Interior Design BS – Scottsdale Community College campus accreditation

The CIDA-accredited program prepares students for entry-level interior design practice, for advanced study, and to apply for membership in professional interior design organizations. The BS in Interior Design granted by Northern Arizona University’s 2NAU Program on the Scottsdale Community College Campus meets the educational requirement CIDA for eligibility to sit for the National Council for Interior Design Qualification Examination (NCIDQ Exam).

The interior design program leading to the Bachelor of Science in Interior Design on the Scottsdale Community College Campus (2NAU) is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA), www.accredit-id.org/, 206 Cesar E. Chavez Ave SW, Suite 350, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503.

Visit the NCIDQ website for more information about exam eligibility.

Program mission

To continually gain and impart design knowledge to prepare students to be leaders in the field of interior design.

Philosophy of the Interior Design program

Interior Design is an art and as such, has a close relationship to all forms of art and creative thinking. Ideally, designers are aware of and able to think critically about society and culture, and the role artists and designers play within them.

Consequently, Northern Arizona University's Interior Design program incorporates a thorough grounding in the liberal and fine arts. While students on the Flagstaff Mountain Campus build a foundation there, 2NAU students achieve similar goals through their associate degree from SCC. This is in addition to preparation specific to Interior Design. Both studio and seminar settings integrate diverse and complicated liberal arts learning with the theoretical, practical, and technical requirements of Interior Design.

A balance of theoretical and technical discovery forms the basis of interior design education at Northern Arizona University.

Program data

It typically takes a full-time student taking approximately 15 credits per semester 2 years to complete the degree program. Note that the 2NAU BS in Interior Design is a 4-semester program and many students take fewer than 15 credits per semester. The following data was collected using institutional records with help from NAU’s Office of Strategic Planning, Institutional Research, & Analytics (SPIRA) and information collected via our alumni network and LinkedIn.com.

Student attrition and retention

  • 86% of students admitted in the fall of 2024 returned in the fall of 2025, putting attrition at 14%.

Graduation rates

  • 93.3% of the Fall 2021 new transfer cohort from the Scottsdale campus earned their degree within 4 years (Scottsdale new transfer cohort).
  • 80.8% of the Fall 2020 new transfer cohort from the Scottsdale campus earned their degree within 4 years while 8.5% earned their degree within 5 years (Scottsdale new transfer cohort).

Acceptance into graduate programs

  • 2 out of 21 students who graduated in 2025 applied for graduate school, and 2 were accepted.

Job placement rates

  • 57% of students who graduated in 2025 are employed in interior design or a related profession.