Interior Design program MSU COT

Interior Design MSU-COT

     “We may be small, but we really have a gem,” says Julie Myers, Interior Design Program Director, Montana State University, Great Falls College of Technology.

     Myers is bursting with pride for not only the Interior Design curriculum at MSU-COT, but also for the outstanding students who recently placed in the National Kitchen & Bath Association Student Design Competition.

     KC Smelser placed third in the nation for his kitchen design for the 2011 NKBA student competition.   He will be awarded a one-thousand dollar scholarship and a paid trip to the 2012 Kitchen & Bath Industry Show which is being held in Chicago, April 22.

    Smelser, a Power High School graduate, who has served an interior design internship and worked with clients and contractors, aims to eventually achieve a Bachelor’s, and or, a Master’s Degree in Interior Design.

    According to Smelser, his design aptitude and imagination comes from his ranch/farm roots in Fairfield.

    “We have always had to be creative in a pinch.  We build a lot from scratch.”

    The 2011-2012 project required designing an open area kitchen and dining room to meet the needs of a couple who have purchased a Federal style row house in a major northern city.

     KC’s project was called: Federalism for the Twenty-first Century.  His design concept included an overall theme of “old meets new”:  Influenced by the American Federal Style, KC designed two rooms that featured an emphasis on symmetry that evoked the formalism of the federalist style, and uncluttered lines that kept the room thoroughly modern.  Two toned cabinetry resembles inlaid marquetry and furniture of the late 18^th Century while grey granite recalls stainless steel, giving the space a modern feel.  The floors are finished in golden oak parquet, the walls are a historical pale blue with white molding and millwork, and the hardware and lighting finishes are pewter and silvers with appliances in stainless to give the space both warm and cool tones.  The overall look of the space is one of comfortable formalism.

     And, there are more accolades for the MSU-COT Interior Design curriculum that will graduate ten students in May.

     Cindy Semple, Alicia Adachi, and Tiffany Royland took three spots out of the top nineteen nationwide in the second round judging of the student design competition and also received a certificate of achievement from the NKBA.

     Semple, a Great Falls CMR graduate plans to stay in Montana and work in commercial design.

    Adachi, a homeschooled high school graduate, will move to Japan and hopes to go into the field of illustration there.

    Royland,  a graduate of Great Falls High School, already has a job at Windsor Plywood in their Kitchen design area.

    Also, three MSU-COT students received an award in the GE Charette Design Competition.  Tiffany Royland, Cindy Semple, and Lori Krause will be recipients of $50 check and a certificate of achievement to show for their hard work and dedication to design.

      It has been Myer’s goal since the interior design curriculum received the National Kitchen & Bath accreditation in 2006 to have a national winner.

     For a college to be accredited by the NKBA, they have to meet stringent standards in curriculum, student projects, faculty and administration.  The NKBA has an evaluation team of educators and industry professionals who make classroom observations.  NKBA accreditation also means that students seeking the Kitchen & Bath Design Certificate can be assured that their college has quality kitchen and bath design and interior design classes.

     “The NKBA choose about forty schools which helps elevate our accreditation with our curriculum and networking with professionals,” notes Myers.   Our program is sixty-nine credits and now, we have to do a lot of work to maintain NKBA. Next November, we will have a NKBA site visit to update our accreditation along with two examples of everything we teach. ”

    MSU-COT offers an intense five semester interior design program.

     “Our goal is to learn as much about design in five semesters as in a four year program,” explains Myers.

     “We don’t have a huge program in Montana; we get the basics in Interior design and some classes are offered classes online,” adds Becky Scott, adjunct instructor who teaches Introduction to Interior Design, and Kitchen & Bath II: Advanced Kitchen and Bath Design.

     Courses in the curriculum also include design graphics, historic interiors, drawing, space planning, lighting systems, CAD for interior design, and architectural construction and materials, among others.     In the summer one general class is offered, and then the students intern and spend between 90 and 160 hours working for a business.  The field study internship is an important required class as it allows the students to have an experience in the field before graduation and promote the program.  In many cases, it often provides job opportunities for the future.

      The interior design curriculum at MSU-COT is fortunate to have local businessman, Arnie Owen, who serves on the NKBA advisory board and is the liaison for accreditation for the NKBA.  Owen is one of two  Certified Master Kitchen/Bath Designers in Montana, and helps with jurying exams for the Design I and Design II classes.  Owen also volunteers in the classroom with the students.

     “These classes offer great information,” says Owen. “You can’t put students into business without this background.  It is good to see that we have students who are interested in correct kitchen design.”

    For their winning project competition, students worked on designing the kitchen space in the proper way with guidelines from the NKBA.  Student outcomes and assessments are transparent.  They know from the beginning what is expected of them.

     “It is really cool to see a student take on a project as a goal to win; I have had kids in the top tier before.  We have a small intake but a great intention.  We want good graduates going out there and working,” said Myers .