Bachelor of Bachelor of Interior Design (Honours) (Co-op)
Ottawa, Canada
DURATION
4 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
USD 38,516
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Introduction
Combine your strategic and design thinking for a career in creating functional spaces.
The Bachelor of Interior Design (Honours) degree program prepares you to pursue a professional career related to the design of the built environment. The curriculum integrates professional and general studies with an emphasis on critical thinking and applied research.
Enriched with a focus on environmental and global perspectives in interior design, you learn to consider ecological, economic, and social aspects to analyze and design healthy living and working environments. Projects increase in scale and complexity from residential scale to medium and large scale projects from commercial sectors such as retail, workplace, hospitality, and healthcare.
The program contains a strong experiential component that includes design studio experiences and an active engagement with the professional design community. In the fourth year, you have the opportunity to specialize in an area of interest specific to the profession and are required to complete an applied research paper.
You also earn a Building Biology Advocate (BBA) Certification upon successful completion of the seven required Construction courses.
Students also gain real-world experience through a paid co-operative education (co-op) work term(s) (see Additional Information for more details). Please note that places in the co-op work term(s) are subject to availability and academic eligibility. Please note admission to a co-op program does not guarantee a co-op placement.
The integration of theory, analysis, and practice prepares you to assume a leadership role within the profession. As a graduate, you are able to apply strategic thinking and a research orientation to your responsibilities as a professional interior designer and can contribute to the development and evolution of the field of design.
Ideal Students
This program is well-suited for students who:
- Are curious about the space in which they live, work, and play
- Want to combine aesthetics, technology, and human needs into a highly marketable career choice
- Enjoy using creative, strategic, and critical thinking to solve problems
- Are interested in examining sustainable and global design issues
- Enjoy a collaborative and innovative environment for learning
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Several scholarship options are available. Please check the university website for more information.
Curriculum
Level 01
- DSN0017 Construction I
- DSN0019 Visual Communication I
- DSN0020 Foundations I
- DSN4015 Design Studio I
- ENL1100 Communications and Academic Writing
Level 02
- DSN0021 Construction II
- DSN0022 Visual Communication II
- DSN0023 Foundations II
- DSN4027 Design Studio II
- DSN4091 Community Connection I
- PHI1000 Logic and Critical Thinking
Level 03
- DSN0024 Construction III
- DSN0025 Visual Communication III
- DSN0026 Foundations III
- DSN4037 Design Studio III
- PHI2004 Foundations of Social Science Research: Principles, Methods, and Actions
Elective (choose 1)
- BIO2200 Botany
- ENL2025 Interpersonal Communication
- FLS3101 French as a Second Language - Beginner 1
- FLS3102 French as a Second Language - Beginner 2
- GEO2300 Principles of Urban Planning
- LAN3101 Spanish - Beginner 1
- LAN3102 Spanish - Beginner 2
- LAW2014 Law
- PHI2002 Ethical Decision Making
- PSI2000 Navigating Canada's Political Landscape
- PSY2100 Introductory Psychology
- SCI2000 Environmental Science
- SOC2000 Introduction to Sociology
- SOC2001 Anti-Racism: Theory and Practice
Level 04 Courses
- DSN0027 Construction IV
- DSN0028 Foundation IV
- DSN0029 Visual Communication IV
- DSN4042 Materials and Products I
- DSN4047 Design Studio IV
- DSN4092 Community Connection II
Elective (choose 1)
- BIO2200 Botany
- ENL2025 Interpersonal Communication
- FLS3101 French as a Second Language - Beginner 1
- FLS3102 French as a Second Language - Beginner 2
- GEO2300 Principles of Urban Planning
- LAN3101 Spanish - Beginner 1
- LAN3102 Spanish - Beginner 2
- LAW2014 Law
- PHI2002 Ethical Decision Making
- PSI2000 Navigating Canada's Political Landscape
- PSY2100 Introductory Psychology
- SCI2000 Environmental Science
- SOC2000 Introduction to Sociology
- SOC2001 Anti-Racism: Theory and Practice
Level 05
- DSN0030 Construction V
- DSN0031 Visual Communication V
- DSN4054 Materials and Products II
- DSN4058 Design Studio V
- DSN4059 Professional Practice and Ethics I
- GEP1001 Cooperative Education and Job Readiness
Elective (choose 1)
- BIO2200 Botany
- ENL2025 Interpersonal Communication
- FLS3101 French as a Second Language - Beginner 1
- FLS3102 French as a Second Language - Beginner 2
- GEO2300 Principles of Urban Planning
- LAN3101 Spanish - Beginner 1
- LAN3102 Spanish - Beginner 2
- LAW2014 Law
- PHI2002 Ethical Decision Making
- PSI2000 Navigating Canada's Political Landscape
- PSY2100 Introductory Psychology
- SCI2000 Environmental Science
- SOC2000 Introduction to Sociology
- SOC2001 Anti-Racism: Theory and Practice
Level 06 Courses
- DSN0032 Construction VI
- DSN0033 Visual Communication VI
- DSN4066 Design Studio VI
- DSN4093 Community Connection III
- ENL2015 Academic and Technical Writing
Elective (choose 1)
- BIO2200 Botany
- ENL2025 Interpersonal Communication
- FLS3101 French as a Second Language - Beginner 1
- FLS3102 French as a Second Language - Beginner 2
- GEO2300 Principles of Urban Planning
- LAN3101 Spanish - Beginner 1
- LAN3102 Spanish - Beginner 2
- LAW2014 Law
- PHI2002 Ethical Decision Making
- PSI2000 Navigating Canada's Political Landscape
- PSY2100 Introductory Psychology
- SCI2000 Environmental Science
- SOC2000 Introduction to Sociology
- SOC2001 Anti-Racism: Theory and Practice
Co-op 01
- DSN4100 Co-Operative Work Term
Level 07
- DSN0034 Applied Research
- DSN4076 Design Studio VII
- DSN4078 Construction VII
Elective (choose 1)
- CUL4000 Global Citizenship
- ENL4016 World Literature
- ENL4100 Creative Writing
- ENL4200 New Worlds and Alternative Realities: Speculative Fiction
- PHI4001 Philosophy and Popular Culture
- PHI4002 The Philosophy of Drugs
- PHI4003 The Philosophy of Love and Sex
- PHI4004 Technology, Society, and the Environment
- PHI4100 Survival in the Information Age: Risk and the Media
- PHY4000 Black Holes, Big Bangs, and the Cosmos
- PSY4000 Developmental Psychology
- SOC4000 Criminology
- SOC4001 Global Perspectives
Program Outcome
The graduates have reliably demonstrated the ability to:
- Be competent knowledgeable workers able to apply fundamental concepts and skills of design in a variety of contexts
- Design built environments consistent with industry standards and best practices
- Be critical and creative thinkers able to analyze situations, draw conclusions, and develop innovative and creative products using an accepted decision-making model
- Be effective collaborators able to use communication and interpersonal skills to fulfill a leadership role on an interdisciplinary, multi-cultural design team
- Be continuous learners and contributing professionals able to assume the responsibilities of a professional designer, work within legal and ethical guidelines governing their practice, and contribute to the development and evolution of the field of design
- Be informed citizens able to adapt their work across cultural, social-political, and geographical contexts
- Identify and apply discipline-specific practices that contribute to the local and global community through social responsibility, economic commitment, and environmental stewardship
Career Opportunities
This program graduates interior designers equipped to fulfill leadership roles within the profession on a national and international level. Graduates may find employment in interior design offices, architectural firms, government planning and facilities management offices, healthcare environments, educational environments or other design and built-environment related fields. Graduates have the skills to work on interdisciplinary, multi-cultural design teams in a variety of settings. Over time, and with suitable experience, some graduates may wish to develop their own firms.
With this degree, graduates may wish to continue their academic studies in interior design and related disciplines, such as environmental studies, environmental psychology and architecture
English Language Requirements
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