Interior Architecture & Design

Design Your Path to Success. Interior architects and designers create aesthetic and functional living environments for human needs in residential and commercial buildings. Designers work to meet human needs and well-being, as well as safety and building codes. Through their work, they also create healthy and healing environments, consider sustainability and environmental issues, and possess a solid understanding of construction and mechanical systems. 

Mount Mary University’s accredited Interior Architecture and Design program has a reputation for excellence among employers, students and peers across the country. Our program provides you with the skills you’ll need to succeed: skills in space planning, problem solving, contract preparation, and material preparation. You’ll also learn how to work with professionals such as architects, engineers and construction contractors. 

In the classroom and labs, you’ll access the latest industry standard software, including AutoCAD, Revit and SketchUp. The Interior Architecture and Design program has a dedicated computer drafting lab and product resource library. 

As a program graduate, you can pursue careers in technical and artistic fields. Opportunities are available for full-time or part-time employment, at corporate or nonprofit organizations, in residential or commercial industries, in small towns or large cities and for specialized or general design.  

View a sample program plan to see what courses you'll take in our Interior Architecture & Design program. 

Learn More
Learn More

Interior Architecture & Design

Design Your Path to Success. Interior architects and designers create aesthetic and functional living environments for human needs in residential and commercial buildings. Designers work to meet human needs and well-being, as well as safety and building codes. Through their work, they also create healthy and healing environments, consider sustainability and environmental issues, and possess a solid understanding of construction and mechanical systems. 

Mount Mary University’s accredited Interior Architecture and Design program has a reputation for excellence among employers, students and peers across the country. Our program provides you with the skills you’ll need to succeed: skills in space planning, problem solving, contract preparation, and material preparation. You’ll also learn how to work with professionals such as architects, engineers and construction contractors. 

In the classroom and labs, you’ll access the latest industry standard software, including AutoCAD, Revit and SketchUp. The Interior Architecture and Design program has a dedicated computer drafting lab and product resource library. 

As a program graduate, you can pursue careers in technical and artistic fields. Opportunities are available for full-time or part-time employment, at corporate or nonprofit organizations, in residential or commercial industries, in small towns or large cities and for specialized or general design.  

View a sample program plan to see what courses you'll take in our Interior Architecture & Design program. 

Faculty also work closely with design communities and industry partners and practitioners to create networking opportunities for you to meet professionals in class and through student organization activities. Industry experts often bring their experience to class and field trips are infused throughout the program.  

As an Interior Architecture and Design student you'll also get to participate in an internship, which usually takes place during junior year. Department faculty will help you find a placement that is a good fit for your strengths and career goals. Example locations include architectural firms, design firms and office furniture dealerships—you may work on residential, corporate, healthcare, eldercare, hospitality, sales or sustainable design projects. 

Apply your knowledge and skills through service-learning opportunities at Mount Mary. Many class projects consist of real spaces, are performed for actual clients and are juried by interior design practitioners. Projects have included remodeling rooms in homeless shelters, non-profit offices and educational facilities. Mount Mary Interior Architecture and Design students even designed the student lounges on several Caroline Hall residence hall floors! 

Mount Mary’s interior architecture and design program is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation and has been continually accredited since 1986. After completing your four-year bachelor’s degree and two years of experience, you will be eligible to take the National Council for Interior Designers Qualification (NCIDQ) Exam to become certified as a professional interior architecture and designer.  

The interior design program leading to the Interior Architecture & Design degree is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation, www.accredit-id.org, 206 Cesar E. Chavez Ave SW, Suite 350, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503. 

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 Interior Architecture and Design degree granted by Mount Mary University meets the educational requirement for eligibility to sit for the National Council for Interior Design Qualification Examination (NCIDQ Exam). Learn more about NCIDQ Exam eligibility visit at this link. 

Genevieve (Gigi) Szeklinski, MARCH, NCIDQ, WRID, IDEC, ASID, LEED AP 
Associate Professor and Department Chair of Interior Architecture and Design 
Phone: (414) 930-3475 
Email: szekling@mtmary.edu 

Pedro Lima 
Assistant Professor of Interior Architecture & Design 
Phone: (414) 930-3475 
Email: limap@mtmary.edu 

Merri Cvetan, B.A., LEED 
Adjunct Interior Architecture and Design Instructor 
Email: cvetanm@mtmary.edu 

Michael Franz 
Adjunct Interior Architecture and Design Instructor 
Email: franzm@mtmary.edu 

Salaries vary greatly depending on your experience, firm size and focus, location, firm clients/projects and opportunities for promotion. According to 2024 data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual salary for interior design professionals is $63,490.
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