Environmental and Interior Design B.F.A.

Students receive a broad liberal arts education in conjunction with studio courses in fine arts to complement their work in environmental and interior design. A sensitivity to the concerns of people, sustainable design practices and an understanding of the business of design contribute to their overall competence. Individual work experiences and actual and collaborative projects in the community and with industry expose students to current and future issues.

The program shares courses, design laboratories and studios with other disciplines in the School of Design maintains a close relationship with professional designers, design societies and manufacturers. Students and the program have received many national and international design awards.

Students are encouraged to spend a semester abroad in their junior year; to collaborate on special projects; and to pursue internships in Syracuse, New York City, across the continent and around the globe.

Highly Desired Program

Our program is ranked in most top 10 rankings for interior design! See for yourself:

Admission and portfolio requirements

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Curriculum

The 120-credit curriculum includes major and academic requirements as well as studio and academic electives. As one of our students, you will be assigned a professional academic advisor who will guide you through your academic career and help you navigate class schedules, course selection and more.

View degree requirements, courses and student learning outcomes

A teacher and a student stand at a wall looking at designs pinned on the wall while other students sit at desks.

Global Study

You may study abroad at Syracuse University’s centers in London, England, or Florence, Italy, or via our competitive World Partner program in Copenhagen, Denmark, in the spring semester of your third year. Your advisor can discuss your options with you.

A student leans against a telephone booth with London in the background.

Career Exploration

In addition to the career exploration opportunities offered by their major, environmental and interior design students have access to career advisors and services through the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ Office of Academic and Career Advising. The office connects VPA students with networking events, mentors and more.

Program Mission, Goals, and Student Achievement

The EDI program develops curious and critical thinkers who pursue diverse career paths. Immersed in a broad and transdisciplinary educational setting, students thoughtfully engage, challenge, and rethink the built environment by promoting positive change through design in a continually evolving global context.

The EDI program endeavors to teach students how to become creative problem-solvers and critical thinkers who excel in environmental design by fostering:

an openness to new ideas and the ability to question the status quo
an understanding that learning is the essential component in problem-solving and a way of life
an acknowledgement of the historical, cultural, contextual, psychological, and behavioral impacts of design
an awareness of social responsibility, building stewardship, multicultural diversity, and ecology
an embrace of advanced visual communication skills for conceptualizing, articulating, describing, and actualizing design projects

Environmental and Interior Design, B.F.A.

[Updated October 2026]

Syracuse University has educated interior designers for more than a century. Our Environmental and Interior Design (EDI) program, established in 1922, is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) and prepares students to sit for the NCIDQ Exam, the national certification exam for interior designers.

It typically takes a full-time student taking 15 credits per semester four years (120 credits) to complete the degree program.

Job Placement Rates

Six months after graduation, from the destination survey conducted by the VPA Office of Academic and Career Advising:

Class of 2025: Of the 18 graduates whose outcomes are known (95% of 19 graduates), 14 (78%) were employed in interior design or a related field, 4 (22%) were continuing their education and none were seeking employment.
Class of 2024: Of the 22 graduates whose outcomes are known (96% of 23 graduates), 13 (59%) were employed in interior design or a related field, 7 (32%) were continuing their education and 2 (9%) were seeking employment.
Class of 2023: Of the 20 graduates whose outcomes are known, 7 (35%) were employed in interior design or a related field, 2 (10%) were employed in another field, 3 (15%) were continuing their education and 8 (40%) were seeking employment.

“In the field” follows that office’s classification. Results reflect the economy and each graduate’s individual goals, so they vary from year to year.

Where our graduates work. Graduates of the Classes of 2022 to 2025 have joined firms including Ashley McGraw Architects, Dwyer Architecture, E4H Architecture, Gensler, HOK, LB Architects, Mancini Duffy, Perkins & Will, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and TPG Architecture, as well as other local, regional and national design practices.

Salary context. Pay varies by location, employer and experience, and it grows over a career. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported a national median annual wage of $67,190 for interior designers in May 2025, with the middle half earning between $51,840 and $85,740 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). These figures describe the profession, not the program’s graduates. The program does not collect graduates’ salaries.

Acceptance into Graduate Programs

Graduates who enrolled in a graduate program: 4 of 19 (Class of 2025), 7 of 23 (Class of 2024) and 3 of 20 (Class of 2023). Applicant and acceptance data are not collected.

Graduate study. Graduates have enrolled in graduate programs at institutions including Aalto University, Columbia University, Florida State University, Harvard University, Northeastern University, Syracuse University, the University of Southern California and Yonsei University.

Graduation Rates

Students in the School of Design share a first-year studio sequence, so they can explore before committing to a major. Students admitted to EDI may change majors, and students from other majors may join EDI after the first year, with program approval and good academic standing. Because students move in and out of the program, the number of students in each class changes from year to year.

Of the 62 students graduating in 2023, 2024 and 2025, at least 92% graduated in four years.

By entering class (first-time students admitted to the EDI program who enrolled in the first-year spring studio):

Of the 20 first-time students admitted to the EDI program in the fall of 2022, 11 (55%) graduated from the program within four years, by May 2026.
Of the 13 first-time students admitted to the EDI program in the fall of 2021, 12 (92%) graduated from the program within four years, by May 2025.
Of the 22 first-time students admitted to the EDI program in the fall of 2020, 16 (73%) graduated from the program within four years, by May 2024.
Of the 22 first-time students admitted to the EDI program in the fall of 2019, 13 (59%) graduated from the program within four years, by May 2023.

Of the 53 students from these four entering classes who have graduated from the program, 52 finished within four years. Students who change majors within the University are counted as not graduating from the program.

These lines do not include students who joined the program after the first year, by changing majors or transferring in. About a third of each graduating class joined after the first year: of the 62 graduates in 2023 to 2025, 41 (66%) started in EDI as first-year students and graduated within four years, and 21 (34%) joined from another major, transferred in or took longer.

Students who matriculated into EDI but never enrolled in the first EDI studio are also not counted.

Student Attrition and Retention

First-time students are students who were starting college for the first time and were admitted to the EDI program as first-year students. They do not include transfer students, students who joined the EDI program from another major after the first year or students returning from an earlier class.

80% of first-time students admitted to the EDI program in the fall of 2025 returned in the fall of 2026, putting attrition at 20%.
78% of first-time students admitted to the EDI program in the fall of 2024 returned in the fall of 2025, putting attrition at 22%.
80% of first-time students admitted to the EDI program in the fall of 2023 returned in the fall of 2024, putting attrition at 20%.
85% of first-time students admitted to the EDI program in the fall of 2022 returned in the fall of 2023, putting attrition at 15%.

Students who change majors within the University are counted as not returning to the EDI program, even though many remain at Syracuse.

Class sizes follow institutional records.

Accreditation

The environmental and interior design program leading to the bachelor of fine arts (B.F.A.) degree is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA), www.accredit-id.org, 206 Grandville Avenue, Suite 350, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503.

The CIDA-accredited program prepares students for entry-level interior design practice, for advanced study, and to apply for membership in professional interior design organizations. The B.F.A. granted by Syracuse University meets the educational requirements for eligibility to sit for the National Council for Interior Design Qualification Examination (NCIDQ Exam). For more information about NCIDQ Exam eligibility visit www.cidq.org/eligibility-requirements.

Environmental and Interior Design B.F.A.

Highly Desired Program