If you love crafting meaningful spaces for people to inhabit and find yourself interested in architecture, arranging space and considering how people connect with their environment, consider majoring in interior design.
Professional Preparation
George Fox’s interior design program educates students to become creative and responsible interior designers for residential and commercial buildings. The program has been built to prepare students for National Council for Interior Design Qualification certification.
Students receive training through course work that prepares them for each portion of the certification process. Upon graduating and working in the field for the required number of hours, they will be ready to sit for the exam and be fully certified to practice interior design independently. This professional emphasis is a unique offering for those looking to study interior design at a Christian college.
An Emphasis on Environmental Health
The interior design program emphasizes best practices, including concern for environmental issues, LEED certification, ADA requirements, and the construction of holistically considered and relatable environments through problem solving in applied design studios.
With a particular focus on spatial design and space planning, complemented by the application of surface decoration, our students learn to design spaces for living, working, business, health and recreation environments.
Challenging Courses
As courses progress, students are challenged by design problems that increase in size and complexity. They develop an understanding of the influence of sustainable building and reuse on human health, well-being and performance.
Courses include AutoCAD for Interior Design, History of Architecture, Kitchen and Bath Design, Material Resources, Surface and Textile Design, Informed Interior Design (instruction in building codes and requirements), Commercial Design Studio and many others.
Request more information about the interior design major at George Fox University or schedule a visit to begin your education at Oregon's Christian university, ranked as one of the top Christian colleges in the nation by Forbes.
Jobs, Internships and Graduate School
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job growth for interior design is tracking with average growth in the broader marketplace, with a 4 percent growth expected between 2016 and 2026. With many interior designers moving toward freelance practices, the shape of the interior designer field is shifting, creating opportunities for young designers with a vision and technical ability to break into the field and achieve success.
- Exhibiting fine artist
- Freelance artist
- Interior designer
- Interior assistant
- Draftsperson
- Space planner
- CADD drafter
- Design firm assistant
- Materials acquisition specialist
- Design showroom consultant
- Textile design consultant
- Home stager
- Kitchen/bath specialist
- Floor plan consultant
- Stage and set designer
- Facilities designer
- Home furnishings buyer
- Occupancy planner
- Strategic planner
- Store planner
- Visual display designer
- Leasing agent specialist
- Home stylist
- Interior design teacher
- Mural Project: A community mural project that included community engagement, city council presentation and production
- Glass Project: A public works project producing glass installation for new buildings on campus
- Tiny Home Village: Working in coordination with North Valley Friends Church to create plans and a vision for a tiny home village that offers low-income housing
- Community Art & Design Workshop: Teaching high school students art and design
- George App: Conceive, develop and present an app to serve students at George Fox by replacing clunky existing web systems on campus.
- Marketing assistant at BRIC Architecture
- Showroom coordinator at Arcadia Floors + Home
- Sales floor associate at Nadeau Furniture Store
- Event coordinator at Opus Agency
- Interior designer at Pangaea Interior Design
- Design consultant for Portland Direct Tile and Marble
- Interior design assistant at More Décor
Student Experiences
“My time at George Fox allowed for transcendence to take place – a transcendence that I hadn’t anticipated would take form, a transcendence that changed my entire perspective toward relationship, toward art, toward faith, toward the world. George Fox’s professors and peers allowed space and opportunities for me to become a better human being, which is something I’ll forever be grateful for.”
- Lehman Pekkola (’17)
Visual Artist, Pic-Time LTD
“The art program at George Fox taught me more about what it means to be a human. The range of human expression through visual matter is nothing short of breathtaking and has taught me new levels of what it means to truly feel and be present in life.”
- Brenna Brutscher (’16)
Arts Program Specialist, Corban University
Points of Distinction
- Learn from accomplished faculty, all of whom continue to work professionally in the field and bring together more than 300 years of combined professional experience
- The major shares a foundational curriculum with the studio and applied design areas of our program. As a result, students are exposed to an interdisciplinary, integrated curriculum that stresses the broad intellectual development needed for a robust design practice, whether as a team member of a larger design firm or a freelance practitioner.
- Each semester, multiple professional interior designers are brought to campus through our visiting artist series. Students also are able to connect with regional interior resources and partners through trips to Portland and other regional centers.
- Connections to regional businesses and institutions allow our students to work in placed internships and work with clients/commissions while still in school.
Why George Fox?
Christ-centered community
Our faith influences everything we do here, from the way our professors teach to the way we relate to one another and serve in the community.
Global opportunities
More than half of George Fox undergraduate students study abroad, ranking George Fox among the nation's leaders in study abroad participation (U.S. News & World Report).
Small classes
Our 14-to-1 student-to-faculty ratio means you'll get to know your professors on a personal level.
National recognition
George Fox has been ranked among the nation’s top colleges by publications like Forbes, U.S. News and World Report and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.
