The MID provides opportunities for students to direct their attention toward a variety of topics, including historic preservation and restoration of interior architecture; design for special populations (for example, the disabled, elderly and children); investigation and application of design technology, materials, and lighting; design education; issues of indoor air quality and sustainability; environment and behavior research, theory and applications in interior design. In addition to coursework, the main requirement for the MID degree is a written thesis with a research component. A specialized design project may comprise a portion of the written thesis.
Regardless of the study emphasis selected by the student, the MID program has a central focus with three categories of course work:
All MID students must complete an approved research topic with a written thesis.
Course Requirements. Candidates must complete a minimum of 36 credits, including no more than six credits of thesis. Required preparatory courses are in addition to the minimum credits for graduate work. After leveling courses are completed and with approval by the graduate coordinator and supervisory committee chair, a student completes 24 hours of departmentally approved graduate work in the Department of Interior Design. In addition, with the graduate coordinator’s approval, the student is required to take three hours of course work in graduate statistics and nine hours of multidisciplinary graduate electives that reinforce and extend the research.
Courses from such academic units as Psychology, Anthropology, Sociology, Engineering and Business Administration provide possible electives. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers the Certificate in Gerontology. If the focus of a student is the design of facilities for an aging population, then gerontology courses leading to a certificate would strengthen the research and design effort. Likewise, existing appropriate courses in architecture, landscape architecture, urban and regional planning and building construction offer both collaborative study and research opportunities for MID students. Each student must select a two-member supervisory committee to guide their course choices as well as thesis selection, study and production.
