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UCSB good design programs?

I am interested in interior design and design in general. I’ve always thought it was really fun but my dream is to go to UCSB. Does any of you know if there are any interior design programs there that are really good?

Thank you comment icon Yes I know there is a lot of good ones there I don’t know any specificly but I know it is REALLY good and there are many fields and new related classes off of it Nina

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Subject: Career question for you

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Davana’s Answer

Hello Nina,
We already have two common threads; I was a UCSB Gaucho for 2 years and I too LOVE design!
It's wonderful that you're interested in design and UCSB--the Santa Barbara campus and surroundings are absolutely beautiful!
Although UCSB lacks an interior design program, its outstanding and diverse business school serves as an excellent foundation for a design-focused career. Pursuing a business management degree will equip you with the skills needed to run your own design business. After completing the business program, you might consider obtaining an associate's degree in Interior Design from another institution. This combination opens up numerous possibilities for various professional roles in the design field.
Some potential jobs for individuals with a business degree and design emphasis include:
Design Project Manager
Marketing Specialist for Design Firms
Design Consultant
Brand Strategist
Business Development Manager in the Design Industry
Retail Store Designer
Event Planner with a Focus on Design
Design Entrepreneur/Startup Founder
Design Analyst in Market Research
Design Sales Representative.
Always remember, your journey is unique, and each step you take is a building block toward your future success. Stay curious, stay passionate, and don't be afraid to explore new possibilities. UCSB is a fantastic place to cultivate your skills and prepare for an exciting career in design and entrepreneurship. I'm confident you'll do great things!
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Karin’s Answer

Hi Nina,

UCSB is mostly known for the sciences and engineering. They don't have an interior design program. They do have art and graphic design though.

You find a list of colleges that have good interior design programs here:

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/best-interior-design-schools

And a list of interior design schools in California here:

https://theartcareerproject.com/interior-design-schools/california/

Good luck!

KP
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Michelle’s Answer

Hello, Nina !

I am assuming that you mean the University of California at Santa Barbara. I would be happy to give you some advice but for future reference, please format your inquires with specific details for accurate responses. Not everyone is familiar with what UCSB may stand for. I have provided a link to UC Santa Barbara's' catalogue at which you can see that they do not offer a major in design or interior design. They do offer Art as a major, however. You have some choice if you want to go to a college which doesn't offer the major that you want.

If your dream college is UCSB, than I would advise that you select a major in Art . The broad spectrum of art will give you skills and knowledge that you will need for interior design. There are also two courses you can take from the theatre department that will help you with interior design, too. They would be Theatre Graphics and Stagecraft. Trust me, you will be required to build scale models and learn perspective which are necessary for interior design. I would also advise that you read the specific Art courses that UCSB offers to see which ones are required for your major and get an idea of which ones will apply to interior design, but I think mostly all of them will be a benefit for what you want to do. I have looked at the art classes and they all seem superb and you would definitely learn and benefit from them, but you will need to see if these classes are something that you want to invest time in instead of actual interior design courses. This way, you can still go to your dream college and have a degree, but you will need to be exposed to and have hands on experience with interior design which this course of study may or may not provide to you.

Now, if the actual degree in Interior Design is what you want to obtain more than anything else, first ask yourself if you are willing to go to school a bit closer to where you live and be flexible about the particular school connecting it with the degree. For this, I suggest the Academy of Art University in San Francisco at which you can obtain your degree in Interior Architecture and Design. Not to bring this up, but you can also go to my alma mater, California State University, Sacramento at which you can obtain a degree in Interior Design with a concentration on interior architecture. These are not as far away from you as Santa Barbara is, as you know. This will have to be a practical choice you make after being well informed and feeling more comfortable with college choice.

Whichever college you choose, whatever major you select, I would advise working now as a freelance interior decorator/designer for friends and family. Even if you have to do it on a volunteer basis, you can get experience now, photograph everything you do and start a portfolio. This will be a most beneficial foundation for when you apply to colleges and even if there may be a job opening for working under an interior designer. Read a lot of Interior Design magazines, too. The website, Interior Design, is really awesome so I advise that you read their website also and I have left the link for that below. Any information and creativity that you engage in now will greatly be beneficial for you in the near future with college admission.

I hope that this has been a help and I wish you all the best in your decisions !

Michelle recommends the following next steps:

DEGREES/MAJORS AT UCSB https://my.sa.ucsb.edu/catalog/Current/UndergraduateDegreeList.aspx
INTERIOR DESIGN MAGAZINES https://foyr.com/learn/best-interior-design-magazines/
INTERIOR DESIGN WEBSITE https://interiordesign.net/
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