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Residential designer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a residential designer. Residential designers usually study architecture, interior design, or drafting and design. 53% of residential designers hold a bachelor's degree, and 32% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 451 real residential designer resumes to see exactly what residential designer education sections show.
The most common colleges for residential designers are the University of Wisconsin Colleges and the University of Wisconsin Colleges.
There are also many online residential designer courses to help get the education required to be a residential designer.
What education do you need to become a residential designer?
What degree do you need to be a residential designer?
- Bachelor's, 53%
- Associate, 32%
- Master's, 6%
- Diploma, 4%
- Other Degrees, 5%
What should I major in to become a residential designer?
- Architecture, 22%
- Interior Design, 19%
- Drafting And Design, 13%
- Business, 7%
- Other Majors, 39%
Most common colleges for residential designers
| Residential designer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Wisconsin Colleges | 7.69% |
| Kansas State University | 7.69% |
| Miami Dade College | 5.77% |
| Temple University | 5.77% |
| Florida State University | 5.77% |
Best majors for residential designers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Architecture | 21.9% |
| 2 | Interior Design | 19.1% |
| 3 | Drafting And Design | 12.5% |
| 4 | Business | 6.6% |
| 5 | Architectural Technology | 6.6% |
Best colleges for residential designers
The best colleges for residential designers are Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University, and Yale University.
A residential designer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for residential designers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become residential designers.
1. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
2. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
3. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
4. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
5. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
6. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
7. Ball State University
Muncie, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,896
Enrollment
15,529
8. University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX • Private
In-state tuition
$10,610
Enrollment
40,329
9. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
In-state tuition
$53,430
Enrollment
5,963
10. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
20 best online courses for residential designers
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1. Construction Site Electrical System Design
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5. Interior Design for your Modern Home: A Room by Room Guide
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6. 47 Graphic Design Projects for Photoshop Beginners
Photoshop graphic design for beginners! Includes 47 Photoshop projects for your graphic design portfolio...
7. Graphic Design Mastery: The FULL Branding & Design Process
Follows the FULL Graphic Design Process for A Company: Logo, Ad, Social Media, T-Shirt, Package, Website Design & More!...
8. ETABS: For Structural Design of Buildings
Structural Analysis and Structural Design of Residential Building in ETABS with Real World Project...
9. Graphic Design Foundations in Canva: Theory and Projects
Learn design theory and practice GREAT graphic design through practical real world projects in Canva...
10. Master Graphic Design & Software with Practical Projects
Conquer Popular Graphic Design Projects: Logo, Package, Magazine, Book Cover Design, Branding, Digital Graphics & More!...
11. Digital Design Masterclass For Graphic Designers
Icon Set Design, E-book cover, Digitizing Sketches, Social Media Design, Wordpress Web Design, Adobe Xd, GIFS and more!...
12. Fundamentals of Residential Property Management
Understand the foundation of residential property management as a property manager or landlord...
13. How to Design a Room in 10 Easy Steps
Interior Design Made Simple...
14. Complete Course in AutoCAD: Architectural Working Drawings
Impress your Boss by making Professional & good-looking Architectural Working Drawings...
15. Everything Small Home Design
Small Home Living at its Best...
16. Architectural Design Tools in Blender - 3D Design
Develop your creative and technical skills to create photo realistic architectural scenes and beautiful 3D models...
17. Fundamentals of Garden Design
An Introduction to Landscape Architecture and Design...
18. Canva Graphic Design Complete Guide 10+ Projects
Learn how to become a professional graphic designer in Canva by creating real world projects...
19. Revit 2023: Professional Revit Course
Revit : Mastering the Revit from Beginning to Pro...
20. Design Thinking & Project Management: 2 in 1 Complete Guides
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Top 10 most affordable universities for residential designers
The most affordable schools for residential designers are University of Florida, florida international university, and university of south florida.
If the best universities for residential designers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for residential designers.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
3. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Pomona, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,353
Cost of attendance
21,302
6. Fashion Institute of Technology
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$5,740
Cost of attendance
17,864
7. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
8. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
9. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Cost of attendance
25,275
10. Florida Atlantic University
Boca Raton, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$4,831
Cost of attendance
19,559
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for residential designers
The hardest universities for residential designers to get into are Carnegie Mellon University, Cornell University, and Yale University.
Some great schools for residential designers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for residential designers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
2. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
3. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
5. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
6. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,465
7. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
8. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,448
9. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
10. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for residential designers
The easiest schools for residential designers to get into are University of the Incarnate Word, notre dame de namur university, and la roche college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a residential designer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for residential designers.
1. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
3. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
4. Centenary University
Hackettstown, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
67%
SAT average
987
5. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
6. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
7. LIM College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,061
8. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
9. Lamar University
Beaumont, TX • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,043
10. Sam Houston State University
Huntsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
79%
SAT average
1,075
Average residential designer salary by education level
| Residential designer education level | Residential designer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $65,412 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $60,442 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $52,531 |
Residential designer education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025