Graduate Interior Design

Graduate Interior Design

Pratt offers a MS in Interior Design. Interior Design at Pratt provides the ultimate learning environment—New York City, interior design capital of the United States—and a challenging course of study for students preparing themselves for a career in a field whose potential has only begun to be recognized. It is widely acknowledged that interior design education, as it is taught across the United States, began at Pratt. That so many of our alumni are found in the Who’s Who of Interior Designers is no surprise. The graduate program in Interior Design was ranked first in the country by U.S. News and World Report in its 2009 Guide to America's Best Graduate Schools and number one in the 2009 professional survey, Design Intelligence.

The Graduate Interior Design Program at Pratt, like its undergraduate counterpart, is an architecturally oriented program with emphasis on spatial design rather than surface embellishment. All aspects of space—scale, proportions, configuration, and light sources, as well as textures, materials, and colors—are studied in relation to their effect on the human spirit. Students are drawn from all parts of the world and, by way of the Qualifying Program, from a variety of disciplines, creating an intellectually and aesthetically stimulating ambience in the studios. Our students are a select group who understand that creativity is a serious business. They come to Pratt to work hard and prepare to enter a field in which the designer must be multifaceted and able to provide innovative design solutions. Our faculty members are also practicing professionals who bring the realities of real-world interactions with clients and contractors into the classroom.

Students are encouraged to take advantage of the many courses offered at Pratt that will enable them to fully develop their interests and talents. Electives may be chosen from any department in the Institute; an enormous menu of courses is available for the pursuit of individual interests. Our location opens endless opportunities to utilize the professional and cultural facilities of New York City. Internships are encouraged and have proven to be invaluable learning experiences.

The program culminates with a thesis project; students may test their competence in all aspects of the profession, or pursue an academic research-oriented approach to study emerging issues and problems. The Exhibition Design Intensive is an alternative to the traditional thesis track and offers students a one-year immersion in exhibition design in the final year.

Applicants with an undergraduate degree in interior design or architecture complete the required 48 credits in two years of study for the Master of Science. These students are required to submit a portfolio as part of their application.

A two-semester Qualifying Program of an additional 20 credits is required for applicants whose undergraduate backgrounds are unrelated to interior design or architecture but whose applications indicate a strong aptitude for graduate study. These students complete 68 credits in three years. It should be noted that applicants to the Qualifying Program are not required to submit a portfolio when applying for admission. We do encourage applicants to the Qualifying Program to submit a portfolio of work from other disciplines and interests such as fine arts, fashion, industrial design or communication design.

For more information about applying for an MS in Interior Design, please contact int@pratt.edu or 718.636.3630.

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Contacts

email: int@pratt.edu

phone: (718) 636-3630

Anita Cooney
Chair
acooney@pratt.edu

Karin Tehve
Assistant Chair
ktehve@pratt.edu
 
Aston Gibson
Assistant to the Chair
agibson@pratt.edu

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