Best Interior Design Schools Near Kansas City, MO (2026)

Updated August 25, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Kansas City, Missouri has 5 accredited schools offering interior design programs. Kansas City has a population of about 508,233. Median household income is $67,449 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 37.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area, the top-earning interior design-related role is Interior Designer at a median $65,160 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Interior Design Schools to Kansas City

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer interior design programs near Kansas City, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Kansas City city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Kansas City. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Park University

Parkville, MO 8.1 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
41.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 43%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $56,309
Avg net price $21,032/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 58%
  • Programs offered: 18

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Central Missouri

Warrensburg, MO 50.4 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
54.8 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 64%
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $49,560
Avg net price $14,462/yr
Tuition
In‑state$10,050
Out‑of‑state$18,600
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 25

Source:Accreditor: Higher Learning CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

Maryville University of Saint Louis

Saint Louis, MO 220.3 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
64.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,105
Avg net price $22,066/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 15

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Saint Louis Community College

Bridgeton, MO 222.8 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
34.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 19%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $35,325
Avg net price $8,440/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 50

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Stevens-The Institute of Business & Arts

Saint Louis, MO 236.6 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
36.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 65%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $29,058
Avg net price $19,137/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 2

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Southeast Missouri State University

Cape Girardeau, MO 299.9 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
47.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 52%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $44,030
Avg net price $15,882/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 17

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Missouri schools on the Missouri interior design page.

Interior Design Wages Near Kansas City

Kansas City is part of the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area (BLS area code 28140). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Missouri statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Interior Designer$65,160Kansas City, MO-KS$70,443
Graphic Designer$59,990Kansas City, MO-KS$64,854

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Kansas City at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population508,233Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$67,449Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+37.8%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)92.5 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Kansas City-Area Cities With Interior Design Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited interior design schools are near Kansas City, MO?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering interior design programs near Kansas City. The closest is Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City in Kansas City, MO (5.2 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Johnson County Community College (16.8 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying interior design roles near Kansas City?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying interior design-related roles near Kansas City are: Interior Designer ($65,160), Graphic Designer ($59,990). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Missouri statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Gladstone instead of Kansas City?

Gladstone, MO is 6.2 miles from Kansas City and has its own set of local interior design programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Kansas City an affordable place to study interior design?

Kansas City’s median household income of $67,449 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Kansas City while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Missouri public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Interior Design Programs

Other Programs Available in Kansas City

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Kansas City:

Data verified: August 25, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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