Education

Best Online Interior Design Courses

You might see people doing it for a living on some of your favorite home improvement shows and wonder how you can do the same thing. Interior design can be a fun way to use your artistic skills and creativity, whether you’re starting a new job or just want to learn something new.

And if you want to do interior design full-time, you won’t have to pay college tuition for years and years if that’s what you want to do.

How To Choose Best Online Interior Design Courses

When getting into interior design, it’s important to know that there’s more to it than what you may see on a home improvement show. Education gives you the skills you need to start a career in interior design, and an education from a reputable school can help a new designer stand out. Here are a few important things to think about when choosing the right online course. Also, read Best Memory Foam Mattresses.

Certification

Interior designers do more than just choose furniture and paint colors. To make functional spaces, a designer, unlike an interior decorator, needs to know how buildings work. A decorator might do some decorating, but a decorator won’t do any designing.

Many states require people who want to work as interior designers to have a license. Most accredited schools offer a certificate or diploma as proof that a student has met certain education standards that are important for interior design. Even if a state doesn’t require certification, it can still help improve a resume.

Many people who want to be interior designers will take the NCIDQ (National Council for Interior Design Qualification) exam after they finish their education. There are three parts to the exam: the Professional Exam the Fundamentals Exam, and the Practicum Exam. For the candidate to get the certification, they must pass each section. When interior designer gets their certification, they will be able to show the following core skills:

Building systems

  • Codes
  • Standards for building
  • Taking care of contracts
  • Design use for
  • The work of a professional
  • Coordination of projects

Price

Aside from the certification a school gives, it is also important to know how much the course costs. Even though someone will want to choose a course that fits their needs and budget, it’s important to know what they’ll get for the money. If someone is studying interior design as a hobby, they might not need a graded course or a certificate. On the other hand, someone who wants to make a career out of interior design won’t choose the cheapest option because it might not teach them the skills they need to get a certificate in interior design.

Length of Course

When deciding whether or not to take an interior design course, the length of the course may be a very important factor. Students can move at their own pace in self-study courses. A student may have up to a year to finish the course, but students who are very motivated and have few work or family obligations could finish the course in a few weeks. Most instructor-led courses have set start and end dates, which makes it easier to plan. When choosing a course, a student should think about what they want to learn and how long they can study.

Accreditation

Accreditation is a third-party process that any educational institution can choose to go through, and it usually means that the program is of higher quality. It also means that the quality of the program is always changing and getting better because the accreditation process finds risks and flaws that the institution can fix. Some accreditations are tougher than others, but in general, any accreditation is better than none. Keep in mind that accreditation isn’t as important for interior design programs that aren’t meant to help you get a job. Courses that are meant to help people learn on their own who aren’t trying to get a job usually won’t be accredited.

Guaranteed money back

When looking for the best interior design school, you should also think about whether or not the school has a money-back guarantee. Some schools will give you your money back in a week, while others will give you 30 days. Also, some money-back guarantees may be full refunds and others may be partial refunds. No matter how long the money-back guarantee is or what the rules are, the student must read the rules before committing to the course. Schools that offer a money-back guarantee usually want to make sure their students are happy.

Curriculum and Education Beyond High School

Students must see the syllabus and course outline before starting a class to see if they need any special tools. Some interior design courses might suggest books or software, but for most, all you need is access to the internet.

To become a professional interior designer, you need to keep up with the latest trends, technologies, and best practices. Programs may offer options for continuing education as well as courses at the introductory level. These extra tools could be videos or materials that teach how to do something.

How you learn and what the course needs are

How do you do your best work in an online setting? Everyone will have to think about this question. Not every online course is made the same way, and not every style works for every student. Some courses, for example, might have live classes. Students in live classes may be able to talk to the teacher and other students for a more immersive and interesting experience. Still, a student whose schedule changes often might not be able to attend sessions once a week. Self-study classes with prerecorded videos might be better for students who like to move at their own pace.

Best Online Interior Design Courses

There are many ways to learn about interior design, and there are a lot of online courses to choose from. Here are some good choices.

1) The Interior Design Institute

The Interior Design Institute has self-study courses that students can start whenever they want and move through at their own pace. The average time it takes to finish the course is 24 weeks. This can be pushed back up to a year, though, if the student has personal responsibilities that slow him or her down.

The course has 12 assignments and 12 modules. Advanced modules focus on specific things, like how to stage a home or how to brand a business. Students also get to join a private Facebook group where they can talk with other current and former students. Students can pay for the class in different ways, such as weekly, monthly, or all at once.

All of the work is done online, and the focus is on helping students learn important design skills. Even though there isn’t much information in the base course to help students improve their business skills, they can buy advanced business modules that do. Overall, The Interior Design Institute gives students a well-rounded education that gets them ready for certification. Also, read Best Water Storage Containers.

Specs

  • Certification: Yes
  • Price: Starting at $999
  • Average course length: 6 months
  • Accreditation: IARC, BAC
  • Money-back guarantee: 7 days

Pros

  • The personal tutor helps with and grades the work
  • Access to a private Facebook group for students
  • Students can use advanced modules to focus on things that interest them
  • You can pay weekly, monthly, or all at once.

Cons

  • Less time is spent on business skills in the classroom.

2) New York Institute of Art and Design

It has become one of the best places to learn about interior design, wedding planning, jewelry design, personal style, and more in the country. If a student wants to take more than one course at NYIAD, they can get a 25% discount. The New York State Education Department and the DEAC have both given the institute their seal of approval. It has already been approved for the Residential Interior Design Qualification Certification (RIDQC) exam. Even though this test may not be required in every state, it is a good addition to a professional’s list of skills.

The interior design track is a self-study course, and the school says it takes most people between 8 and 12 months to finish it. Even though students say that teachers aren’t as helpful as they thought they would be, there is a lot of help from mentors and the curriculum is easy to follow.

Specs

  • Certification: Yes
  • Price: Starting at $849
  • Average course length: 8 to 12 months
  • Accreditation: New York State Education Department, DEAC
  • Money-back guarantee: 14 days

Pros

  • After taking the course, students can apply for RIDQC certification.
  • Students have 18 months to complete a course.
  • Students who sign up for more than one NYIAD course get a 25% discount.

Cons

  • Slow responses from teachers were reported.

3) British College of Interior Design

It has become a world leader in training interior designers for the future because its directors and principals have more than 30 years of experience with distance learning. Tutors and experts will help students to help them find their passion and figure out which areas of design are best for their career goals. Teachers and mentors in the program also promise to keep working with students after they graduate to help them with their careers. The training includes classes that improve design skills, and the course has extra modules on business practices and strategies that prepare students for a professional path.

Students will follow a week-by-week course outline, and depending on their schedules, they can choose between a 12- or 24-week course. This is perfect for students who have trouble staying on task and for whom self-study courses might not be the best option. This structured style also means that if a student misses the set enrollment date, they will have to wait until the next opening because the school only has fixed course start dates. But the British College of Interior Design is the best choice for a student who wants to learn more traditionally online.

Specs

  • Certification: Yes
  • Price: Starting at $590
  • Average course length: 12 or 24 weeks
  • Accreditation: IARC
  • Money-back guarantee: 7 days

Pros

  • The choice between a 12-week and 24-week course
  • The course curriculum is more focused on business than what you might expect course.
  • After they graduate, students are guaranteed to have access to professional advice.

Cons

  • Fixed course start dates

4) Udemy

Udemy is a place where people from all over the world can buy and sell educational programs. Students can log in from anywhere and get a good education from real teachers. Prices for courses range from as low as $13.99 to more than $100, depending on how hard the material is and how much you want to learn. Even though Udemy Personal subscriptions don’t come with a money-back guarantee and students don’t get feedback from instructors, this model is best for people who want to learn the basics of design or get help with just one part of the design, like color theory or software.

Students can read reviews right on the webpage for that course. This makes it easy to figure out which classes are good. Students can buy courses individually or sign up for Udemy Pro for a monthly fee and get access to many courses. Udemy is a great choice because it is cheap and has a lot of information.

Specs

  • Certification: No
  • Price: Starting at $13.99
  • Average course length: 6 hours
  • Accreditation: No
  • Money-back guarantee: 30 days

Pros

  • Students can learn in ways that fit their needs and interests.
  • A personal subscription to Udemy gives you access to all courses at no extra charge.
  • On the course page, reviews and ratings for each course are shown.

Cons

  • class quality isn’t always the same
  • Guaranteed money back not part of a Personal Udemy subscription
  • There was no help or feedback from teachers or tutors.

5) MasterClass

Kelly Wearstler and Corey Damen Jenkins, two well-known interior designers, both have classes on MasterClass. The videos were made by professionals and last between 5 and 15 minutes, which makes them easy to watch and understand. You can finish the course in 2 to 5 hours. Students will have to pay $180 for an annual membership. They won’t get feedback from a tutor or teacher, but they will be able to take all of the other courses on the platform. MasterClass is a great choice for people who want to learn the basics of design or use what they learn in their everyday lives. Also, read Best Home Cleaning Services.

Specs

  • Certification: No
  • Price: $180 per year
  • Average course length: 2 to 5 hours
  • Accreditation: No
  • Money-back guarantee: 30 days

Pros

  • All of the site’s content is available for one price per year
  • Lessons taught by well-known experts
  • The lessons are given in short, easy-to-understand videos.

Cons

  • To get to the content, you have to pay an annual membership fee.
  • There was no help or feedback from teachers or tutors.

Conclusion

After giving it a lot of thought, we concluded that The Interior Design Institute is the best online interior design school overall. This course is self-guided and comes with advanced modules and different ways to pay. The runner-up is the New York Institute of Art and Design because it has the only RIDQC-approved course on our list (Residential Interior Design Qualification Certification).

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