Associate Professor Jessica Etheredge, Program Director
Interior Design is a multi-faceted profession in which creative and technical solutions are applied within a structure to achieve a built interior environment. Design solutions are functional, aesthetically pleasing and protect the health, safety and welfare of the public.
The Interior Architecture degree program is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).
The Interior Architecture program reserves the right to retain student work for upcoming accreditation site visits.
Mission
The Interior Architecture Program at The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is committed to the development of responsible design professionals who think critically, protect the health, safety and welfare of the public, and create design solutions embracing diversity and inclusion.
Continuation Standards
A grade of C (70%) or better in an interior architecture course is required for that course to be considered as successfully completed, and for that course to count as a prerequisite for subsequent courses in the interior architecture course sequence. A grade of D or F in an interior architecture course must be repeated in order to continue, prolonging the time it takes to complete the Interior Architecture program.
Eligibility to Apply to the Interior Architecture Degree Program
A student entering UTC who intends to pursue the B.S. in Interior Architecture must meet the prerequisites and go through the application process. To be considered for admission into the B.S. program, students must earn a C or better in all interior architecture courses prior to review and must maintain an overall cumulative GPA of a 2.00. Prerequisites for application into the Interior Architecture degree program include successful completion of first year IARC studios. Completion of first year studios does not guarantee placement in the program. Admission is selective. Applications to the Interior Architecture degree program are distributed to eligible students during the Spring semester.
Interior Architecture Program Application and Review
The application is a formal assessment of the student’s ability to think critically, as well as to visualize and verbalize through graphics and writing. The review is intended to provide students with an assessment of their potential for success in the Interior Architecture degree program of study early enough to allow them to make a program change should that be advisable. In addition to the formal application, the student’s overall academic record will be reviewed for quality and seriousness of purpose. A history of excessive absences, significant lack of participation, withdrawals, or incompletes will not be looked upon favorably. Students who do not satisfactorily complete the review will be unable to enroll in 2000, 3000 and 4000 level courses in Interior Architecture except by special permission of the Professor and Program Director. Students will have only one opportunity to reapply for admission.
Interior Architecture students who are successfully admitted into the Interior Architecture degree program are required to obtain a laptop computer with specified program software to be used in the classroom setting.
Transfer Students
Transfer students may be required to complete 4 years of coursework due to the linear sentence of course offerings. It is recommended that transfer students seeking acceptance into the program meet with the Program Director to discuss your path to graduation.
Students transferring from other Interior Design or Interior Architecture programs who intend to pursue the B.S. in Interior Architecture at UTC must submit a transfer recommendation form, take or have equivalent credit for IARC 1000 and IARC 1100 (C or better) and must successfully complete the application process into the UTC Interior Architecture degree program, except by special permission of the Program Director.
Upper level students wishing to transfer into the interior architecture major from an interior design major at another college must submit a digital portfolio and a faculty recommendation/reference. These items must be provided for consideration of transfer credit of any IARC courses. A syllabus for courses taken within another design program must also accompany your portfolio.
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