The information and program qualifications related to the Interior Architectural Design Master of Arts Program, under the Department of Interior Architectural Design of the Graduate School, are summarized below.
Information About The Program
It is known that programmes at the masters and doctorate level in the area of interior architecture are limited, especially in Turkey. The increase in the number of interior architecture programmes at an undergraduate level is an indicator of the need for this field. For reasons such as; the variety and richness of needs and demands in Turkey and the World; the increase of the scales of spaces in which we dwell; the abundance of industrial products, components and materials that constitute the physical and spatial body of the building; and the decrease in the physical and functional deterioration period, point out the need for education at undergraduate, master and doctorate level but also introduce the need for specialist and academics in this area.
The International Master of Interior Architectural Design Program (IMIAD) is a post-graduate program under the Graduate School and is administered by the Interior Architecture Department of the ITU Faculty of Architecture. The program began during the 2006-2007 academic year. IMIAD is a European Union Project and was developed as a Curriculum Development project under the leadership of Hochschule für Technik Stuttgart (HFT-S) Germany in 2005. The program was established as a joint program under the partnership between Hochschule für Technik Stuttgart (HFT-S) in Germany, Scuola Universiteria Professionale Della Svizzera (SUPSI) in Switzerland, Istanbul Technical University (ITU) in Turkey, Lahti University of Applied Sciences (LAMK) in Finland, and Edinburgh College of Art ( ECA) in Scotland. LAMK and ECA exited the partnership in 2014. In 2012 CEPT University (CEPT) in India joined the partnership, and The University of Cincinnati (UC) in The United States is expected to join the IMIAD partnership soon. Each partner of the IMIAD Graduate Program contributes to the program by sharing their unique identities and perspectives in this international collaborative program.
The program consists of two academic years in total. Each semester has a course load equivalent to 30 ECTS and the program is made up of 120 ECTS credit points as a whole. During the second semester, each IMIAD student attends a compulsory exchange semester at one of the partner universities outside their home institution. Additionally, an international workshop is organized by one of the partner institutions at the beginning of the third semester, where all IMIAD students and professors come together. Attendance at the international workshop is also compulsory. The languages of the program include both Turkish and English.
Click here for the program's website.
Program Profile
In fields related to IMIAD Interior Architecture, it aims to achieve the following goals: to be a program that continually improves itself, maintains strong national and international relationships, balances the triangle of research, education, and practice, serves society, promotes internationalization, and to pioneer in the field. It also strives to be prepared for national and international evaluations as soon as possible:
-To introduce different countries, cultural environments, and professional conditions to students and to move business areas abroad,
-To share multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary education and professional experiences in national and international environments, to strengthen the professional communication environment,
-To be a leading program in its field in the triangle of education, research, and application, to maintain this aim, and to meet the need for trained manpower for Interior ArchitectureTo train professionals who have the competence to create pioneering, original and creative environments by examining the issues related to Interior Architecture in an environmentally sensitive and critical manner and from different perspectives, who can conduct scientific research in the field of design, who can integrate, interpret and synthesize the information they have acquired within the framework of scientific and ethical rules, and who have the ability and competence to share their works in scientific and academic environments,
-To train manpower who a pioneer in their field, able to take responsibility, creative, self-identified, enterprising, productive, with high communication skills and leadership qualities, and who take an active role in design-related managerial issues and design-related decision-making mechanisms in terms of serving the society and representing our country in the international arena.
Registration Requirements
Application Term : 2025-2026 Spring Semester
Application Dates : 10.11.2025 09:00:00 - 26.01.2026 17:00:00 ( UTC/GMT+3 )
2025-2026 Bahar Dönemi / There is no quota available for T.C Nationality.
2025-2026 Bahar Dönemi / There is no quota available for international applicants. Click here for quotas and conditions for all semesters.
Application requirements, application dates, and quotas are updated in real-time from the Application System.
Program Learning Environments
STRUCTURE OF THE PROGRAM
The duration of the program is 2 years. The required ECTS credits are 120. The title given to students who will graduate from the program is 'Master's Degree in Interior Architectural Design'-'M.A.-Master of Arts'.
FRAMEWORK OF THE PROGRAM
Institutions will participate in the Program while preserving their own identities.
The program is bilingual. These are English and the native language of the participating university.
'Student Exchange' - It is essential for IMIAD students to exchange between participating universities under specified conditions.
'Module' - Curriculum is shaped around four defined subject modules.
Since IMIAD is basically a design education, the program focuses on design (Interior Architecture Projects).
The Master's Study will culminate in the presentation of a thesis.
PROCESS
The way the program is carried out is determined as follows.
1st Semester: This is the semester in which students complete their education at the university where they are registered.
2nd Semester: This is the semester in which each student continues his/her education at one of the four partner universities other than the university in which he/she is registered.
3rd Semester: This semester has two stages: in the first stage, All IMIAD students will participate in an international workshop organized by a program partner university on a rotating basis every year, with a duration ranging from two to four weeks. The evaluation result of this study will be communicated to the project coordinator at the university where the student is registered and will affect the term grade of the project course. In the second stage, students will return to the universities they are enrolled in and continue their courses.
4th Semester: This is the semester in which students complete their education with a thesis at the university where they are registered.
English Proficiency
Regulations and Guidelines
Academic Calendar
Course Plans
Course Schedules
Course Adjustment and Exemption Procedures
Program Educational Objectives
- To create an international and multidisciplinary environment for the exchange of postgraduate and professional experiences,
- To recognize the professional conditions in different countries and cultural environments, as well as to expand professional connections abroad,
- To strengthen the professional communication environment by sharing educational and professional experiences,
- To improve spatial perception, presentation techniques, and spatial design skills,
- To make systematic research about design and gain theoretical and practical knowledge with the ability to finalize a dissertation,
- To actively take part in administrative and decision-making processes about design,
- To meet the need of human resource in the educational, professional and practical fields of interior architecture and to represent our country in an international arena.
Measurement and Evaluation
Evaluating Student Success
The student success is evaluated considering Articles 56, 57, 58, and 59 of the Istanbul Technical University Graduate Education and Training Regulation Senate Principles.
ARTICLE 56 - Before the enrollment for the courses begins, the faculty member who offers the course informs the Program Executive Committee about the types, number and contribution percentage to the final grade of the studies within the semester, as well as requirements for a right to take the semester final exam. These requirements shall be finalized by approval of the Program Executive Committee and approval of the chair of the department, who declares them to the student and informs the Graduate School.
ARTICLE 57 - A student may appeal the final grade of a course within one week following the announcement of the grades. Appeals must be submitted to the Graduate School in writing. The relevant faculty member shall re-evaluate the student's success status and submit the result to the Graduate School within one week. Appeals not submitted within the prescribed time frame shall not be considered by the Graduate School.
ARTICLE 58 - Courses in graduate programs shall be evaluated according to the following grading system.
| Grade Description |
Grade |
Scale |
| Excellent |
AA |
4.00 |
| Very good plus |
BA+ |
3.75 |
| Very good |
BA |
3.50 |
| Good plus |
BB+ |
3.25 |
| Good |
BB |
3.00 |
| Conditional Pass |
CB+ |
2.75 |
| Conditional Pass |
CB |
2.50 |
| Conditional Pass |
CC+ |
2.25 |
| Conditional Pass |
CC |
2.00 |
| Fail |
FF |
0.00 |
| Fail(No Exam) |
VF |
0.00 |
ARTICLE 59 - Students who wish to improve their cumulative grade point average may retake courses during the course-taking period. The most recent grade will be counted for the repeated courses.
Internship
There is no internship in this program.
Graduation Requirements
- Students must complete a total of 46 credits / 120 ECTS,
- All courses must be completed with a minimum of a CC grade,
- At a minimum, 50% of completed courses must be taught in English,
- Students must complete exchange semester one of the partner universities,
- A minimum 3.00 GPA (Grade Point Average) is required,
- Attendance at the international IMIAD workshop is mandatory,
- A comprehensive thesis study must be completed and approved by supervisors.
The Awarded Degree and Title
Degree : Master of Arts Title : -
Program Employment Opportunities
ITU IMIAD programme had its first graduates in the 2008-2009 academic year. Our graduates have the chance to work as an academician in state or foundation universities or finding job opportunities in practice and administrative levels of the profession as well.
Number of Graduates
Graduate Statistics (Last Five Years)
| Year | Number of Graduates |
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2021 | 2 |
| 2022 | 7 |
| 2023 | 6 |
| 2024 | 7 |
Program Outcomes
P.O.1 1. Based upon the competency in the undergraduate level, the ability to use the expert-level theoretical and practical knowledge acquired in the interior architecture design, assessing the specialistic knowledge and skill gained through the study with a critical view and directing one’s own learning process, developing and intensifying (which are processed within the area) and solving the problems faced in the area by making use of the research methods.
P.O.2 Grasping the inter-disciplinary interaction related to the interior architecture design, Interpreting and forming new types of knowledge by combining the knowledge from the area and knowledge from various other disciplines and using the knowledge and the skills for problem-solving and/or application (which are processed within the area) in inter-disciplinary studies.
P.O.3 The ability to carry out a specialistic study related to the interior architecture design independently; developing new strategic approaches to solve the unforeseen and complex problems arising in the practical processes of the area and coming up with solutions while taking responsibility and fulfilling the leader role in the area.
P.O.4 Ability to see and develop social relationships and the norms directing these relationships with a critical look and the ability to take action to change these when necessary .
P.O.5 Paying regard to social, scientific, cultural and ethical values during the collecting, interpreting, practicing and announcing processes of the interior architecture design related data and the ability to teach these values to others; developing strategy, policy and application plans concerning the subjects related to the area and the ability to evaluate the end results of these plans within the frame of quality processes.
P.O.6 Systematically transferring the current developments in the interior architecture design and one’s own work to other groups in and out the area, Using the computer software together with the information and communication technologies efficiently and according to the needs of the area, the ability to present one’ s own work within the international environments orally, visually and in written forms and having proficiency in a foreign language – at least European Language Portfolio B2 Level – and establishing written and oral communication with that language .
Program Coordinator
Head of the Department
Links