Overview

The University of Manitoba’s interior design degree, offered through the Faculty of Architecture, stands out as the only masters-level program in Canada with Council for Interior Design accreditation. Boasting a 90-per-cent job placement rate, the two-year course – focused on strategic thinking, global practice and entrepreneurship – prepares students for most aspects of the profession, from establishing a practice nationally or internationally to assuming industry-related leadership roles in academia or journalism. The one-and-a-half-year stream is for professionals looking to further their knowledge with self-directed research-focused study. Class sizes are small, and this boutique scale allows for ample interaction with professors, who have expertise in universal access, design education, lighting, work environments, human comfort and profession-based research. Students work on an array of projects, including offices, restaurants, retail environments, resorts and, in 2016, a healthcare project in Liberia.

Notable alumni

Inger Bartlett of Bartlett & Associates, Catherine Dowling of Ryerson University, Carolyn Lee of KPMB Architects, Lois Wellwood of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Robert Ledingham