A lot of people think that to be a successful interior designer you have to have years of training, live in a metropolis, it’s simply a hobby or there isn’t any money in it. Like most myths, none of these are true. There are many opportunities for a career in interior design in Wichita, KS.

Interior Design? 

Interior design is not a hobby. According to Webster’s Dictionary a hobby is: “A pursuit outside one’s regular occupation engaged in especially for relaxation.” Hobbies usually don’t require a college education. There are several areas of interior design that are relaxing, but like any other occupations there are obstacles and challenges,like meeting deadlines.

Interior Design Schools 

To be a professional interior designer you do need an education. A two-year associate degree is required. You can earn a four-year bachelor’s or a six-year masters but they are not necessary to become a professional and get started. The National Council for Interior Design Qualifications (NCIDQ) requires 65 credit hours of interior design education and four years of experience to apply for national testing to go from pre-professional to professional. They are the basic three Es; Education, Experience and Examination.

It is important to find an interior design school that is accredited. There are a few options when you are choosing and interior design school in Kansas, however, WSU Tech is the only 2 year interior design school in KS and the only interior design program in Wichita. Kansas State University (K-State) and Johnson County Community College also are interior design schools in kansas

 Interior Design Programs 

WSU Tech offers a two-year associate degree in Interior Design. Through this program students will learn the visual arts and visual communications concepts of interior design. Studies include the fundamentals of design, drafting, blueprint reading, codes and standards, architectural and furniture history from antiquity to present, color theory and much more.

High school students can earn duel credit so the transition from high school to college is made easier and they will have a jump-start earning their degree. Plus, many of the general education courses offered at WSU Tech transfer to any public college or university in Kansas guaranteed by the Kansas Board of Regents.

Students in the interior design program have many opportunities to learn both in the classroom and out. The interior design students participate in design activities such as:

  • International Interior Design Association (IIDA) student competitions
  • Symphony Showhouse
  • Wichita Area Builders Association (WABA) parade of homes
  • Designing your Path Event (High School Students)
  • Become student members of IIDA

 Interior Design Jobs 

Interior designers jobs are available in hundreds of areas. Residential interior design jobs usually comes to the forefront of our minds when thinking about design, but this area makes up less than 2 percent of the design field. Think about everything you use each day a designer created the concept. Every building you enter, designers created and implemented those concepts too. Yes, an architect created the structure, but the interior designer collaborated on the interior. There are thousands of areas of design in virtually every city and town around the world.

Interior Design Salary (Wichita, KS) 

Kansas Labor statistics show that Interior Design employment projections from 2010-2020 are 363 to 422. That is a 16.3 percent increase in job opportunities in Kansas.  Interior Design Salary  has an average income for interior designers of $47,201.00, an average of $22.69 per hour. (Kansas Labor Information Center, Kansas Department of Labor)