The world of interior architecture extends far beyond buildings on land. For students at the Florida International University School of Architecture, it can also mean designing spaces that travel across oceans.
Through its innovative Cruise Ship and Super Yacht (CSSY) program, FIU’s Department of Interior Architecture offers students a specialized educational experience focused on one of the most distinctive sectors of the design industry: cruise ship and yacht interiors. The program combines international collaboration, immersive travel, industry engagement and hands-on studio work to prepare future designers to navigate the unique challenges and opportunities of designing for life at sea.
The study abroad experience reflects the broader mission of FIU’s Cruise Ship and Super Yacht program, an intensive curriculum designed to introduce graduate-level Interior Architecture students to the specialized considerations of the maritime design industry. The program offers a highly selective opportunity for students who have successfully progressed into the second year of FIU’s Master of Interior Architecture curriculum.
The CSSY curriculum extends well beyond the FIU campus. During the spring semester, students participate in a series of international experiences designed to connect academic study with the global cruise ship and yacht industry.
The journey begins in Miami, where students take part in an intensive workshop with Italian yacht designers and collaborate with visiting Naval Design students from the University of Genoa. Working across disciplines and cultures, students develop design proposals for cruise ship environments while supplementing their studio experience with visits to major industry events, including the International Yacht Show and Miami Boat Show.
From Miami, the experience continues to Italy.
Students travel to La Spezia, a major center for yacht construction and maritime design, where they participate in a collaborative studio alongside students from the University of Genoa’s Naval Design program. Working in cross-cultural teams, students develop design concepts for Italian yachts while gaining insight into the technical, cultural and creative considerations that shape the industry. Visits to yacht manufacturing facilities further connect the studio experience to the realities of professional practice.
The final stage of the program brings students to Genoa, Italy, where they spend seven weeks immersed in studio instruction and academic travel. Based at Santa Maria di Castello, students balance design coursework with excursions throughout Italy and Switzerland, exploring the intersections of architecture, history, culture and design.
“Traveling through Rome, Pompeii, Florence, Pisa, Siena, Genoa, Portofino and Venice gave our students an incredible opportunity to experience the foundations and development of interior architecture firsthand. Through observation, discussion, research, and sketching at significant historical, architectural, cultural, and artistic sites, they were able to engage with these spaces in a way that simply cannot be replicated in the classroom. It was wonderful to share this experience with such an exceptional group of students and create memories that will last a lifetime. Visiting FIU’s campus in Genoa was an added bonus and made the experience even more meaningful.”
– Natalie Molina, Assistant Teaching Professor, FIU Department of Interior Architecture
The experience also provides students with a rare look behind the scenes of the maritime industry through a visit to a European shipyard, where they have the opportunity to observe the construction of a cruise ship and better understand the scale, complexity and collaboration required to bring these massive environments to life.
Through this multidisciplinary and international experience, FIU Interior Architecture students gain a deeper understanding of an industry where design must respond to a distinct set of challenges, from spatial constraints and technical requirements to hospitality, luxury and the overall passenger experience. The CSSY program challenges students to think beyond traditional interiors and explore how design can shape environments that move across the world’s oceans.
By connecting students with international designers, industry professionals, manufacturing facilities and academic partners, the FIU School of Architecture continues to create immersive learning opportunities that extend beyond the classroom. Through programs like CSSY, FIU invests in experiences that expose students to global perspectives and specialized areas of practice while preparing the next generation of designers to navigate an increasingly interconnected profession.
