degree information
First Professional Degree: Master of Interior Architecture & Product Design (M IAPD):
Accredited by both the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) and the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD) and approved by the Kansas Board of Regents, we are pleased to offer the nation’s first five-year Master’s Degree in Interior Architecture & Product Design, our first graduating class was in May of 2008.
An abbreviated summary of the multi-disciplinary design training our students receive with their degree:
interior architecture
Academic exercises in studio and related courses require the student to respond to the presence and technical requirements of the needs of the inhabitants and the architectural enclosure, as well as to formal and aesthetic considerations. In addition to the schematic planning and shaping of space, tasks required in a typical studio may include developing a program of functions, needed spaces and equipment, selecting materials and finishes, specifying furniture and fixtures, designing wayfinding systems, signage and other environmental graphics. Throughout the curriculum, attention is given to key facility management issues, to adaptive use and preservation of historic structures, and to environmental sustainability.
From second through fifth year the design studio focuses in sequence upon the following: the residence, retail and hospitality, the workplace, and cultural and other public institutions. Projects can include single-family and attached dwellings; stores, hotels, restaurants and health care facilities; laboratories and offices in standard and systems furnishings configurations; museums, galleries, theaters and other assembly spaces, and large multi-use facilities which are freestanding or in existing urban settings.
exhibit design
An additional facet of the Interior Architecture component of the curriculum exposes students to the needs, materials, and use patterns of the modern-day trade show and museum environments. Students explore branding and communicating the essence of an idea, whether for educational or other purposes and examine more typical space planning issues such as entry, approach, and ergonomics but also contend with items unique to the exhibition category: Graphics, lighting, product placement, brand recognition, public sequencing, and portability - all of which takes place on a smaller, more intimate scale.
product design
An introduction into the profession of industrial design which explores the methods and strategies of human interaction (human factors) with new and existing products. Various manufacturing methods and materials are explored, including metals, plastics, and synthetics. Emphasis is focused on problem definition with unique design solutions which investigate new technologies. Students develop visualization techniques to explore options, scaled prototypes, along with marketing concepts in the presentation of their final design solutions. Projects range in scale from hand-held items, to conceptual frameworks for new technologies, to internal environments for corporate aircraft.
furniture design
A series of furniture design studios and correlated workshops allow students to gain hands-on experience in designing and producing full-scale prototypes while exploring the principles of design and how they relate to the problems of form, function and society. Students produce their documented designs in a fully-equipped workshop allowing them to explore working with woods, metals, plastics, glass and upholstery. The emphasis of the various furniture design workshops includes invention, function, ergonomics, aesthetics, and craft. Projects can range from small turned vessels to casegoods to objects of seating.
graphic communication
Artistry and visual communication remain very important qualities, even for the designers of tomorrow. We expose our students to an array of different methods, medias, and techniques in order to strengthen their visualization, design, and presentation through drawing and sketching abilities. From graphic analysis, diagramming, ideating, and exploration through design thinking strategies, the same issues confronted in physical media (such as tonal value, light, depth, contrast, and composition) are applied to the digital environment for complex environments.