The Interior Design Program in the Department of Art and Design received full reaccreditation through the Council for Interior Design Accreditation.
“Accreditation promotes achievement of high academic standards, while making interior design education more responsive to students and societal needs,” said Kitty Wasemiller, instructor in the Department of Art and Design and director of the interior design program.
Accreditation through CIDA involved a three-day on-site review along with other requirements. During which, the students displayed hand and computer-generated renderings and illustrations, architectural plans, hand-built models, essays, blog posts, completed assignments and exams, research, and tactile representations of design solutions.
Faculty and students filled the Shore Art Gallery with an archive of student’s work and curriculum materials for the site review. The programs produce a written self-study to chronicle evidence of how these standards are achieved in the curriculum.
After the site visit, the materials prepared by the department and the evaluations from the campus visits were sent to be reviewed before a final opinion was passed April 16.
CIDA accreditation programs are evaluated based on 16 standards; these include: Global perspectives, human behavior, professional and business practices, regulations, environment, systems and controls, and aesthetics.
CIDA accredits programs that provide academic preparation for the professional interior designer. CIDA is also the only interior design collegiate accrediting body for programs that seek accreditation through a process of self-evaluation and peer review, said Kitty Wasemiller.
All students who graduate with the CIDA accredited degree from ACU are eligible to sit for the NCIDQ licensing/credentialing exam and thereby apply for registration in states providing this opportunity. So the accreditation affirms the excellence of the programs outcome.
“This is very important because all students who graduate from a CIDA accredited degree program are able to sit for the NCIDQ licensing exam. Graduates who pass the NCIDQ are eligible to apply to the states licensing board for registration.
“Being a Registered Interior Designer is very important because it opens up job and networking opportunities,” said Melanie Bartholomew a senior interior design major from San Antonio and the president of the ACU American Society of Interior Design.
Beginning in the fall, a minor in interior design will be available for interested students. For more information about the major or minor in interior design, contact the Department of Art and Design.
