Now accepting applications for Fall 2025 admission

The Master of Interior Architecture is an online degree (M. INT. ARCH.) accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) and by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). This degree program is offered by the College of Environmental Design and the College of Professional and Global Education and is housed in the Department of Architecture at Cal Poly Pomona. Applicants are required to have a Bachelor’s degree in any field and have completed foundation-level coursework in interiors, architecture, art, or design-related fields.

The primary goal of the Master’s program is to provide an opportunity for individuals with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree to pursue a rigorous program of part-time study that prepares them to enter the field of interior design incorporating the highest standards of professional practice. The program particularly serves career-change students seeking to fulfill a lifelong dream of becoming interior design professionals.

Curriculum Highlights

Units to Degree Completion: 42 Semester Units.

Students in the program follow rigorous coursework that culminates with the Master’s Project Interior Architecture Documents course. In this class, students develop their thesis design project into a set of construction documents with specifications and through a range of drawings required to obtain cost estimates. The culminating experience studio emphasizes how designs are detailed and described, and examines methods of integrating architectural and interior design, as well as mechanical and electrical elements and systems. Each student demonstrates their ability to be an effective entry-level member of any design firm's project team.

Notice to Students RE: Professional Licensure and Certification

California State University programs for professions that require licensure or certification are intended to prepare the student to meet California licensure and certification requirements. Admission into programs for professions that require licensure and certification does not guarantee that students will obtain a license or certificate. Licensure and certification requirements are set by agencies that are not controlled by or affiliated with the California State University and licensure and certification requirements can change at any time. The California State University has not determined whether its programs meet other states’ educational or professional requirements for licensure and certification. Students enrolled in a California State University program who are planning to pursue licensure or certification in other states are responsible for determining whether they will meet their state’s requirements for licensure or certification. This disclosure is made pursuant to 34 CFR §668.43(a)(5)(v)(C).

Please see the Chancellor’s Office statement (PDF)for more information or visit https://www2.calstate.edu/csu-system/about-the-csu/accreditation.

Mission

The Online Master of Interior Architecture Program has a focused mission to provide a diverse population of students with a world-class education that frames interior design as a social art with the power to promote equity and inclusion, to foster sustainability and to enhance the esthetic dimension of human experience.

Vision

We contribute to making a positive difference in the world by inspiring students, who are often career changers, to fulfill lifelong dreams of becoming design professionals driven by a desire to provide a meaningful service to society.

Educational Philosophy

Our philosophy is embodied in the belief that students learn best from those who are actively engaged in building a better world. Our instructors are all practicing professionals who transfer the immediacy of their current practices directly into the learning experience. Moreover, Southern California’s legacy of innovative design makes it an ideal environment in which to cultivate the next generation of designers as critical, flexible, intuitive, rigorous, collaborative, analytical, and playful agents of change. They should be ready to challenge conventions when it provides tangible benefits to a project, and also know how to work within rules and requirements to accomplish a client’s goals. They should be passionate advocates for sustainable technologies and powerful communicators of their own ideas. In a broad sense, they should be committed to improving the quality of life, increasing productivity, and protecting the health, safety, and welfare of the public.  Above all, they need to be dedicated to an ongoing pursuit of lifelong learning and the furthering of creative excellence in the field.

Goals

The primary goal for the Master of Interior Architecture program is to provide an opportunity for individuals, with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree, to pursue a rigorous program of full-time or part-time study that prepares them to enter the field of interior design, incorporating the highest standards of professional practice. The knowledge and skillsets imparted to students will enable them to stand out in the workplace and to take on leadership roles in an increasingly competitive industry. As students progress through the required sequence of classes, they will learn to:

• Explore the history of ideas, methods, and styles of design
• Engage in critical thinking
• Generate imaginative solutions that challenge conventions
• Enhance experiential qualities of the physical environment
• Evaluate and respond to multiple sets of user needs
• Implement strategies of sustainability
• Assimilate methods of professional practice
• Employ cutting-edge digital technologies
• Collaborate with others in the problem-solving process
• Communicate with clarity and passion
• Contribute in a meaningful way to the community

Important Dates for Domestic Graduate Applicants

Important Dates for International Graduate Applicants