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If you’d like to learn more about the Interior Design program, we’d love to talk with you.
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Financial Aid Available
Program Transfers
$11,336.55
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Program Overview
Turn your creative talents into an interior design career.
The two-year Interior Design program at Madison Area Technical College provides excellent career training to prepare you for entry-level residential design and sales positions in retail stores and design studios or for commercial design work in office dealerships and corporate facilities. In your courses, you will learn the art of interior design as well as build business skills to work effectively with budgets, deadlines, customers and industry partners.
Top Career Training
Students in Madison College's Interior Design program learn to design interior spaces that are functional, safe and beautiful. In first-year courses, you will gain fundamental and technical knowledge in interior design principles, reading and drawing floor plans, building construction techniques, architectural and interior materials, finish selection, decorating, and space planning. Interior design students also sharpen skills in computer-aided drawing using AutoCAD and SketchUp. In second-year courses, students focus on designing commercial and residential spaces, with an emphasis on corporate offices, residential remodeling, and kitchen and bath design. They also build a portfolio of work that is shown off at our annual portfolio and can be used for job interviews.
Check out our latest portfolio show and see what you can expect to learn as an interior design student.
Interior Design Program Details
Students in the Interior Design program can attend full or part-time.
Interior Design Program classes are offered at the Madison College Truax campus.
Your Advantages at Madison College
On-campus classes with industry-accredited, experienced interior design faculty to master professional skills and industry tools and software.
- Focus on the latest interior design trends such as sustainable or “green” design and aging-in-place.
- Instructor insights into workplace challenges and opportunities for interior designers.
- Hands-on career training through field trips, industry trade shows, and internships in the professional interior design community.
- Build industry network through relationships with professional organizations such as American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), International Interior Design Association (IIDA), and National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA).
- MATC’s annual portfolio show where soon-to-be interior design graduates show their work to potential employers and the public.
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Interior Design Careers
Earning your associate degree in Interior Design at Madison Area Technical College prepares you for a range of professional positions in the design industry, including:
- Interior Designer
- Kitchen and Bath Designer
- Corporate In-House Designer
- Commercial Designer
- Facilities Planner
- Sales Representative
- Home Decorator
- Home Stager
Madison College graduates are employed by interior design firms, furniture stores, flooring stores, paint and decorating centers, building centers, kitchen and bath design firms, office dealerships and corporations.
Successful interior designers are creative and visually sensitive individuals who enjoy working with people and the components of interior design. They are organized and decisive with the ability to follow through on all tasks, as well as effective sales-oriented communicators.
Strong Job Opportunities
Graduates who complete their associate degree through Madison College's Interior Design Program are recognized as top candidates for entry-level interior designer positions with employers throughout Madison and earn an average monthly salary $3,040.
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Curriculum and Experience
Prospective program students, the information below reflects the basic requirements for students admitted for the 2022-2023 academic year. To learn more about Madison College, visit us.
Current and newly admitted program students, go directly to your Degree Progress Report to view:
- Progress toward your specific requirements
- Alternative (in lieu of) courses to meet specific requirements
If you have questions after reviewing your degree progress report (advisement report), please see Advising Services.
First SemesterSecond SemesterThird SemesterFourth Semester -
Admission
To Apply
Students need to complete the petition process to get into core-program classes for this program. Before submitting an application, it’s important to review the Petition Process webpage which also includes estimated wait times for each program.
- View the admission requirements for application deadlines, materials, and requirements
- There is currently 1-2 years between acceptance into pre-program and the start of core classes. The estimated time to enter the core-program is subject to change based on the variable number of students ready to petition each semester.
- Learn more about the Madison College experience and get help with the admissions process
After Acceptance
Once you have been accepted in a pre-program status, your next step is to complete the Petition Requirements. See the Petition information in the next section.
Additional Notes
Students will be required to meet the current admission and petition requirements. Requirements must be amended any time accreditation requirements are updated or changed. Requirements may also be amended based on Madison College programmatic assessment data.
Questions?
Contact Enrollment Services at EnrollmentServices@madisoncollege.edu or 608.246.6210.
Get Started!
Apply to Madison College and take the first step towards your Interior Design career.
- View the admission requirements for application deadlines, materials, and requirements
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Petition
After Acceptance
After you have been admitted into a pre-program status, complete all of the Petition Requirements for your program. Login to your student account and run a Degree Progress Report to review the Petition Requirements and see which requirements you have completed and which need to be satisfied.
Requirements vary by program, and may include some or all of the following:
- Prerequisites (examples: Algebra, Geometry, Chemistry, Biology, English and Reading): This varies by program
- Course Requirements (examples: Anatomy and Physiology, Intro to Psychology, etc.): This varies by program
- Testing Requirement (examples: ACT, HESI, TEAS): This varies by program
- Petition Workshop: This is done online and can be found in Blackboard after you have been admitted in a pre-program status
You can view the Petition Requirements for this program using the links below.
After completing the petition requirements, students are then selected for entry into core program courses through the Petition Process.
Questions?
Contact Enrollment Services at EnrollmentServices@madisoncollege.edu or 608.246.6210.
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Transfer Opportunities
Wisconsin Private Schools
Entering students who have completed Madison College general education courses with a grade of "C-" or better may apply them toward satisfying Stritch Liberal Arts requirements.Student who earn an Associate Degree from Madison College can transfer a minimum of 60 credits and a maximum of 72 credits to Lakeland College to be applied to the requirements of the Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Sciences degree.Out-of-State Schools
Students who complete any associate degree at Madison Area Technical College will have no additional general education core curriculum requirements to meet but must satisfy the Kirkpatrick Signature Series requirement. This applies to students who are pursuing a bachelors of arts, bachelors of science or bachelors of fine arts at Bellevue University.Students graduating with an associate degree from MATC with a 2.0 GPA or higher are guaranteed admissions into CSU-Global and can transfer up to 64 semester credits from MATC to be applied toward earning a Bachelor’s Degree at CSU-Global. -
Career Outcomes
After completing the Interior Design program at Madison Area Technical College, you will be able to:
- Integrate the codes and standards that impact the interior environment.
- Model professional practices of the Interior Design industry.
- Validate the design process.
- Evaluate design decisions within the parameters of the built environment.
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Graduate Summary
Graduate Report Summary Overview
2019 2020 2021 Number of Program Graduates 22 26 24 Number of Surveys Sent 22 26 24 Number of Surveys Returned 20 20 10 Percent of Surveys Returned 90.90% 76.90% 41.70% Available for Employment 19 19 9 Percent Available for Employment 95.00% 95.00% 90.00% Not in Labor Market 1 1 1 Percent Not in Labor Market 5.00% 5.00% 10.00% Available for Employment
2019 2020 2021 Graduates Employed 16 18 9 Percent of Graduates Employed 84.20% 94.70% 100.00% Employed in Related Occupation 15 11 8 Percent Employed in Related Occupation 93.80% 61.10% 88.90% Employed in Unrelated Occupation 1 7 1 Percent Employed in Unrelated Occupation 6.30% 38.90% 11.10% Employed - No Response 0 0 0 Percent Employed - No Response 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% Seeking Employment 3 1 0 Percent Seeking Employment 15.80% 5.30% 0.00% Reaction To Training at Madison College
2019 2020 2021 Student satisfaction Mean (Out of 4) 3.6 3.4 3.3 Number of Satisfaction Responses 20 20 10 Very Satisfied (4) 12 8 5 Percent Very Satisfied 60.00% 40.00% 50.00% Satisfied (3) 8 12 4 Percent Satisfied 40.00% 60.00% 40.00% Unsatisfied (2) 0 0 0 Percent Unsatisfied 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% Very Unsatisfed (1) 0 0 1 Percent Very Unsatisfied 0.00% 0.00% 10.00% Primary Reason for Attending Madison College
2019 2020 2021 Number of Primary Reason Responses 20 20 10 Preparation for Getting a Job 9 11 4 Percent Preparation for Getting a Job 45.00% 55.00% 40.00% Career Change 8 5 4 Percent Career Change 40.00% 25.00% 40.00% Improvement of Existing Skills 1 0 0 Percent Improvement of Existing Skills 5.00% 0.00% 0.00% Preparation for Further Education 1 2 1 Percent Preparation for Further Education 5.00% 10.00% 10.00% Personal Interest 1 2 1 Percent Personal Interest 5.00% 10.00% 10.00% Other 0 0 0 Percent Other 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% When Employment was Obtained
2019 2020 2021 Number of When Employment Obtained Responses 16 18 9 Before Enrollment 1 3 0 Percent Before Enrollment 6.30% 16.70% 0.00% While Attending the College 9 3 4 Percent While Attending the College 56.30% 16.70% 44.40% After Training at the College 6 12 5 Percent After Training at the College 37.50% 66.70% 55.60% Location of Employment (related and unrelated)
2019 2020 2021 Number of Employment Location Responses 16 18 9 In College District 14 15 8 Percent In College District 87.50% 83.30% 88.90% In Wisconsin, Not in District 2 3 0 Percent of In Wisconsin 12.50% 16.70% 0.00% Outside of Wisconsin 0 0 1 Percent Outside Wisconsin 0.00% 0.00% 11.10% Employer Location Unknown 0 0 0 Percent Location Unknown 0.00% 0.00% 0.00% Salary Trend 2019 2020 2021 Full Time Employment (Related Job) Full Time Salary Count 11 7 6 Average Monthly Wage $3,329 $2,998 $3,291 Average Hourly Wage $19.36 $17.43 $19.13 Average Work Hours per Week 41.5 41.9 41.9 Part Time Employment (Related Job) Part Time Salary Count 3 3 1 Average Hourly Wage $13.33 $18.61 $16.50 Average Work Hours per Week 26.7 20 32 -
Graduate Employers
Graduate Employers for academic year: 2021 Employer(s) Job Title City* State** Positions Bella Domicile Designer Fitchburg Blue Terra Design Lead Designer & Office Manager Environments Sales Support Specialist Portland OR Heffron Homes Interior Designer Prarie du Sac Holtz Builders Project Assistant Lake Delton Marling Lumber & HomeWorks Kitchen & Bath Designer Steinhafel's Furniture Interior Designer * - Only cities outside of Madison will display.
** - Only states outside of Wisconsin will display.
*** - If you have a position to post, please contact Career and Employment Services at jobpostings@madisoncollege.edu
