Interior design program includes wealth of experiences before students enter the workforce

If there is one message Kelly Harris of Baytown wants everyone to know, it is that the work of interior designers includes a lot more than what many people realize. Anywhere there is construction or remodeling, interior designers will be needed to come in and work their magic.

“I’m really enjoying interior design,” said Harris, who worked as a collections officer with a bank before enrolling in the San Jacinto College interior design program to begin her new career. “There is a lot involved in interior designing. It’s about knowing if I can take out this wall or put a light somewhere. This is why the program is so important.”

Interior design is a diverse field, with career paths ranging from residential to commercial and hospitality design. The San Jacinto College interior design program offers a variety of routes into the workforce by means of an associate degree in just five semesters; a certificate of technology in four semesters; and a marketable skills certificate, which takes just one short semester. The College also offers a post-degree certificate that may be completed within one or two semesters.

The interior design program at San Jacinto College includes such courses as the fundamentals of interior design, two levels of the history of interior design, textiles for interior design, fundamentals of space planning, and two levels of residential design. Photo credit: Jeannie Peng-Armao, San Jacinto College marketing, public relations, and government affairs department.

Program courses include the fundamentals of interior design, two levels of the history of interior design, textiles for interior design, fundamentals of space planning, two levels of residential design, and a required internship.

“Internships are big part of both our degree plan and certificate plan and are an integral part of learning what an interior designer does on a daily basis,” said David Vanover, San Jacinto College interior design program director. “We work with a myriad of designers and companies to provide internships to our students.”

Vanover added that work is plentiful for interior designers, and salaries average $42,000 annually. For Harris, the internship and the professional practices course that explains invoices and billing proved vital in jumpstarting her new career. She said it was not difficult finding work with a remodeling company in League City. She is scheduled to graduate from San Jacinto College this May.

“The program is great, and the instructors are excellent,” said Harris. “They give you plenty of opportunities to gain experience by working on designs based on real-life floor plans.”

Following completion of the interior design program at San Jacinto College, graduates are eligible to apply for work and may choose to pursue the required work hours needed to become eligible to sit for the Council for Interior Design Qualification exam. Graduates may also transfer to a university to pursue their bachelor’s degrees.

For more information about the interior design program at San Jacinto College, please visit sanjac.edu/career/interior-design-0.

– Jeannie Peng-Armao