advanced degrees, and industry connections.
I feel very lucky to be attending the Honours Bachelor of Interior Design program at Georgian College. The professors are recognized professionals in the field, who curate their knowledge to individual student needs. The program covers a wide variety of topics from technical drawings to aesthetics and creativity. Georgian provides students with practical and professional skills, preparing them for whatever they may encounter in their future of design.
Brooke Habner, Honours Bachelor of Interior Design student
Scholarship show, design competitions, and community engagement
Scholarship show, design competitions and community engagement
Every year, the Design and Visual Arts (DVA) Scholarship Show showcases the top students from across the academic area.
With awards supported and judged by industry partners, this show is an excellent opportunity for all who are chosen, to display their work to potential employers and experts in their field!
Within the context of your classwork, students participate in design competitions such as our community-partnered Napoleon Design Competition, and various local and international industry competitions as well as create process-based designs engaging users in prototype testing.
Industry recognition
Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario (ARIDO)
The Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario (ARIDO) is the professional body for interior designers in Ontario.
Georgian’s Honours Bachelor of Interior Design program is an ARIDO-recognized interior design program in Ontario. In collaboration with ARIDO, graduating students can apply for intern status through the Alternative Pathways into ARIDO Membership.
Additionally, graduating fourth-year students are encouraged to display their work with on the ARIDO blog each spring to celebrate their thesis accomplishments and share their talents with the design community in Ontario.
Meet our faculty
Learn from passionate, experienced professors
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Alexandra Hutchison
BA, MFA, Professor
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Andrea Vorstermans-Zado
BFA, M.Arch., LEED AP, Registered Educator ARIDO, Professor and Program Coordinator
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Fariba Molki
MA, PhD, ARIDO Educator, Professor
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Leah Sherwood
MA, LEED AP, Professor
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Lidia van Zyl
M.RD, B.com (Hons.), B.TRP, ARIDO Educator, Professor
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Michael Farnan
BFA, MFA, PhD, Professor
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Michael Guido
BA, M.Arch., OAA, LEED AP, Professor
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Tara O’Neil
B.A.A, MDes, NCIDQ, PhD, Professor
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Terry Ledger
BA, MA, LEED AP, WELL AP, NCIDQ, ARIDO, IDC, IIDA, CCIDC, Professor
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Vanessa Simpson
B.ID., M.PI., Professor
Student achievement data
- 84.2 per cent of the students enrolled in fall 2022 (years 1, 2, 3) returned in the fall 2023 to continue their studies in the Bachelor of Interior Design, putting attrition at 15.8 per cent.
- 75.6 per cent of the students enrolled in fall 2021 (years 1, 2, 3) returned in the fall 2022 to continue their studies in the Bachelor of Interior Design, putting attrition at 24.4 per cent.
Data source: Georgian College Student by Program Retention Reports
- Of the students graduating in 2022, 91.7 per cent graduated within four years.
- Of the students graduating in 2021, 100 per cent graduated within four years.
- Of the students graduating in 2020, 100 per cent graduated within four years.
Data source: Annual Graduate Record File Submission to the Ministry of Colleges and Universities
- Of the 12 graduates from summer 2021, fall 2021 and winter 2022, 88 per cent (of those surveyed) were employed in interior design or a related field within six months of graduation.
Data source: Graduate Survey – Outcomes by Program Report, summer 2021, fall 2021, winter 2022
- Of the 4 graduates from summer 2020, fall 2020 and winter 2021, 810 per cent (of those surveyed) were employed in interior design or a related field within six months of graduation.
Data source: Graduate Survey – Outcomes by Program Report, summer 2020, fall 2020, winter 2021
- Of the 12 graduates (those surveyed), who completed their program in the summer 20-21/fall 2021/winter 2022 academic year, none applied for admission to a graduate program/further education
Data source: KPI Graduate Satisfaction Survey
- Of the 4 graduates (those surveyed), who completed their program in the summer 2020/fall 2020/winter 2021 academic year, one applied for admission to a graduate program/further education
Data source: KPI Graduate Satisfaction Survey
What courses are included in the Honours Bachelor of Interior Design degree program?
Course overview
34 Core Courses
3 Non-Core Courses
7 Elective Non-Core Courses
1 Co-op Work Term
Program-specific courses
Semester 1 courses are listed below. For a full list of courses in the program including course descriptions, view the Honours Bachelor of Interior Design program outline.
- INDE 1001 – Design Communications
- INDE 1003 – Sustainable Practices
- INDE 1009 – Interior Design Studio 1
- INDE 1010 – Design Theory
Your course delivery method(s)
In person
This program is delivered fully in person and requires you to attend campus.
Please note, delivery methods are based on planning for the upcoming semester and are subject to change.
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Do you have questions about Honours Bachelor of Interior Design? Contact us!
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