UMass Dartmouth offers interior architecture design program

Oct 29, 2019

The Massachusetts Board of Higher Education last week approved a Bachelor of Science in Interior Architecture and Design (IAD) at UMass Dartmouth, establishing the only accredited program of its kind at a public university in New England.

According to a university press release, the program was approved by the UMass Board of Trustees after being brought to UMass Dartmouth in 2018 following the closure of Mount Ida College in Newton.

Of the 221 students that transferred to UMass Dartmouth from Mt. Ida College, 38 students were from the IAD program. Nine of those 38 students graduated this past May. 

“When we adopted this program, the excellence of the faculty, the passion of the students, and the need across the Commonwealth for highly trained designers immediately convinced us that we should make this a permanent program at UMass Dartmouth,” said the university’s Chancellor Robert E. Johnson. 

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for the IAD profession nationwide is up four percent since 2016 and total IAD firm revenues are projected to increase from $9 billion in 2016 to $12 billion in 2019. 

“I want to personally thank all those who recognized the potential of this program to thrive at UMass Dartmouth, and worked hard to make it a permanent offering to our students,” said UMass Dartmouth Provost Mohammad Karim.

“The Board’s approval of the Interior Architecture and Design program at UMass Dartmouth comes with recognition of the University’s role, along with Framingham State University and Cape Cod Community College, in accepting students displaced by the abrupt closing of Mount Ida College last year,” said Carlos E. Santiago, Commissioner of Higher Education. 

The IAD program focuses on the artistic, technical, and functional aspects of space design and compliance with safety codes and standards. The program prepares students for professional level entrance into the design field and upon graduation to sit for the National Council for Interior Design Qualifications exam (NCIDQ).

“I am excited about the opportunity to develop and launch the only public Council for Interior Design Education (CIDA) accredited Interior Architecture Design program in New England,” said Dr. Rose Mary Botti Salitsky, who joined her students from Mount Ida to UMass Dartmouth. “Since our arrival, we have been embraced by the community and tried to give back.”

Faculty and students in the program have assisted South Coast schools and non-profits with design projects, including a collaborative project to enliven the Wings Court park space in New Bedford, development of a prototype therapeutic multi-use classroom at the Meeting Street School in Dartmouth, and redesign of the lobby and atrium at the UMass Dartmouth Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Fall River.