The Interior Design Program at Southern Miss, which began in 1976, is accredited as a first professional-level degree program by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) and was the first Mississippi program to obtain this accreditation. Requirements are in accordance with the published standards and guidelines of the Council for Interior Design Accreditation. This program prepares stu
dents to identify, research, and solve problems related to the needs of people in residential, institutional, and commercial environments in order to enhance the quality of life and protect public health, safety, and welfare. The program's interdisciplinary approach addresses the demands and standards of qualification of the profession and related fields. The core of program requirements includes sequential studio courses covering the analysis, planning, and design of human environments. Supplemental courses include instruction in presentation, HVAC systems, lighting, plumbing, acoustics, codes, special needs, historic and contemporary furnishings/design, aesthetics, sustainable design, Autocad, BIM and professional procedures. The program emphasizes understanding and application of current technology, building codes and laws, oral and visual communication skills, relationship of the user and the immediate environment, and the designer's professional responsibility to society. Professional designers, architects, manufacturers, and allied representatives serve the program in an advisory capacity as members of advisory boards, guest lecturers, part-time faculty, critics, and supervisors of interns. Further contact with professionals is supported through the Southern Miss American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) student chapter. Students participate in campus, community, state, and regional activities, and also participate as student members in the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). The dedicated interior design faculty members have strong academic backgrounds, practical work experience in the field of interior design, and are members of professional organizations. Faculty members are committed to providing a high-quality education for all students in the Interior Design program.
