Academic Catalog 2023–2024

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BFA in Interior Design

Overview

The BFA in Interior Design is a balanced program that offers students a comprehensive education in the field, based on a four-year curriculum.

Students enrolled in this program are required to first complete the common one-year foundation study program. The program focuses on both the theoretical and practical aspects of the profession , which are introduced in the foundation year and then further developed during the following three years.

The curriculum emphasizes the creative process in design, while also covering the basics of technical knowledge required for professional practice. Students are initiated into the design field, through a liberal educational  approach, that encourages personal expression, experimentation, and critical analysis. This program serves also as a major stepping stone for further specialization in interior design or related fields.

Mission

The mission of the BFA in Interior Design is to graduate competent professionals and innovative practitioners in the field of Interior Design.

The program provides a platform for the acquisition of skills and knowledge required for the innovative shaping of the built environment, at different scales.

Grounded in a broad liberal arts and sciences, the program promotes intellectual inquiry and encourages students to explore new ideas and to develop their own personal creative approach to design.

While engaging students into their particular context, the program also provides international exposure through studios and workshops, and collaboration with other schools, as well as community engagement.

Program Objectives

The objectives of the BFA in Interior Design are to:

  1. Provide students with a broad base of theoretical and practical knowledge
  2. Develop the necessary practical skills to practice Interior Design in Lebanon and the region.
  3. Train graduates to practice ethically and participate effectively in the development of their discipline.
  4. Prepare graduates to operate in a multi-disciplinary environment, and to respond to different disciplinary tasks.
  5. Provide a platform for graduate specializations in Interior Design, Furniture Design, Product Design, Industrial Design, or related fields in design.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the BFA in Interior Design will have the:

  1. General knowledge that prepares them to be future leaders and decision makers
  2. Skills and knowledge required to practice the profession of interior design
  3. Ability to realize projects in compliance with applicable construction codes and regulations
  4. Capacity to work collaboratively with different specialists for the resolution of interior design problems
  5. Preparation needed for graduate specialization in related fields

Curriculum

A total of 120 credits are required to graduate, after Freshman Year [or the equivalent Lebanese Baccalaureate Part II], distributed as follows:

  • Foundation Requirements (22 credits)
  • Program Core Requirements (65 credits)
  • Professional Electives (9 credits)
  • Art Electives (6 credits)
  • LAS Requirements (18 credits)

Foundation Requirements (22 credits)

  • FND201 Drawing for Foundation (3 cr.)
  • FND231 Studio I-A (3 cr.)
  • FND232 Studio I-B (3 cr.)
  • FND235 Shop Techniques (1 cr.)
  • FND236 Studio II Formal Tectonics (6 cr.)
  • FND251 Digital Media (3 cr.)
  • FND281 Design Culture (3 cr.)

Program Core Requirements (65 credits)

Professional Electives (9 credits)

  • INAR441 Lighting Design (3 cr.)
  • INAR442 Textiles for Interiors (3 cr.)
  • INAR443 Stage Design (3 cr.)
  • INAR471 Modern Interiors (3 cr.)
  • INAR580 Topics in Interior Design (3 cr.)
  • INAR591 International Studio (3 cr.)
  • IAA595 International Studio (3 cr.)
  • IAA375 Introduction to Islamic Art (650-1650) (3 cr.)
  • IAA376 Introduction to Islamic Architecture (650-1650) (3 cr.)
  • IAA481 Contemporary Art in Islamic World (3 cr.)
  • IAA741 Byzantine and Early Islamic Art and Architecture (3 cr.)
  • IAA742 Ayyubid and Mamluk Art and Architecture (3 cr.)
  • IAA744 Ornament in Islamic Art and Architecture (3 cr.)
  • IAA745 Caligraphy om Islamic Art and Architecture (3 cr.)
  • IAA746 Geometry in Islamic Art and Architecture (3 cr.)
  • ART431 Modern Art (3 cr.)
  • ART432 Contemporary Art (3 cr.)

Art Electives (6 credits)

  • ART211 Ceramics (3 cr.)
  • ART212 Ceramics Wheel Throwing (3 cr.)
  • ART222 Figure Drawing (3 cr.)
  • ART334 Printmaking (3 cr.)
  • ART341 Painting I (3 cr.)
  • ART342 Painting II (3 cr.)
  • ART351 Sculpture I (3 cr.)
  • ART352 Sculpture II (3 cr.)
  • PHO231 History & Theory of Photography (3 cr.)
  • PHO301 Studio Photography (3 cr.)
  • PHO330 Black & White Analog Photography (3 cr.)
  • PHO341 Architectural Photography (3 cr.)
  • PHO342 Landscape Photography (3 cr.)
  • PHO344 Fashion Photography (3 cr.)
  • GRDE310 Illustration I (3cr.)
  • GRDE311 Illustration II (3 cr.)
  • GRDE313 Advertising Design (3 cr.)
  • GRDE314 Silkscreen Printing & Binding (3 cr.)
  • GRDE317 Design Management (3 cr.
  • GRDE365 Visual Storytelling (3 cr.)
  • GRDE366 Character and Composition (3 cr.)
  • GRDE367 Principles of Animation (3 cr.)
  • GRDE413 Introduction to 3D Animation (3 cr.)
  • GRDE463 2D Animation (3 cr.)

LAS Requirements (18 credits)

Recommended Study Plan

Year One

Fall (16 credits)

  • FND201 Drawing for Foundation (3 cr.)
  • FND231 Studio I-A (3 cr.)
  • FND232 Studio I-B (3 cr.)
  • FND235 Shop Techniques (1 cr.)
  • FND281 Design Culture (3 cr.)
  • ENG202 Advanced Academic English (LAS Core) (3 cr.)

Spring (15 credits)

  • FND236 Studio II Formal Tectonics (6 cr.)
  • FND251 Digital Media (3 cr.)
  • INAR201 Architectural Drawing (3 cr.)
  • COM203 Fundamentals of Oral Communication (LAS Core) (3 cr.)

Year Two

Fall (14 credits)

  • INAR331 Design Studio III (5 cr.)
  • INAR351 Digital Drawing (3 cr.)
  • INAR373 Formal Principles (3 cr.)
  • LAS Elective (3 cr.)

Spring (14 credits)

  • INAR332 Design Studio IV (5 cr.)
  • INAR352 Digital Modelling (3 cr.)
  • INAR471 Modern Interiors (3 cr.)
  • LAS Elective (3 cr.)

Year Three

Fall (14 credits)

  • INAR431 Design Studio V (5 cr.)
  • INAR421 Design Technology (3 cr.)
  • Professional Elective (3 cr.)
  • Art Elective (3 cr.)

Spring (17 credits)

  • INAR422 Materials and Detailing (3 cr.)
  • INAR432 Design Studio VI (5 cr.)
  • Professional Elective (3 cr.)
  • Art Elective (3 cr.)
  • LAS Elective (3 cr.)

Summer (7 credits)

  • INAR481 Construction Documents (4 cr.)
  • Professional Elective (3 cr.)

Year Four

Fall (14 credits)

  • INAR531 Design Studio VII (6 cr.)
  • INAR541 Furniture Design (3 cr.)
  • INAR582 Professional Practice (2 cr.)
  • LAS Elective (3 cr.)

Spring (9 credits)