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      Overview » Course List » Requirements » Faculty Overview »

      Interior Design Degree Requirements

      In order to be prepared to pursue your degree or diploma, there are a number of requirements we ask that you meet so you are ready to hit the ground running when it comes to your studies. The admissions requirements detail the prerequisites from an academic standpoint that have to be met. The technical requirements detail what you’ll need for your online learning experience.

      Students seeking admission to The Art Institute of Pittsburgh — Online Division must meet the following requirements shown below.

      The prospective student must be a high school graduate with a minimum, cumulative, final high school CGPA of 2.0 or higher, or hold a General Education Development (GED) Certificate, or associate's degree or higher as a prerequisite for admission.

      Online Orientation

      Each student who enrolls at The Art Institute of Pittsburgh — Online Division is required to complete an online student orientation prior to the start date of the student's first course. The online orientation helps the student become familiar with different features of the online classroom environment and prepares the student for his or her role as an active learner in the online classroom.


      Software Requirements

      • Adobe Acrobat Professional
      • Adobe Acrobat Reader
      • Adobe Creative Suite - includes Photoshop and Illustrator
      • Autodesk AutoCAD Full Version
      • Autodesk Revit
      • Google Sketchup (free download from sketchup.com)
      • Microsoft Office Professional
      • Norton Antivirus
      • Windows Media Player

      Minimum Technology Requirements

      Both PC and Mac users should have at least a 1024x768 display (1280x800 recommended) with qualified hardware-accelerated OpenGL graphic card, 16-bit color, and 256MB of VRAM, as well as a DVD-ROM drive.

      • PC: As a general guideline, students should not have computer specifications less than a Pentium 4 CPU or AMD Athlon 64 processor and one of the following Operation Systems with 4GB of RAM and at least 10 GB of hard-disk space available for installation:
        • Windows XP with Service Pack 3
        • Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise with Service Pack 1 (Service Pack 2 recommended)
        • Windows 7
      • Mac: Dual Boot Only
        • Multicore Intel Processor
        • MAC OS X v10.5.7 or Higher
        • 4GB RAM
        • 10GB of available hard-disk space for installing; additional free space required during installation
        • 1024x768 Display (1280x800 recommended) with qualified hardware-accelerated OpenGL graphics card. 16-bit color, and 256MB of VRAM
        • DVD-ROM drive
        • (DUAL BOOT SPECS)
        • MAC running boot camp (Included with MAC Operating System) or Parallels
        • Windows Operating system (Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP)(Must be purchased separately) Mandatory to use PC software for Interior Design and Residential Planning courses.

      Web Browser Requirements

      PC: At least one of the following browsers with Java enabled:

      • Internet Explorer 9.0 (recommended)
      • Internet Explorer 8.0 (supported)
      • Mozilla Firefox 4.0 (recommended)
      • Mozilla Firefox 3.5 (supported)
      • Google Chrome 5.0 and higher (supported

      Mac: At least one of the following browsers with Java enabled:

      • Safari 5.0 (recommended)
      • Safari 4.0 (supported)
      • Mozilla Firefox 4.0 (recommended)
      • Mozilla Firefox 3.5 (supported)
      • Google Chrome 5.0 and higher (supported)

      Hardware Requirements

      • CD or DVD burner
      • Color Inkjet Printer
      • Color Flatbed Scanner
      • Digital Camera

      Purchase Computer Hardware and Software

      Visit Journey Ed, America's leading seller of hardware and software to students. Select from a wide variety of software programs and purchase all of your required software online - at a student discount.

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      Accreditation



      The Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA)
      has awarded The Art Institute of Pittsburgh - Online Division's Bachelor of Science in Interior Design its prestigious accreditation.

      This accreditation means that our online Interior Design program meets the highest standards that employers are looking for in graduates. It also demonstrates our unrelenting commitment to refining and improving our curriculum to ensure our program continues to provide a respected Interior Design education.

      The Interior Design program leading to the Bachelor of Science degree is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation, www.accredit-id.org, 206 Grandville Ave., Ste. 350, Grand Rapids, MI 49503.

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