How to Become an Interior Designer in Delaware

As an interior designer, you will determine how a home, retail or office space looks and functions. You may be responsible for designing a bathroom, for example, in which case you would determine if this room will have a shower, where the toilet will be located, if there will be a storage closet or if you will include a double-sink. This gives you a great deal of responsibility and creativity, as you will be able to see your virtual designs come to life. You will also need to communicate with business owners, homeowners or other customers in order to determine what will fit their desires and expectations.

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Requirements for Becoming an Interior Designer in Delaware

While no national regulations exist for interior designers, there are some states with laws and standards in place governing this career field. Since Delaware currently has no laws in place regulating interior design, you will be able to find employment in this state with a bachelor’s degree alone.

Additional work experience will further qualify you for available opportunities. You may also choose to earn certification in order to further distinguish yourself from other candidates.

Those who wish to further their education through design school, can expect to learn about the following:

  • Fine art
  • Graphic design
  • Photography
  • Illustration
  • Design style
  • Textiles and materials

After earning a bachelor’s degree along with two years of work experience in the trade, you will be eligible to sit for the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ) exam. This certification will help you find higher paying job opportunities, or help expose you to higher paying clients as a freelance interior designer.

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Internships and apprenticeship programs are also great ways to earn more experience in interior design. You may choose to connect with colleagues online, or attend networking events to speak with professionals face-to-face. By doing so, you may find opportunities that will expand your realm of expertise and compliment your bachelor’s degree.

Interior Design Schools in delaware

Since you’ll need to complete a degree program to find employment in this field, you should consider one of the post-secondary training options below:

  • Delaware College of Art and Design is located in the city of Wilmington, and offers an associate degree program in interior design. Tuition is around $25,000 per year, and this course will take about two years to complete.
  • Delaware Technical Community College is located in the city of Dover. The school offers an associate degree program in interior design, which will take about two years to complete. Tuition and fees are about $9,000 per year.
  • Penn Foster College offers an Associate of Science degree in interior design, which can be completed online in just two years. The program consists of 67 credit hours, and tuition is currently $79 per credit hour. Penn Foster also frequently offers significant discounts on the price of tuition.
  • Delaware College of Art and Design founded through a partnership between the Pratt Institute and Corcoran College of Art and Design. Located in Wilmington, the college offers an Associate of Fine Arts in Interior Design as well as a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Tuition for the AFA program is currently $37,000 per year, while tuition for the BFA program is $41,000 per year. 

National Certification for Interior Designers in Delaware

You will not need to earn national certification in order to work as an interior designer in Delaware, since no national or statewide regulations exist in governance of this career field.

Earning national certification is voluntary in this state, and is offered through the Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ). The CIDQ requires candidates to complete a bachelor’s degree, along with two years of work experience within the trade, before sitting for the NCIDQ exam. Alternatively, you may sit for this exam if you’ve completed a degree program which took less than four years of study, as long as you have an additional three-to-four years of work experience within the trade.

The NCIDQ exam consists of three sections, which include the Interior Design Fundamentals Exam (IDFX), the Interior Design Professional Exam (IDPX) and the Practicum Exam (PRAC). There is a $225 application fee required before testing, which covers all three sections. Upon approval, applicants will then be required to register for each section individually. The IDFX carries a registration fee of $295, the IDPX fee is $350 and the PRAC fee is $455. When you pass all three exam sections, you will then receive NCIDQ certification. To maintain certification, you will need to pay an annual fee of $75.

If you are in the last year of a bachelor’s or master’s degree program, or if you have graduated and have not yet earned two years of work experience, you will be eligible to apply for the IDFX exam only. This requires a $95 application fee, as well as a registration fee of $295. After completing two years of work experience, you will still need to complete the IDPX and PRAC exams in order to earn NCIDQ certification.

Career Outlook and Salary Expectations

The career outlook for interior designers in Delaware has seen updates in terms of employment growth and salary data. While the previous projection indicated a 6% increase in the number of interior designers by 2030, the latest salary data from 2022 provides a more current perspective on the profession’s compensation in the state. Interior designers in Delaware now earn an average annual salary of $54,670, with the lowest 10% earning $33,240 or less, and the highest 10% earning $80,330 or more. This updated salary information reflects a competitive wage landscape for interior designers in Delaware, although it is slightly below the national average.

National vs. Delaware Salaries for Interior Designers

Location Annual Low (10%) Annual Median Annual High (90%)
United States $36,610 $61,590 $101,550
Delaware $33,240 $54,670 $80,330

Salaries and Percentiles by Region in Delaware for Interior Designers

Region Annual Low (10%) Annual QL (25%) Annual Median (50%) Annual QU (75%) Annual High (90%)
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD $40,760 $48,490 $64,540 $80,600 $92,510
Salisbury, MD-DE $33,240 $40,420 $51,310 $59,240 $72,390

Interior Designer Trends in Delaware

The employment outlook for Interior Designers in Delaware shows a modest growth, with a projected increase of 6% from 2020 to 2030. This growth indicates a slight expansion in the job market for interior designers within the state, moving from 170 employees in 2020 to an expected 180 employees by 2030. Annually, there are projected to be 20 job openings in Delaware 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 suggests a steady, albeit small, demand for interior designers in Delaware, reflecting the broader national trend where the employment of interior designers is expected to grow by 4% from 2022 to 2032.

Employement Trends

Location Employment (Start Year) Projected Employment (End Year) Projected Growth Projected Annual Job Openings
Delaware 170 (2020) 180 (2030) 6% 20
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 Delaware 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 Delaware

Working as an interior designer will require you to be meticulous. Paying attention to detail will help you produce work that exceeds your clients’ expectations.

Interior designers in Delaware may expect to earn the highest compensation in cities like Bethany Beach, Dagsboro and Fenwick Island.

When you visit retail stores where living rooms, bedrooms, kitchens or bathrooms are staged, you can expect that an interior designer is likely the one responsible for the placement and aesthetic value that you see present. Interior designers work in environments like these, as well as architecture firms, construction firms, interior design studios and more. Creativity alone will allow you to create spaces that are visually appealing, but building your technical skills by completing a degree program will lay the foundation for a fruitful career in interior design.

FAQs

Is it worth doing Interior Design?

A profession in interior designing can turn out to be extremely lucrative, entertaining, and secure.

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