8 Best Interior Design Schools in Charleston, SC

Charleston School of Interior Design is a private interior design training provider based in Charleston.

It is one of the most direct options in the city for students who specifically want interior design coursework instead of a general art, architecture, or drafting program.

The school is a good fit for beginners, career changers, home decorators, real estate professionals, and students who want practical residential design skills without enrolling in a full college degree.

Programs Offered

The school offers an Interior Design Certificate Program built around residential design skills.

Coursework may include interior design basics, color, furniture arranging, accessorizing, lighting, flooring, upholstery, fabrics, drafting, digital design, professional presentations, and finish selections.

Students can also take individual courses such as Interior Design I, Residential Lighting, Digital Design, Intro to AutoCAD, AutoCAD II, and Home Staging Certification.

The Intro to AutoCAD class is especially useful for students who want to learn how to draft residential floor plans, elevations, furniture plans, walls, windows, and doors using design software.

Tuition and Cost

Costs vary by course and certificate path. Individual short classes may cost a few hundred dollars each, while completing a full multi-course certificate may cost several thousand dollars.

Students should also budget for a laptop, optional software access, drawing supplies, project materials, and presentation materials, which may add about $300 to $1,500 depending on the courses selected.

Program Length

Individual courses may run from about 12 to 24 contact hours.

The full certificate program includes multiple courses and may take about 1 year or longer, depending on scheduling and course availability.

Trident Technical College is a public community college serving the Charleston area, with its main campus in North Charleston.

It is one of the most affordable local options for students who want CAD, drafting, technical drawing, and architectural design skills.

While it is not a traditional interior design degree program, it is highly relevant for students who want to work with floor plans, construction drawings, design documentation, and building layouts.

Programs Offered

Trident Tech offers Engineering Design Graphics, Architectural Drafting, Civil Drafting, Computer Aided Design I, Computer Aided Design II, and Mechanical Drafting options.

Students can learn CADD, architectural computer graphics, technical drawing, residential and commercial working drawings, drafting standards, and computer-based design documentation.

For interior design students, this kind of training can be very useful.

It helps with floor plans, elevations, reflected ceiling plans, kitchen and bath layouts, space planning documents, and communication with architects, contractors, and builders.

Tuition and Cost

As a public technical college, Trident Tech is usually much less expensive than private design schools.

South Carolina resident tuition and fees may place many certificate programs in the range of a few thousand dollars.

A longer associate degree may cost several thousand dollars more, depending on credit load.

Students should also budget about $500 to $1,500 per year for books, software, drafting supplies, printing, and computer needs.

Program Length

Short certificates may take about 1 year or less.

The Engineering Design Graphics associate degree is usually about 2 years for full-time students.

The College of Charleston is a public university located in downtown Charleston.

It does not offer a standard interior design degree, but it can be useful for students interested in historic interiors, preservation, architecture history, planning, studio art, and the design of older buildings.

This makes it especially relevant in Charleston, where historic homes, adaptive reuse projects, hospitality spaces, and preservation-sensitive design are a major part of the local built environment.

Programs Offered

College of Charleston offers study in Historic Preservation and Community Planning, Art and Architectural History, Studio Art, and related design-adjacent fields.

Students may study architectural history, historic building materials, preservation planning, urban spaces, visual communication, drawing, and design context.

This is not the right option for someone who wants a direct interior design studio degree with furniture, textiles, CAD, and lighting courses.

It is more useful for students who want to understand Charleston’s historic buildings and may later combine that background with interior design, preservation consulting, architecture, or graduate study.

Tuition and Cost

As a public university, the College of Charleston’s costs depend on residency, course load, housing, and fees.

South Carolina residents should expect several thousand dollars per semester in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students usually pay much more.

Art, preservation, and design-related students should also budget about $500 to $2,000 per year for books, supplies, fieldwork, software, printing, and project materials.

Program Length

Bachelor’s degree programs are usually 4 years.

Students using the College of Charleston as a transfer or foundation pathway may study there for 1 to 2 years before moving into a more direct interior design program.

Clemson Design Center in Charleston is part of Clemson University and is located in Charleston’s historic Cigar Factory on East Bay Street.

It is not a beginner interior design certificate school, but it is a serious design education option for students interested in architecture, preservation, urban design, and the built environment.

It is most relevant for advanced students or students considering architecture-related pathways.

Programs Offered

The Clemson Design Center in Charleston supports architecture, historic preservation, landscape architecture, and resilient urban design studies.

Students may work in studio spaces and study design, preservation, urban context, adaptive reuse, building systems, and environmental design.

For interior design students, this option is most relevant if the long-term goal is interior architecture, adaptive reuse, preservation-sensitive interiors, or graduate-level design study.

It is not the same as a short residential decorating course.

Tuition and Cost

Clemson costs vary by program, residency, graduate or undergraduate status, fees, and housing.

South Carolina residents generally pay less than out-of-state students.

Design students should budget for studio fees, software, computer needs, printing, books, models, and materials, which may add about $1,000 to $3,000 per year.

Program Length

Program length depends on the Clemson pathway.

Graduate design programs may take about 1 to 3 years, while undergraduate architecture-related study usually takes about 4 years before any additional professional graduate work.

Savannah College of Art and Design, known as SCAD, is a private art and design university in Savannah, Georgia, about 2 hours from Charleston by car.

It is not in Charleston, but it is one of the strongest nearby options for students who want a full interior design degree in a dedicated art and design school environment.

Programs Offered

SCAD offers interior design degrees at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Students can study residential design, commercial design, institutional interiors, hospitality design, space planning, lighting, furniture, materials, digital design, design history, professional practice, and portfolio development.

This is a more intensive option than a local certificate because students complete studio projects, critiques, presentations, and portfolio work.

It is a strong fit for students who want a full design-school experience and are willing to relocate or commute occasionally if online or hybrid options are available.

Tuition and Cost

SCAD is a private university, so it is much more expensive than public technical college programs.

Undergraduate tuition can be around $40,000 per year before housing, meals, books, fees, supplies, and transportation.

Interior design students should also budget about $1,000 to $3,000 per year for software, a laptop, studio materials, printing, models, and portfolio expenses.

Program Length

The bachelor’s degree is usually 4 years.

Graduate programs may take about 1 to 2 years, depending on the degree and course load.

Converse University is a private university in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

It is several hours from Charleston, but it is still one of the more relevant in-state options for students who want a full interior design degree.

This may be a better fit for students who are open to relocating within South Carolina for a 4-year design program.

Programs Offered

Converse offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design.

The program includes design studios, technical drawing, digital visualization, materials, finishes, interior design history, space planning, presentation methods, professional practice, and portfolio development.

Students can expect a more complete interior design curriculum than they would get from a short certificate.

It is a useful option for students who want a degree-based pathway and more structured studio training.

Tuition and Cost

As a private university, Converse usually costs more than public community colleges and technical colleges.

Undergraduate tuition can be in the range of several tens of thousands of dollars per year before housing, fees, books, and supplies.

Interior design students should also plan for about $1,000 to $2,500 per year in studio materials, software, printing, laptop needs, and portfolio costs.

Program Length

The BFA is usually a 4-year program.

Anderson University is a private Christian university in Anderson, South Carolina.

It is not near Charleston for a daily commute, but it is another in-state option for students comparing bachelor ’s-level interior design programs.

It may be a good fit for students who want a smaller private university and are willing to relocate.

Programs Offered

Anderson University offers a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design.

Coursework may include building codes, accessibility, design technology, 3D modeling software, space planning, design studios, materials, lighting, furniture, visual communication, and professional practice.

The program is designed for students who want a full degree rather than a short residential decorating course.

Students interested in professional certification should ask how the program supports NCIDQ exam preparation and South Carolina registration or certification requirements.

Tuition and Cost

Private university tuition is usually significantly higher than community college tuition.

Students should expect total annual costs to reach several tens of thousands of dollars when tuition, fees, housing, meals, books, and supplies are included.

Interior design students should also budget about $1,000 to $3,000 per year for studio materials, software, printing, and portfolio development.

Program Length

The BFA is usually completed in 4 years.

Clemson University offers online professional and continuing education options that can be useful for Charleston-area students who want flexible residential interior design training.

This is not the same as a Clemson interior design bachelor’s degree, but it is relevant for beginners who want to study from home while building basic residential design knowledge.

Programs Offered

Clemson’s online Certified Residential Interior Designer training focuses on residential interiors.

Students may study design elements, design principles, space planning, materials, finishes, color, furniture, lighting, client needs, and the residential design process.

The course is designed to help students prepare for residential interior design credentials such as R.I.D.E. and RIDQC.

This option is best for students who want residential design skills, not a full professional interior design degree.

Students interested in commercial interior design, NCIDQ, or formal registration should compare this course with degree-based programs.

Tuition and Cost

Online residential interior design training commonly costs about $2,000 to $3,000.

Students may also need to budget about $100 to $500 for books, optional materials, software, internet access, and computer needs.

Program Length

The course is usually self-paced and may take about 6 to 12 months.