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Quick Facts

  Next Start Date: August 18, 2025


  • Delivery: 100% Online
  • Major Credits: 33 to 73
  • No GRE Required
  • 100% placement rate for recent graduates
  • Online fast track or on-campus three-year track (based on your current education)

Do you aspire to advance in the world of spatial design, or is interior design your true calling? Whatever your ambitions, our Master of Science (MS) or Master of Arts (MA) in Interior Design—offered Online—will prepare you to embark on the next stage of your professional journey.

There is an increasing demand for designers across various disciplines who can respond to the evolving needs of contemporary living, both in interior and exterior spaces. Experts are needed who can create environments that are not only innovative and diverse, but also align with current and future standards of sustainability and wellbeing.

Whether you’re a graduate with a related degree, a design professional, or someone looking to switch careers and expand existing knowledge, the Master's in Interior Design will empower you to make a lasting impact in this dynamic field.

This program offers individuals the opportunity to deepen their expertise in interior design while gaining insights into related fields such as business, healthcare, and sustainability, providing a strong foundation for a range of professional roles.

Three Reasons to Study Interior Design at Ball State

  1. The course supports professionals seeking to expand their knowledge across multiple design disciplines—including interior design, commercial and residential design —offering a broad and adaptable foundation for future roles.
  2. You’ll learn from experienced faculty who are also active professionals in the design industry.
  3. The curriculum is thoughtfully developed to strengthen your research abilities and broaden your understanding of diverse sectors.

Students in Ball State's online Master's in Interior Design program often receive job offers before they graduate. Recent graduates have a 100% placement rate as interior designers or instructors.

What You Will Study

This distinctive program blends practice, research, and creative theory. The online Master's in Interior Design explores interior design within its wider context, emphasizing healthcare, sustainability, and design for wellbeing.

The course’s multifaceted structure promotes innovative thinking and encourages students to explore existing challenges through creative, evidence-based solutions. You'll learn to approach interior, installation, and architectural design with thoughtful analysis, adapting to the changing needs of users in diverse, self-selected environments. As a graduate of our program, you will be able to:

  • Demonstrate knowledge of interior design as it relates to functional, cultural, and ergonomic needs of diverse populations.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of interior design as it relates to human behavior and space programming (for example, research and identification of clients' needs as related to behavioral settings, proxemics, density and crowding, personal space and territory).
  • Integrate various approaches and articulations of creative and critical thinking through the study of innovative design methodologies, scholarly design articles related to the social, cultural and economic developments over time, and works of key practitioners, theorists, and critics.
  • Demonstrate knowledge in creative expression and intellectual leadership through the study of professional standards, ethical procedures, and transnational models covering management and entrepreneurship policies.

NCIDQ Examination Prep

Those who earn our master's in interior design will be qualified to take the NCIDQ exam. The program qualifies students for the National Council for the Interior Design Qualification exam by simulating the actual testing experience.

National Accreditation

The Master's in Interior Design is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD).

Academic Advisor

Dr. Shireen Kanakri
Associate Professor of Interior Design
Team Lead for the Ball State University Health Environmental Design Research Lab

Course Requirements

Two tracks for this degree are offered. 

For a full list of required courses for each track, see the course catalog.

View Catalog

online Track

If you have a bachelor's degree in architecture or interior design, your program will require only 33 credits and can be completed within two years. 

You may start this program at any semester. Please keep in mind that, realistically, it is impossible to complete a thesis or creative project with remaining program electives in one semester. Thus, it is more likely you will continue working on your thesis or project the spring of your second year if you follow this schedule.

Sample Plan of Study

Courses are scheduled each semester based on student demand. Check with the program director to confirm which courses are available.

Fall 1

  • IDES 606 Visual Cultures in Built Environment (3 credits) – Online only
  • IDES 619 Environmental Psychology (3 credits) – Online only
  • IDES 616 Understanding and Practicing Research in Healthcare Design (3 credits ) – Online only - Elective

Spring 1

  • IDES 601 Research Methods in Interior Design (3 credits) – Online only
  • IDES 614 Health Environments for Patient Populations (3 credits) – Online only – Elective
  • Submit topic approval to your research advisor

Summer 1

  • IDES 604 Professional Design Practice (3 credits) – Online only
  • IDES 610 Evidence-Based Design in Healthcare Settings (3 credits) - Elective
  • IDES 612 Legal, Ethical, and Safety Issues in the Healthcare Industry (3 credits) – Elective

Fall 2

  • IDES 613 Design Analysis (3 credits) – Online only
  • IDES 616 Understanding and Practicing Research in Healthcare Design (3 credits ) – Online only - Elective

Spring 2

  • IDES 601 Research Methods in Interior Design (3 credits) – Online only
  • IDES 614 Health Environments for Patient Populations (3 credits) – Online only – Elective
  • Thesis or creative project (6 credits) – Online only

Summer 2

  • IDES 620 Inclusive Design (3 credits) – Online only
  • IDES 610 Evidence-Based Design in Healthcare Settings (3 credits) - Elective
  • IDES 612 Legal, Ethical, and Safety Issues in the Healthcare Industry (3 credits) – Elective

*Electives might be taken from the Graduate Certificate in Planning and Design of Healthcare Environments

*Electives can be taken from other departments or other institution.

*No more than 9 credits can be transferred from other institution.

*All electives need to be approved by the Interior Design Graduate advisor prior to taken the course.

**THES is 6 credits, and CRPR should be 6 credits.

If you have no prior design education, this option requires 73 credits (approximately two years) of undergraduate and graduate course work. This program must be started in the fall semester only. This is a combination of online and on-campus courses.

Sample Plan of Study

Fall 1

  • IDES 101 Rapid Visualization (3 credits)
  • IDES 116 Basic Design 1 (3 credits)
  • IDES 222 Interior Design Studio 1 (3 credits)
  • IDES 606 Visual Cultures in Built Environment (3 credits) – Online only
  • IDES 619 Environmental Psychology (3 credits) – Online only
  • IDES 616 Understanding and Practicing Research in Healthcare Design (3 credits ) – Online only - Elective

Spring 1

  • IDES 117 Basic Design 2 (3 credits)
  • IDES 120 Design Technology 1 (3 credits) 
  • IDES 215 Interior Materials & Finishes (3 credits)
  • IDES 224 Interior Design Studio 2 (3 credits)
  • IDES 601 Research Methods in Interior Design (3 credits) – Online only
  • IDES 614 Health Environments for Patient Populations (3 credits) – Online only – Elective Submit topic approval to your research advisor

Summer 1

  • IDES 604 Professional Design Practice (3 credits) – Online only
  • IDES 610 Evidence-Based Design in Healthcare Settings (3 credits) - Elective
  • IDES 612 Legal, Ethical, and Safety Issues in the Healthcare Industry (3 credits) – Elective

Fall 2

  • IDES 221 Design Technology 2 (3 credit)
  • IDES 314 Lighting Technology 1 (3 credits)
  • IDES 324 Interior Design Studio 3 (3 credits)
  • IDES 362 Interior Construction, Building Systems, and Regulations (3 credits)
  • IDES 613 Design Analysis (3 credits) – Online only
  • IDES 616 Understanding and Practicing Research in Healthcare Design (3 credits ) – Online only - Elective

Spring 2

  • IDES 327 Project Management & Documentation (3 credits)
  • IDES 334 Interior Design Studio 4 (3 credits)
  • IDES 400 NCIDQ Prep (1 credit) – Online only
  • IDES 601 Research Methods in Interior Design (3 credits) – Online only
  • IDES 614 Health Environments for Patient Populations (3 credits) – Online only – Elective
  • Thesis or creative project (6 credits) – Online only

Summer 2

  • IDES 610 Evidence-Based Design in Healthcare Settings (3 credits) - Elective
  • IDES 612 Legal, Ethical, and Safety Issues in the Healthcare Industry (3 credits) – Elective
  • IDES 620 Inclusive Design (3 credits) – Online only

*Electives might be taken from the Graduate Certificates in Planning and Design of Healthcare Environments

*Electives can be taken from other departments or other institutions.

*No more than 9 credits can be transferred from other institutions.

*All electives need to be approved by the Interior Design Graduate advisor prior to taken the course.

**THES is 6 credits, and CRPR is 6 credits.

Earn a Dual Degree

Did you know that our online degree shares credits with Ball State’s online MBA program? You can earn a second master’s degree by taking nine shared credits (three courses) from the MBA program. Find out more information about the admissions requirements and credits for earning a dual degree in the Graduate Catalog.

Why a Master's Degree in Interior Design?

Advancing your interior design career goals with a master's degree from Ball State offers many benefits to you:

By having a program that is offered online, you will be able to incorporate this degree easily into your life. Not only will you be able to maintain your current job, you will be able to live and work from your current home and will not face the need to travel. Or, if you prefer on-campus options, you can do all or part of your course work on our Muncie, Indiana, campus.

Our faculty provide a multidisciplinary approach to teaching. Their combined experience in research, project design and development, technological training, and teaching creates a strong foundation of knowledge that provides students with an array of support and guidance to help them advance into the future.

Today's interior designers need to know more than just how to make a room look good; they need to have a full scope of understanding about environmentally friendly design and universal design, which means the space is usable for a wide variety of people, even those with physical limitations. Ball State excels in this area with studio classes teaching sustainability and universal design.

By having a program that is offered online, you save an exceptional amount of money. By not having to pay for the use of running the class in a facility and paying for an on-site instructor, you will pay a tuition that is far smaller than most on-site programs. Plus, we offer many financial aid options. Learn more about tuition and financial aid for our online students.

Ball State is known for its superior use of technology and has a long history of providing quality online degrees. Our online courses are interactive and our course management system is easy to use. You will also have easy access to technical support through our HelpDesk.

Our professors have time to work with you one on one because our average class size for on-campus courses is 15 while online classes have an average of eight students.

Ready to Apply?

Review deadlines, admission requirements, and application materials, then start your application.

Want to Learn More?

Do you have questions about this program or online learning? We’re here to help! You may request more information using our online form, or feel free to reach out directly to one of our staff.

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