2025 Best Interior Design Associate Degree Schools in California

Ranked #83 in popularity, interior design is one of the most sought-after associate degree programs in the nation. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.

College Factual looked at 2 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Interior Design Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 246 associate degrees in interior design to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

• Best Associate Degree Schools List

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

• Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to interior design students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - How many other interior design students want to attend this school to pursue a associate degree.
• Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized interior design related body.

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for interior design students working on their associate degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Interior Design Associate Degree Schools in California list to help you make the college decision.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Interior Design in California

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in interior design.

Top California Schools for an Associate in Interior Design

1

FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

24 Annual Graduates

FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles is a wonderful choice for students interested in an associate degree in interior design. Located in the city of Los Angeles, FIDM Los Angeles is a private for-profit school with a small student population.More information about a associate in interior design from FIDM/Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising - Los Angeles

2

Interior Designers Institute
Newport Beach, CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

25 Annual Graduates

It's difficult to beat Interior Designers Institute if you want to pursue an associate degree in interior design. Interior Designers Institute is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Newport Beach.More information about a associate in interior design from Interior Designers Institute

Best Interior Design Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Interior Design Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Washington	288	66
Oregon	260	29
Hawaii	79	4

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Rankings in Majors Related to Interior Design

One of 9 majors within the Design & Applied Arts area of study, Interior Design has other similar majors worth exploring.

Most Popular Majors Related to Interior Design

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Graphic Design	520
Fashion Design	260
Game & Interactive Media Design	44
Visual Communications	39
Commercial & Advertising Art	28
Illustration	14

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard). More about our data sources and methodologies.