College of Design

Mitzi Vernon, M.S., is Dean of the College of Design. Jeffrey Johnson, M.Arch., is Director of the School of Architecture. Daniel Vivian, Ph.D., is Chair of the Department of Historic Preservation. Bruce Swetnam is Interim Director of the School of Interiors: Planning / Strategy / Design.

The College of Design at the University of Kentucky has a world-renowned following of industry leaders and practitioners who have either lent their experience as faculty or served indirectly as supporters of the College’s mission. This legacy affirms the college’s place among well-respected design schools, that lead in creating the next generation of designers.

With hands-on experience and a faculty collectively engaged, students in one of the many programs offered at the college graduate with an accelerated vision of how they participate in the continued advancement of the design industry.

Undergraduates also have the opportunity to participate in the college’s creative scholarship and research. Emerging areas of interdisciplinary research utilize the field of design in solving global challenges in the fields of medicine, health care, energy, sustainability and education; these, in addition to more traditional design areas of rural, urban and cultural landscapes; building design and construction; interiors; and historic preservation.