The Online Master of Interior Architecture is a professional degree (M. INT. ARCH.) offered collaboratively between UCLA Extension and Cal Poly Pomona. The primary goal of the Master’s Program is to provide an opportunity for individuals with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree to pursue a rigorous program of part time study that prepares them to enter the field of interior design incorporating the highest standards of professional practice. The program particularly serves career-change students seeking to fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming interior design professionals.

Mission

As a unique collaboration between two highly regarded public institutions, the Online Master of Interior Architecture Program has a focused mission to provide a diverse population of students with a world-class education that frames interior design as a social art with the power to promote equity and inclusion, to foster sustainability and to enhance the esthetic dimension of human experience.

Vision

We contribute to making a positive difference in the world by inspiring students, who are often career changers, to fulfill lifelong dreams of becoming design professionals driven by a desire to provide a meaningful service to society.

Educational Philosophy

Our philosophy is embodied in the belief that students learn best from those who are actively engaged in building a better world. Our instructors are all practicing professionals who transfer the immediacy of their current practices directly into the learning experience. Moreover, Southern California’s legacy of innovative design makes it an ideal environment in which to cultivate the next generation of designers as critical, flexible, intuitive, rigorous, collaborative, analytical, and playful agents of change. They should be ready to challenge conventions when it provides tangible benefits to a project, and also know how to work within rules and requirements to accomplish a client’s goals. They should be passionate advocates for sustainable technologies and powerful communicators of their own ideas. In a broad sense, they should be committed to improving the quality of life, increasing productivity, and protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the public.  Above all, they need to be dedicated to an ongoing pursuit of lifelong learning and the furthering of creative excellence in the field.

Goals

The primary goal for the Master of Interior Architecture program is to provide an opportunity for individuals, with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, to pursue a rigorous program of full-time or part-time study that prepares them to enter the field of interior design, incorporating the highest standards of professional practice. The knowledge and skillsets imparted to students will enable them to stand out in the workplace and to take on leadership roles in an increasingly competitive industry. As students progress through the required sequence of classes, they will learn to:

• Explore the history of ideas, methods, and styles of design
• Engage in critical thinking
• Generate imaginative solutions that challenge conventions
• Enhance experiential qualities of the physical environment
• Evaluate and respond to multiple sets of user needs
• Implement strategies of sustainability
• Assimilate methods of professional practice
• Employ cutting-edge digital technologies
• Collaborate with others in the problem-solving process
• Communicate with clarity and passion
• Contribute in a meaningful way to the community

Important Dates for Graduate Applicants