Graduate Interior Architecture

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Graduate Programs and Requirements

Degree

Master of Science in Design Studies (M.S.D.S.)

Design Studies (M.S.D.S.)  

The Department of Interior Architecture offers an online master of science in design studies (M.S.D.S.) degree.

Admission Requirements

1. Application for graduate admission.
2. Application fee.
3. Possess a baccalaureate degree or higher from an accredited college or university (degree should be first professional degree in interior architecture/design, or architecture and accredited by CIDA and/or NAAB).
4. Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended verifying undergraduate GPA of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale.
5. International applicants or American citizens who learned English as a second language must score at least 550 (paper), 213 (computer) or 80 (internet) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
6. Copy of curriculum vitae or résumé.
7. Two letters of recommendation.
8. Graduate Record Exam.

Program-Specific Admission Requirements

1. Eligibility to sit for professional certification/registration (NCIDQ, NCARB, and or state licensure).
2. Personal statement of intent (completed with online application). Explain why you would like to pursue a graduate degree in design studies and identify a possible area of research.
3. A portfolio. Portfolios will not be returned to applicants. Candidates should submit portfolio of design work that demonstrates the candidate’s creative abilities as well as their verbal and graphic communications skills. A portfolio may include:

1. A selection of design projects produced within the last three years.
2. Examples of recent art projects completed by the candidate.
3. Studies of buildings that demonstrate the candidate’s analytical ability
4. Format: 8 1/2” x 11”, bound. 11” x 17” sheets maybe folded to 8 1/2” x 11”.

Progression Policies

In order to progress through the M.S.D.S. program, each student must:

1. Adhere to the Code of Ethical/Professional Conduct as specified in the Samford University Catalog.
2. Possess, or provide evidence of in-process, professional licensure in your state of practice.
3. Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.00. Any student who falls below a GPA of 3.00 will be placed on academic probation.
4. Acknowledge that a required course can be repeated only once.
5. Acknowledge that failure of the same course twice constitutes dismissal from the program of study.
6. Acknowledge that any courses repeated will delay the initial projected graduation date.
7. Students must be aware that matters of plagiarism, unethical, unprofessional, or unsafe conduct may result in immediate dismissal from the School of the Arts.

Transfer Credit

A maximum of six (6) semester hours of graduate academic credit toward the 33- semester-hour graduate degree may be given for courses appropriate to the M.S.D.S. curriculum. Only graduate courses with grades of at least a 3.0 (B) taken at institutions with a level of graduate course content and level of instruction comparable to that of Samford University may be transferred. Credit may be accepted from institutions that are approved by the U.S. Department of Education and hold regional accreditation, or have appropriate specialized or programmatic accreditation, or have been evaluated and proven to be comparable in course content and level of instruction to Samford University, or are recognized by the ministry of education or equivalent agency in the applicant’s home country.

Prior to the end of the first semester of enrollment, the student must submit to the admission office official transcripts, course descriptions, a portfolio or, in the case of a lecture class, projects and papers, and a written request for transfer credit review for the course(s) the student wishes to transfer. Materials are reviewed to determine if the work is comparable to that which would earn at least a 3.0 in a Samford University graduate-level course. Transfer credit appears on the transcript as such and is not calculated in the student’s institutional grade point average. Students who wish to appeal the transfer credit process after the first semester of enrollment must submit a written request to the program director.

Time Limit

All courses required for the M.S.D.S. program must be completed within a period of five years from the academic session of first admission.

Time-to-Degree Completion Plan

The program is designed to be completed in 24 months (approximately two years).

Programs

• Design Studies (M.S.D.S.)

Courses

• IARC 601 - Academic Writing (3)
• IARC 602 - Research Design and Methods I (3)
• IARC 603 - Research Design and Methods II (3)
• IARC 604 - Design Theory and Criticism (3)
• IARC 605 - Design Issues in the Interior Built Environment (3)
• IARC 610 - Pedagogy of Design Methods and Processes (3)
• IARC 611 - Architecture, Society, and Culture (3)
• IARC 695 - Master Thesis (6)

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