Design Institute of San Diego: Courses, Admission, Cost

The Design Institute of San Diego was founded in 1977. It is a specialized institution that focuses majorly on one program, interior design. The Institutional Learning Outcomes are for the graduates to be able to 'Communicate' effectively via written, oral, and visual means, using 'Critical Thinking and Quantitative Reasoning' to analyze, synthesize, and interpret information, ideas, and quantitative data in different contexts, inculcate 'Information Literacy' in students whereby they can value information, help graduates use 'Creativity' for problem-solving, and help them include 'Global context' in their work.

The campus of the Institute is in San Diego. It is a great city for a design institute. The campus is located just 10 minutes away from the Pacific Ocean. The weather is mostly warm and bright and the beaches are very beautiful. Balboa Park, Mission Bay, downtown San Diego, the San Diego Zoo, and La Jolla are all within easy reach. The campus is 30,000 sq. feet and has 6 buildings. It includes a lighting lab, student lounges, spacious classrooms, well-equipped computer labs, administrative offices, drafting studios, sample rooms, and convenient parking. The library has hundreds of periodicals, books, audio, catalogues, design books, and other visual materials that aid the design students.

The courses offered under Interior Design Major are Design Elements, History of the Built Environment, Drawing and Composition, Visual Communication, Quick Sketching, Color Theory and Application, Interior Design, Human Factors, Perspective/Rendering, Building Codes and Standards, Computer-Aided Design, Materials and Applications, Textiles, Building Systems, Visual Presentation, Externship, Sustainable Environments, Lighting Design, Ideas in Design of the Built Environment, Business Practices, Portfolio and Presentation techniques. The courses offered under General Education are English Composition, Oral Communication, Critical Thinking, Philosophy and Values, World Literature, Environmental Studies, and Cultural Anthropology. General Education Elective courses include Physical Geography, History of Modern Art, American Literature, Mythology, American History (1865 to present), World Politics, World Civilizations to 1500 C.E., and Developmental Psychology. Interior Design Elective courses include The Creative Process, Kitchen and Bath Design, Furniture Design, and BIM (Building Information Modeling).

The notable alumni of the Design Institute of San Diego include Jules Wilson, Ryan Gordon Jackson, Kelly Hinchman, Tatiana Machado-Rosas, Dominika Bandyk, and Alison Green. Jules Wilson had graduated in 1997 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design degree. Presently, she is the Founder and Principal of Jules Wilson Design Studio. It is a boutique firm that deals in high-end multi-family housing developments, residential, and commercial design. Ryan Gordon Jackson graduated in 2004 with the same degree. He is now the Principal Designer at Studio Jackson Inc. It is an international full-service design consultancy. He had also presented an award-winning contemporary furniture line known as Ryan I Jackson Home in NYC, Miami, and Los Angeles.

Kelly Hinchman graduated in 2007. She is the Founder and Design Principal at Studio H Design Group. Tatiana graduated in 1998. She is the Interior Design Department Head and Senior Designer for Jackson Design and Remodeling. Dominika Bandyk graduated in 2011 from DISD. She is the Manager of the Architectural and Designer Services for Dunn-Edwards Corporation. Alison Green graduated in 2010. She works as the Senior Interior Designer at Jackson Design and Remodeling.