How to Become an Interior Designer in Arizona

Interior design requires a great deal of visual artistry, technical knowledge and an understanding of universal accessibility standards. When designing an office or commercial building, a home or even a government institution, it is important to understand the lifestyles, customs, needs and desires of those who will be inhabiting or visiting the building you are designing. Interior designers are responsible for choosing fixtures, placements of windows, flooring styles and more.

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Requirements for Becoming an Interior Designer in Arizona

Nationally, there are no laws in place to regulate the profession of interior design. Instead, this career field is regulated at the state level. In Arizona, there are currently no licensing or registration requirements that interior designers need to follow in order to practice. That said, most employers prefer to hire candidates who possess either a bachelor’s degree or, alternatively, a lesser degree with at least two-to-three years of professional experience as an interior designer.

An interior design program may cover the following topics:

  • Architectural and furniture history
  • Space planning
  • Interior merchandising
  • Interior materials
  • Color theory
  • Computer aided design
  • Rendering
  • Basic codes

According to AZ Big Media, interior designers in Arizona must have any structural work on a building signed off on by a certified architect. This helps ensure that building codes, laws and safety standards are being followed.

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There are several ways to increase your level of expertise within the trade. Completing a master’s degree program, finding an internship or apprenticeship, or earning national certification are all ways to increase your likelihood of being selected for higher-paying jobs. Since structural work must be signed off on by a certified architect in this state, you may even decide to complete a degree program in architecture. This will allow you to work more independently, though you will also be required to follow state regulations in order to work as an architect in Arizona.

Interior Design Schools in Arizona

Earning a degree will help you find more professional opportunities within this field. Consider one of the educational options below:

  • Arizona State University offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Interior Design, which will take four years to complete. Tuition is currently about $11,00 per year.
  • Northern Arizona University has locations in the cities of Flagstaff and Scottsdale. The school offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Interior Design, which will take four years to complete. Tuition is currently $24,000 per year.
  • Penn Foster College has an Associate’s Degree program in Interior Design, which can be completed in two years or otherwise at your own pace. The program can be completed entirely online, and tuition is currently $79 per credit hour. The program requires completion of 67 credit hours, and the school often runs specials offering significant price drops in the cost of tuition.
  • Scottsdale Community College has an Associate’s Degree program in Interior Design, which will take two years to complete. Tuition is currently $2,400 per year for in-state students and $9,000 per year for out of state students. The Art Institute of Phoenix offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Interior Design, which can be completed in four years. Tuition is currently $17,280 per year.
  • Maricopa Community college offers an Associate degree in Interior Design. The program requires the completion of 60 credits and takes two years to finish. Tuition is currently $86 per credit hour.

National Certification for Interior Designers in Arizona

Working as an interior designer in Arizona will not require you to earn national certification. However, taking the initiative to earn this certification may allow you to earn higher compensation, or help expose you to more high-end clients as a freelance interior designer.

The National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) certification must be earned through the Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ). To be eligible to earn this certification, you must first complete a bachelor’s degree program along with two years of work experience. The organization also allows those who have completed lesser degrees to earn certification, as long as these candidates also have at least two-to-three years of work experience to complement their degree.

This exam requires an initial application fee of $225. After your application is approved, you will need to register for each section of the exam individually. The exam sections are as follows:

  • Interior Design Fundamentals Exam (IDFX)
  • Interior Design Professional Exam (IDPX)
  • Practicum Exam (PRAC)

The IDFX portion requires a registration fee of $295, the IDPX carries a registration fee of $350, and the PRAC will require a registration fee of $455. When you have successfully completed all three sections of the exam process, you will earn NCIDQ certification. Maintaining this certification also requires payment of an annual fee of $75.

If you have recently graduated from a bachelor’s or master’s degree program, or if you are in the last year of a degree program and have not yet had the opportunity to fulfill the work experience requirements needed in order to earn certification, you will be allowed to sit for the IDFX portion of the exam only. This requires a $95 application fee as well as the registration fee of $295. Completing this portion of the exam will likely aid you in your job search, but you will still need to return to complete the IDPX and PRAC portions of the exam in order to earn national certification.

Career Outlook and Salary Expectations

The employment landscape for interior designers in Arizona is set to experience significant growth, with a projected increase in the job market by 17% between 2020 and 2030. This growth is expected to raise the number of interior designers from 1,500 in 2020 to 1,750 by 2030. In terms of compensation, interior designers in Arizona have seen an adjustment in their average earnings. As of 2022, the average annual salary for interior designers in the state is $55,760, with the lowest 10% earning $36,000 or less, and the highest 10% earning $95,120 or more. This places Arizona’s interior designers’ earnings above the previously reported figures for 2021.

National vs. Arizona Salaries for Interior Designers

Location Annual Low (10%) Annual Median Annual High (90%)
United States $36,610 $61,590 $101,550
Arizona $36,000 $55,760 $95,120

Salaries and Percentiles by Region in Arizona for Interior Designers

Region Annual Low (10%) Annual QL (25%) Annual Median (50%) Annual QU (75%) Annual High (90%)
Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ $36,050 $47,710 $56,180 $73,990 $94,210
Tucson, AZ $36,520 $44,760 $50,540 $72,130 $100,450

Interior Designer Trends in Arizona

The employment outlook for Interior Designers in Arizona is notably positive, with a projected growth rate of 17% from 2020 to 2030. This optimistic forecast suggests an increase from 1,500 employed interior designers in 2020 to 1,750 by 2030. This growth is significantly higher than the national average growth rate of 4% for the same period, which anticipates an increase from 94,900 to 98,700 employees across the United States. Additionally, Arizona is expected to have 170 annual job openings for interior designers over the decade, which includes new positions due to growth as well as replacements for vacancies created by workers leaving the field. This data underscores the robust demand for interior designers in Arizona, reflecting broader trends in the state’s construction and design industries.

Employement Trends

Location Employment (Start Year) Projected Employment (End Year) Projected Growth Projected Annual Job Openings
Arizona 1,500 (2020) 1,750 (2030) 17% 170
United States 94,900 (2022) 98,700 (2032) 4% 9,000

Souces of data:

The data provided in the summaries and tables comes from the O*NET Online website, specifically from the pages detailing employment trends and wage information for Interior Designers in Arizona and nationwide. The employment trend data is sourced from Projections Central and the wage data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for the year 2022-2032. These sources are reputable for their comprehensive and up-to-date labor market information, including occupation-specific employment projections and wage statistics across the United States.

Working as an Interior Designer in Arizona

You can expect to earn the highest pay working as an interior designer in the Yuma metropolitan area in places like Gadsden, San Luis and Somerton, Arizona.

Interior designers can be found working at architecture firms, home furnishing retailers, interior design studios and more. You can build a rewarding career for yourself as an interior designer by using your creativity, design skills and your ambition to succeed.

Search Certified Residential Interior Designer Programs

Get information on Certified Residential Interior Designer programs by entering your zip code and request enrollment information.

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FAQs

Is Interior Design a competitive field?

Interior design is a competitive field. The more competitive interior design jobs start in the specialized areas of the industry such as commercial, residential, hospitality and healthcare interior design.

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