Design and Merchandising Interior Design Specialization Design and Merchandising Master's Program

The Interior Design specialization of the M.S. in Design and Merchandising offers the opportunity for you to explore creativity, sustainability, and health and wellness within the context of Interior Design.

Major areas of specialization for graduate study and research in Interior Design include:

• Commercial design
• Creativity
• Cultural/global design
• Healthcare facilities design
• A sense of place/sense of self
• Sustainable design
• Universal design

Whether you are seeking greater depth and the research skills to engage in evidence-based design or planning to return to practice with terminal degree credentials enabling you to teach, our program can change your career. Take a moment to browse research topics from our recent graduates.

Our graduate students come from diverse backgrounds including:

• Design practitioners who desire to add value to their undergraduate design credentials
• Architects who desire to expand their skills in a related discipline
• Designers and architects who wish to become research practitioners
• Designers and architects who desire to teach in higher education

Opportunities, after you complete your master’s degree, include:

• Teaching in higher education
• Practicing as a research practitioner
• Practicing in a specialty market segment such as commercial, residential, healthcare, lighting, graphic, and/or industrial design
• Working in exhibition design or museum collections
• Pursuing a doctoral degree: Although the master’s degree is and remains the terminal degree for the interior design profession, the doctoral degree is now required by over 30 percent of interior design programs in institutions of higher education. Colorado State University’s School of Education is supportive of interior design graduate students pursuing their doctorate and works collaboratively with Interior Design faculty to create a smooth transition into a doctoral program.