VCU Interior Design Recognized as a Hidden Gem by National Interior Design Publication

By Tom Gresham

Virginia Commonwealth University’s Department of Interior Design has been recognized in the new hidden gems category of the 2010 DesignIntelligence national rankings of architecture and interior design programs.

Previously ranked in the top five for the region by DesignIntelligence, VCU Interior Design has been noted in the publication as influential and under-celebrated and as one of the five hidden gems of interior design education in the United States.

“The Department of Interior Design is pleased to be recognized by DesignIntelligence,” said Sharran Parkinson, Ph.D., chair of VCU’s Department of Interior Design in the VCU School of the Arts. “This acknowledgement encourages us to work even harder to continue developing the next generation of design thought leaders.

“Our location in VCUarts gives students an intellectual base in which they acquire a top-notch design foundation that provides endless educational opportunities and that prepares them for the profession.”

The selection process for the Hidden Gems category is based solely on the experience and opinions of DesignIntelligence and Greenway Group staff members, who communicate with hundreds of design hiring professionals and meet with dozens of academic leaders over the course of a year.

VCU’s Department of Interior Design offers the Bachelor of Fine Arts in interior design and the Master of Fine Arts in interior environments. For more information, visit http://www.vcu.edu/arts/interiordesign/dept/.