Why Choose Russell Sage’s Interior Design Bachelor’s Program

Faculty emphasize building professional-quality portfolios through studio projects, critiques, and professional experiences.You’ll build a centerpiece for your portfolio during a year-long capstone project and graduate with work examples, resumes, and personal branding materials that stand out to employers.

In addition to an engaging campus experience, Sage’s Interior + Spatial Design degree immerses you in real-world projects that connect you to the creative community in New York’s Capital Region.

Upon completing your degree and the required professional work hours, you’ll be eligible to take the NCIDQ exam, the standard certification for licensed interior designers, which opens doors to professional practice and advanced credentialing.

Russell Sage College’s Visual Arts programs are accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design (NASAD), 11250 Roger Bacon Drive, Suite 21, Reston, VA  20190. 703-437-0700.

Russell Sage offers the only accredited BFA in interior design between Syracuse and New York City, positioning students uniquely within New York’s design corridor.

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Top 25

For seven consecutive years, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Russell Sage among the top 25 national universities for social mobility — proof that our students see real returns. Learn more about financial aid at Sage.

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Best Value

With first-year merit scholarships of $21,000 to $26,000 and one of the lowest private college tuition rates in New York State, Russell Sage ranks #36 nationally for Best Value (U.S. News & World Report 2026).

Investing in the Arts

While Russell Sage is widely recognized for our broad catalog of healthcare programs, we believe a comprehensive education embraces the spectrum of human talent. That is why we are heavily investing in the future of the creative workforce.

“All of our Interior Design classes are 15 people or under. You really get a one-on-one experience with the professor and you really get to know your classmates.”

Lynn Capirsello
Assistant Professor of Interior + Spatial Design

A Creative Hub in The Capital Region

New York’s Capital Region — home to Russell Sage’s two campuses — offers a vibrant arts and design community with galleries, museums, theaters, performance venues, and cultural events.

Sage’s Interior + Spatial Design Club hosts speakers, trips to showrooms and design firms, and industry events with local chapters of the Commercial Interior Design Association, the American Society of Interior Designers, and the National Kitchen & Bath Association.

You’ll also network with Russell Sage College’s entire Art + Design department and members of Albany and Troy’s creative communities at department-sponsored Artist Lectures, Opalka Gallery programs, and other activities.

Explore Troy, NY
  • Pride Parade

Create Space

Interior designers draw on an array of skills and knowledge — of 2D, 3D and 4D design; architecture and construction, materials and manufacturing; health and safety codes and much, much more — to plan spaces that support people and their goals.

Professional Experiences, Technology Center, and a Creative Community

BEST CLASS EVER: Join Professor Lynn Capirsello and her class as they create their capstone projects for the Center for Disabilities Services in their ISD 331 Studio V Social & Environmental Needs class.

Art + Design Technology Center

Interior + Spatial Design majors bring their ideas to life in the Art + Design Technology Center, using advanced tools for digital design, fabrication, 3-D printing, and large-format production.

Explore the Tech Center

Learn Through Real Design Projects and INternships

Interior + Spatial Design majors apply their skills to projects connected to real organizations and spaces. Recent coursework has included design projects for Albany’s Center for Disability Services and VA Medical Center. These experiences help you understand how design decisions affect real clients, users, and environments.

Students also gain professional experience through internships with architecture firms, design studios, and corporate design departments. Recent students have secured competitive opportunities, including a corporate internship with Bath & Body Works’ Store Design and Construction team.

“We might be making mock-ups of new branded store rollouts,” she said. “We’ll be working on the design of their new stores. That’ll be really fun.”

Haley Borkowski ’27
Selected for a corporate internship at fragrance brand Bath & Body Works, which attracts roughly 10,000 applicants a year.

What Can I Do with an Interior + Spatial Design Degree?

Careers with an Interior + Spatial Design Degree

You will graduate from Russell Sage College’s interior design program prepared for entry-level positions in interior design and eventual NCIDQ-certification. Our graduates get great jobs in interior design firms, large construction companies, boutique architectural firms and consumer product manufacturers.

Work as interior designers, spatial planners, or project designers within multidisciplinary architecture and design studios. Projects can range from corporate offices and hospitality spaces to residential and mixed-use developments.

Why Russell Sage: Coursework emphasizes collaboration, professional portfolio development, and exposure to real client projects, preparing graduates to contribute immediately in firm settings.

Many interior designers start their own design practices or consultancy services, specializing in private residences, small businesses, or boutique commercial spaces.

Why Russell Sage: Hands-on studio projects and portfolio mentorship help graduates market their skills and gain confidence managing client relationships and budgets.

Design environments in hospitals, clinics, schools, public agencies, and government facilities, focusing on functionality, accessibility, and compliance with building codes, safety standards, and wellness certifications. These settings require specialized expertise that goes beyond general design projects.

Why Russell Sage: Students have completed coursework in conjunction with organizations such as the Center for Disability Services and the VA Medical Center, gaining experience with real clients and complex institutional spaces.

“I left Sage with a whole branded identity, both paper and digital.”

Danielle Kadtke ’21
Interior and spatial designer at international architecture and engineering firm Stantec, collaborating on projects from New York City transit facilities to Boston’s National Women’s Soccer League stadium.
Smiling woman in a black shirt with a pendant necklace. She has long hair pulled back and hoop earrings, set against a plain white background. Black and white photo.

Alumni Career Outcomes

Meet the students and graduates building success with an interior design degree.

Alumni
Interior + Spatial Design 2012
Allison Parkes-Machnick

Allison Parkes-Machnick ’12 is a partner at the architectural firm Arc4 Design. Her path to partner began during her junior …

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Russell Sage Interior Design Major Lands Coveted Corporate Internship
Learn how Interior + Spatial Design major Haley Borkowski stood out among thousands of students for a corporate internship at fragrance brand Bath & Body Works.
– Read More
Alumni
Interior + Spatial Design 2024
Kaitlyn Czerow

“I am currently collaborating on a few workplace designs for public agency buildings,” said Kaitlyn Czerow ’24, a project designer …

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Alumni
Interior + Spatial Design 2010
Jenna Gaidusek

As a kid, Jenna Gaidusek loved playing The Sims — an online game that involves building a virtual home — …

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Alumni
Interior + Spatial Design 2022
Kait Bates

“I have always loved the things that make up Interior + Spatial design,” said Kait Bates, listing art and photography, …

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Alumni
Interior + Spatial Design 2022
Brooke Perry

Meet Brooke Perry ’22!  Her Interior + Spatial Design internship at Curtis Lumber Co, Inc., led to a full-time position …

Read More

Learn from Our Experienced Faculty

Personal advising, experienced faculty

Art + Design faculty members write and illustrate books, participate in juried art exhibitions and contribute to attention-getting design projects — but you will find that they are supportive teachers, first. Russell Sage College is a small school, so your professors get to know you and your goals. They’ll offer constructive critiques as you grow as a designer and help you to identify fulfilling opportunities and brainstorm creative projects — while you are a student and even after you graduate.

Lynn Capirsello, Interior Design program faculty

Lynn Capirsello

Assistant Professor of Interior+Spatial Design

Get to know Lynn
man in suit with bowtie smiling at camera

Anthony Cinque

Lecturer of Interior+Spatial Design

Get to know Anthony
Karen Conway, Interior Design program lecturer

Karen Conway

Lecturer of Interior+Spatial Design

Get to know Karen

Frequently
Asked Questions – 
Interior + Spatial Design BFA

Yes! Russell Sage welcomes transfer students and has made  Phi Theta Kappa’s Transfer Honor Roll several years in a row. 

However, because Interior + Spatial Design courses build on each other, transferring can sometimes add extra semesters to your timeline. We carefully consider your portfolio and transcripts to award you the maximum credit possible.

If you choose to start at a community college, look for programs with articulation agreements with four-year BFA programs. These agreements help ensure that your credits transfer smoothly and your course sequence stays on track.

Interior + Spatial Design students take a mix of studio, technical, and liberal arts courses that build creative and professional skills. Coursework begins with foundations in drawing, 2D design, and digital imaging, then progresses into specialized studio classes focused on residential, commercial, and branded environments.

Courses cover topics such as space planning, lighting, materials, construction methods, building systems and codes, and sustainable design as well as digital tools used in the field, including AutoCAD, 3D modeling, and Adobe Creative Suite. Art history and general education courses help you understand the cultural, historical, and social contexts that shape design and a capstone project and an internship provides real-world experience.

The NCIDQ Examination is commonly required for licensure and use of the title “Certified Interior Designer” in New York and other states. Eligibility for NCIDQ certification typically involves a combination of education and professional work experience.

Russell Sage’s Interior + Spatial Design degree provides the academic foundation needed to prepare for qualifying work experience and progression toward licensure.

Absolutely! As you grow in your interior design career, you can earn certifications to open up new opportunities. Popular options include LEED for environmentally sustainable design, NKBA for kitchen and bath design, and WELL AP for design that prioritizes human health and wellness. Each certification has its own requirements.

You don’t have to pick a specialty right away! Your interior design bachelor’s program and early work experience will give you hands-on exposure to many areas of interior and spatial design, so you can explore what excites you most before committing to a certification path.

Ready to get started?

Got questions or need a hand? We are happy to help you!

Contact Admission

Beth Carlin
Assistant Director of Undergraduate Enrollment Management

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