Career Paths

Being a Furnishing and Interiors major means being part of a tight-knit, collaborative community within the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. The program challenges us to think critically about how interior environments impact human well-being, allowing us to design spaces that are as functional as they are beautiful. Through hands-on projects and mentorship within FACS, I’ve gained the confidence and industry-standard skills needed to transition from the classroom to a professional design career.

I greatly appreciate how much the Furnishings and Interiors program trained me to be a professional. High industry standards were expected in the classroom, and I felt coached by our professors to get the most out of our design. I greatly enjoyed our creative freedom and feeling empowered to intentionally incorporate our personal design interests into our projects with a focus on technical accuracy. Every student brought their own wonderful flare and flavor to their design. I love how this was celebrated and how our expertise developed from our unique interests.

The Furnishings and Interiors program has played such an important role in my life, both personally and academically. As a first-generation college student, it has given me confidence, purpose, and a strong sense of community. Throughout the program, I’ve grown in my design abilities and learned to trust myself and my creative vision. The encouragement from my professors and the hands-on experiences have helped shape me into a more confident and determined designer. Being a part of this program has allowed me to turn my dream into something real and achievable!

As a TMI graduate student, I am currently in the midst of a qualitative study that is rooted in ecological feminism and explores connections between women designers' personal commitments to environmental sustainability and their professional implementation of sustainable design solutions. I am passionate about design pedagogy and hope to teach interior design to undergraduate students upon my graduation. The FI Master's program at UGA provides a graduate experience that is well-rounded and adaptable in terms of coursework and prepares students for success whether they wish to pursue a career in the design industry or one in academia. I have felt mentored and cared for every step of the journey and will leave this program feeling stronger as a researcher, designer, and emerging teacher.