Interior Architecture & Design

Interior designers are creative problem-solvers. They use their knowledge of human behavior and technical skills to create innovative design solutions for spaces such as restaurants, retail stores, schools, museums, offices and places of worship.

We experience these interior spaces every day, spending hours working in them or relaxing in their comfortable surroundings after a busy day. Interior designers are responsible for creating spaces that are functional, safe, aesthetically pleasing and most importantly, enhance the quality of life for the people using the spaces.

La Roche University’s interior design program prepares students to solve problems and create innovative, functional and aesthetically pleasing solutions for many types of residential and commercial spaces.

NASAD and CIDA Accredited

La Roche University is the only university in the area to be fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD).

Continuously since 1985 our interior design program also has been accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA), giving us the distinction of achieving and holding CIDA accreditation longer than any other Pittsburgh interior design program.

At La Roche you will receive a level of education that prepares you for the profession and allows you to sit for the national certification exam administered by the National Council of Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ).

The interior design program leading to the BSID, Bachelor of Science in Interior Design is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

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 BSID granted by La Roche University 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 cidq.org/paths.

Our Graduates

Since the program was initiated in 1976, hundreds of students have earned an interior design degree at La Roche. These talented interior design professionals live and work all over the country, and they remain committed to our program.

Alumni living in Pittsburgh provide strong support, offering both internships and employment opportunities in the firms where they work, including DRS Architects, Stantec, The Design Alliance, Astorino, Desmone & Associates, Franklin Interiors, Workscape, KMA & Associates, Radelet, McCarthy & Polletta, Kolano Design and OM Workspace.

Our Faculty

Our interior design faculty includes some of the finest in the field. They bring a variety of expertise to the classroom and represent years of experience as design educators. Faculty includes:

a trained architect, trained interior designers, a design researcher and one who focused her doctoral studies on sustainability in interior environments.

ASID Student Group

We encourage students to start networking with design professionals in their freshmen year. The ASID student chapter offers an opportunity for you to:

• Help and implement service-related events throughout the academic year
• Take on leadership opportunities
• Attend professional ASID events

The chapter also hosts a design industry trade show each year, which brings representatives from major design manufacturers to La Roche so that our students become acquainted with the products and the manufacturer’s representatives who service Pittsburgh design firms.

Interior Design Advisory Board

Established in 2003, La Roche’s Interior Design Advisory Board is comprised of local interior designers, architects and other industry-related professionals. Board members support our program by:

• Sponsoring the Design Dialogue Speakers Series, an annual event which brings an internationally known designer to speak to the professional community and students at an evening event in downtown Pittsburgh and the following day on our campus
• Awarding two annual scholarships
• Acting as mentors
• Serving as jurors for student presentations
• Sharing their expertise as guest speakers

Internships

Each interior design student completes a three-credit internship as part of the required interior design curriculum. The semester-long internship experience, normally completed in the junior or senior year, is an opportunity for you to work in a professional design firm, under the guidance of a site supervisor who is a qualified interior designer or architect.

Each internship site is carefully evaluated by the Interior Design Department Chair to assure that the experience will teach you valuable lessons about the actual professional work. Students also submit an internship site evaluation after the completion of their internship, which provides current information about the intern’s responsibilities.