FSU’s new School of Design expands degree offerings and prepares students for evolving careers that blend creativity, technology and collaboration.
WATCH FULL REPORT BELOW:
Florida State University elevates interior design program to School of Design
Florida State University has elevated its Department of Interior Architecture and Design to the School of Design, marking a new chapter for a program that has trained designers for more than 50 years.
University leaders say the change reflects how the design profession has expanded beyond traditional disciplines, with careers increasingly blending creativity, technology and collaboration.
Amy Huber, School of Design chair, said the new name captures the full scope of what the program offers.
“I think the name signifies all that we do and that what we can serve the campus community the Tallahassee community really the whole Southeast region. So having the name school of design is really an exciting inflection point in that journey for us,” Huber said.
The transition comes alongside a new bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary design and follows the addition of a graduate certificate in graphic design open to all graduate students.
Associate Professor Jim Dawkins said the expanded program opens more pathways for students entering the field.
“Well, the depth and breadth of what we’re gonna offer students, what they can get their degrees in. How they move out of the program into a path of interior design and design can often be very linear in the career, but there’s so many lateral paths to go to that students are qualified to do and now with a degree backing on top of that, to see what they can do where they can do it now they can do it so much more broad now than it ever was,” Dawkins said.
Despite the name change, FSU’s nationally ranked interior design program remains intact.
Huber said design today extends well beyond buildings or furniture it’s about finding solutions to real-world challenges across industries.
“I’m so excited for them to be future designers really to think about our future spaces maybe where I retire someday but really to think about how we can solve problems in the world regardless of what our specific design discipline is there are issues and things that they wanna resolve and use their design process the skills that they learn here to really tackle those issues out in the world,” Huber said.
As the School of Design begins its first year, FSU says it hopes its next generation of graduates won’t just adapt to change they’ll help shape it.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Want to see more local news? Visit the WTXL ABC 27 Website.
Stay in touch with us anywhere, anytime.