With more than 40 Billion dollars spent each year on Healthcare Construction there is a great need for Interior Designers who specialize in healthcare. To find the top 5 schools that help students prepare for this work I asked several people.
Surprisingly there was only agreement on three schools:
- Auburn University
- Arizona State University
- Stephen F. Austin University
What really struck me about the responses was the realization that the majority of designers who specialize in healthcare have not had specialty training. This is identical to the situation with healthcare Architects. Specialty training is the exception and not the norm. Most people learn on the job.
Note: the top 5 Schools for Healthcare Architecture was covered on a post last week. To read it, click here.
The response from Jocylyn Stroupe (Director of Healthcare Interiors at OWP/P) was typical:
The challenge of finding University programs in Healthcare Interior Design is even greater than finding programs in Healthcare Architecture. I have done quite a bit of research in this regard and have identified only two true Interior Design degree programs and a couple of hybrids:
Stephen F Austin located in Texas has an on line Master's Program
Auburn University has an Interior Design Master's Program
Arizona State University offers a Master's degree in a multi-disciplinary setting and not specific to Interior Design (Healthcare Design and Healing Environments)
Another initiative under development is at the University of Tennessee where the College of Architecture and Design has launched an elective in Health and Wellness. This initiative is expected to grow and encompass an interdisciplinary approach, inclusive of Architecture, Interior Design and Landscape Architecture.
Sarajane Eisen-Brown, Ph.D (Assistant Professor of Interior Design at Auburn University) wrote:
University of Tennessee is working on one. Then of course, there are programs that do teach a healthcare course in their undergraduate (as I do at Auburn as their Senior Thesis).
I got several responses supporting those same three schools. But there was a scattering of other suggestions:
Judy Girod, (Director of Interior Design Lothrop Associates, LLP)
I am not sure what the top health care design schools might be as I think the better design schools teach the design process such that students know how to find solutions to design problems in all disciplines. Granted, having a design specialty helps makes the designer more current on specifics and cutting edge information in their market but we get that from working on projects and having a specific or primary interest in an area.
I think the better interior design schools in this area would include NYSID, FIT, Pratt, Cornell, Syracuse and RISID.
Cindi S. Matras, (Director of Project Development at Flad Architects) wrote:
The Council for Interior Design Accreditation indicates that the top5 ranked Interior Design Schools are:
The University of Cincinnati in Ohio
Pratt Institute in New York
Kansas State in Kansas
Cornell in New York
Arizona State in Arizona
Another designer wrote:
Your blog was very interesting. Now that I think about it more, I agree with one of your respondents. The training for of a designer needs to be more general. There are a wide range of skills needed to be a competent designer. To specialize in anything at the 4 years school level, directs the student too soon in their development as designers to one area. It has taken me 15 years to develop my expertise as a healthcare designer (and I had 10 years under my belt before going in that direction). It is far more complex and critical that all the right decisions are made and the right detailing is achieved.
There is no other project type that I have done that is as demanding as healthcare design both in terms of the functioning environment that is built and the less tangible feeling that the users have when in these environments.
Henry as a doctor and an artist you can imagine how awful it was to hear a physician that had to review our work state that "Your work does not matter in the least, just make it all beige."
Former nurses make excellent HC designers due to their obvious insight and empathy. They do however go through a four year program to learn design first. It may be dangerous to send out recent graduates calling themselves healthcare designers with zero experience of these environments.
Amy
Posted by: Amy Pressman | April 20, 2009 at 10:10 AM
Good question.
One source quoted Ohio State University in Columbus is considered #1 for Interiors in general. Another source stated Kansas State University for interior design in general. They don't seem to break out into healthcare.
Recommended schools are:
Pratt Institute
University of Cincinnati
Cornell University
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
The Art Institutes
Westwood College
The Art Institute of Pittsburg
ITT Technical Institute
Chris
Christine Guzzo Vickery
Associate Vice President
Interior Design
HGA Architects and Engineers
Posted by: Christine Guzzo Vickery | April 21, 2009 at 05:28 PM
I have been to Australia and Singapore, and there also i found some very good universities for graphics, now a days there is so much competition that everyone is giving his best out of best.
Posted by: Design School | September 17, 2009 at 03:46 AM
I have to agree with Amy. Interior design is not a 4-year course where you can simply choose your specialty and be good at it after you graduate. Having the knowledge of interior design in general can only be learned by not only studying interior design extensively for four years, but also beyond. Therefore, I think it's really difficult to quantify the kind of education these schools teaches because learning does not end when you graduate. Design attain specialty when they immerse themselves in the situation, something that schools do not seem to necessarily teach.
Posted by: Interior Design | November 12, 2009 at 08:35 PM
Auburn State is definitely the best in my opinion.
Posted by: John | February 24, 2010 at 12:34 AM