Master of Science Advanced Professional

The Master of Science Advanced Professional degree options are for you if you possess an undergraduate degree in interior design or architecture. These degrees provide advanced knowledge for interior design practice and teaching/research.

There are two track options in this MS degree:

The MS Project track:

This choice supports the goal of Interior Design practice and provides extended design process and project knowledge. You undertake extensive programming research and related tasks and produce a comprehensive design project of your choice over a three-semester period.

This track consists of a minimum of thirty-two (32) semester credit hours and allows you to complete a Master of Science degree in three terms of fall/spring/summer. The curriculum focuses on the design development of a large-scale or otherwise complex built environment selected by you and engages you in creating the programming, research, design, construction documents and presentation that fully describes the solution. This professional track course of study also provides opportunities for internship hours and/or other electives courses. You exit the program with a portfolio of work suitable for career interviews.

View a sample student video from this program that showcases the student’s master’s project by Giselle Canizares.

View a sample student video from this program that shares the student’s values, skills and point of view to a prospective employer by Elisha Vincent, a former student.

The MS Research track:

This choice supports the goal of conducting evidence-based design research or teaching interior design. This track supports and leads to the ultimate completion of a Ph.D. degree. You conduct original research in this track and complete a university thesis over a five-semester period.

This track consists of a minimum of thirty-two (32) semester credit hours and allows you to complete a Master of Science degree in five terms of fall/spring/summer/fall/spring. The curriculum focuses on introducing the foundations of research inquiry and conducting original evidence-based studies that generate new knowledge in the interior design field. This track typically leads to a Ph.D. degree as the academic preparatory final step for a career in interior design education and/or research. This track also provides opportunities for internship hours and/or other electives courses. You exit the program with a university thesis that serves as a foundation skill set for application to a Ph.D. program.

The Master of Arts degree is also available and includes university requirements for graduate-level humanities and language. See the Director of Graduate Studies for further details.

The Florida State University College of Fine Arts is a place where learning and creativity are nurtured through instruction, research, and practice. The College is a close-knit community of faculty, students, and professionals that functions as an arts conservatory within a major university. It is home to a unique combination of visual and performing arts studios, classrooms, performance spaces, and museums. Our students are some of tomorrow’s most promising artists, researchers and professionals in their fields.

The College offers degree programs in Art, Art Education, Art History, Dance, Interior Architecture and Design, and Theatre. The College also houses several non-academic units including the Museum of Fine Arts, the Facility for Arts Research and the Maggie Allesee National Center for Choreography (MANCC). Many of our programs rank among the most respected in the nation. We are proud to feature specialized programs that leverage relationships between departments and museums to enrich the degree-based curriculum.

The College of Fine Arts has undergone an extensive self-assessment and strategic planning process. As a result, the College has developed a clear mission and related objectives that are encapsulated in the following statements. These statements fortify our resolve to offer the finest arts instruction and training in the nation.

We seek to create, teach, learn, and serve with passion and intellectual rigor. The College is guided by a set of values that demonstrates a commitment to students, faculty, the University, the community at large, and the organizations that will employ future graduates.

Values

• Put students at the forefront of all efforts and prepare them for successful academic and professional careers.
• Emphasize care and attention to the needs of each student by maintaining manageable class sizes and providing individual guidance.
• Respect the full range of the arts and scholarship, from old to new and from mainstream to highly innovative.
• Serve as an educational, professional, and cultural resource in the arts, theatre and dance for the entire campus community, state, and nation.
• Stress innovative guest series that invite prominent artists and scholars who involve students and faculty with current issues in the arts and expose them to a wide range of practices and research.

The College endeavors to be the top-ranked program for visual arts, theatre and dance in the country. It will always be a place where students can study under outstanding faculty and acclaimed professionals-in-residence. The emphasis on visiting professors ensures a constant flow of fresh ideas that stimulates an energetic and vibrant learning culture. New faculty positions and growing support from our alumni and donors allow us to engage the world’s finest scholars, artists, and museum professionals on a continuing basis. The powerful combination of academic and professional preparation will draw the most talented students from across the country to our programs.