Interior Architecture bridges the practices of interior design and architecture so that professionals working in the field have a structural and load bearing education with an emphasis on interior spaces. The field is similar to architecture in that it deals with structures and load bearing walls. It is similar to interior design in that it focuses on interior spaces but probably with less emphasis on surfaces.

The National Center for Education Statistics's definition of Interior Architecture: "A program that prepares individuals to apply architectural principles in the design of structural interiors for living, recreational, and business purposes and to function as professional interior architects. Includes instruction in architecture, structural systems design, heating and cooling systems, occupational and safety standards, interior design, specific end-use applications, and professional responsibilities and standards."

There nearly two dozen institutions offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in interior architecture. These institutions include:

• Kansas State University
• Lawrence Technological University
• Maryland Institute College of Art
• Marywood University
• Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design
• Santa Monica College
• The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
• University of California, Berkeley
• University of California at Davis
• University of Idaho
• University of Louisville
• University of Nevada
• University of North Carolina at Greensboro
• University of Oregon
• University of Wisconsin
• Woodbury University