The Department of Art and Design will offer an interior design minor beginning in the fall.

Students have been able to major in interior design since 1984, but an interior design minor hasn’t been available.

The interior design minor will provide opportunity for completion across four semesters. It will require 21 hours through a variety of courses. The minor will allow students to choose multiple classes to help create a specialized minor. Three full-time professors and one adjunct professor teach in the Interior Design program within the Department of Art and Design. Kitty Wasemiller, professor of interior design and pre-architecture, teaches multiple classes in the program.

“The market is changing; there is a lot going on in design. The market is ready for academic preparation for students interested in the commitment of a minor. I think that what we teach will give someone substance in their knowledge. Interior design effects people in very positive ways, and in multiple ways,” Wasemiller said. “Because it has a menu of choices for a number of the classes I think it fits more directly a diverse application and helps someone build knowledge.”

Accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation, ACU’s interior design program prepares students with unique problem-solving techniques to creatively plan and design environments that protect the health, safety and welfare of building occupants.

By adding the option of interior design as a minor, more students will be able to gain the art and design experience they hope for, said Gracia Ferreyro, sophomore interior design major from San Antonio. She thinks the program will be helpful for many students.

“I know that many people go into the interior design program their freshmen year and though they love interior design, they quickly change their major due to the difficulty level in all the courses. Adding the option of interior design as a minor will allow students that may not want to do the full interior design program, learn the basics of interior design and major in another field of interest,” Ferreyro said.

Interior Design courses to be offered as part of the minor degree plan:

• Historic Preservation
• Sustainability and Environmental Design
• Environmental Psychology
• Interior Retail Sales, Merchandising and Business Entrepreneurs
• Building Contractors and Developers
• City Building Code officials
• Facilities Management and Tenant Management
• Real Estate Agents
• Manufacturer’s Product Reps: furnishings, flooring, interior finishes, interior products, etc.
• Product Design for the Interiors Industry: furnishings, flooring, interior finishes, interior products, etc.