Philosophy

Vision

By 2022 the Department of Interior Design will be distinguished for quality education that promotes diversity, innovation, sustainability, and collaboration, that caters for the needs of a ‘glocal’ society.

Mission

The mission of the Interior Design Department is to nurture a culturally diverse learning and teaching experience. While imparting evidence-based design, the department underscores innovation, collaboration, and sustainability principles that address the needs of the ‘glocal’ contexts.

Program Goals

To encourage critical thinking, exploration, and independent thinking that will lead to innovation and diversity of thought and expression even beyond graduation.
To expose students to a design process that combines the intellectual process of creating with the physical process of making.
To align the curriculum with professional interior design standards and practices in order to impart core competencies needed by graduating interior design students in the Middle East.
To encourage students to value and understand their own design culture, while examining design knowledge and precedents of other cultures.
To partner with the design industry and stay current with the profession through educational and research initiatives.
To foster leadership and prepare our graduates to join a relatively young design community in which they have the opportunity to become the knowledge leaders.
To nurture ties to our alumni and encourage their life-long learning.

CIDA AGGREGATE DATA COUNCIL FOR INTERIOR DESIGN ACCREDITATION

Class of 2019
Job Placement:
Six out of the 14 students who responded and graduated in 2019 are employed in interior design or a related profession, with a further three working in a freelance capacity.

Acceptance into Graduate Programs:
Three out of the 14 students who responded and graduated in 2019 applied for graduate school, and all three were accepted.

Graduation Rates:
The four-year graduation rate for those students who started in the Interior Design (IDES) program in Fall 2016, (and had started in AFO (Art Foundation) in Fall 2015), and who graduated in May 2019, is 89.5%

Student Attrition and Retention:
Fourty six students enrolled in the IDES program in Fall 2018 who could have continued on in IDES in Fall 2019. Of those 46, 45 continued in Fall 2019. Retention Rate: 97.8%, Attrition Rate: 2.2%.

Class of 2017
Job Placement
38.09% of the students (8/21) who graduated in May 2017 were employed by January 1, 2018. While this job placement is still not reaching our expectations, we believe that job placements saw a net increase from the previous academic year. It is important to note that the blockade might be having an impact on job placement, but so far the influence(s) are minimal.

For more details on job placement and collateral impacts, see the data hereunder:
Unemployed: 47.6% (10/21)
Unemployed by choice: 14,2% (3/21)
Employed within six months: 38.09% (8/21)
More than six months: N/A
Joined Graduate School: 9.5% (2/21) – one student has a full-time job and one is enrolled as a part time graduate student.
Freelancer: N/A

Acceptance into Graduate Programs
Two students 9.5% (2/21) from the Class of 2017 secured graduate school enrollment.

Graduation Rates
95% (21/22) of the students from the Class of 2017 graduated in four years. The offering of the internship during the junior fall semester gave ample time for students to complete their graduation at the end of the senior year.

Retention/Attrition
96.7% (60/62) of the students who enrolled during the Spring 2017 semester returned in the Fall of 2017, putting attrition at 3.3%.

Class of 2016
Job Placement
30.7% of the students (4/13) who graduated in May 2016 were employed by January 1, 2017. This low rate is in comparison to the previous academic year and can be explained by the plummeting oil prices that had a major impact on the job market.

For more details on job placement and collateral impacts, see the data hereunder:
Unemployed: 30.7% (4/13)
Unemployed by choice: 15.3% (2/13)
Within six months: 30.7% (4/13)
More than six months: N/A
Joined Graduate School: 7.6% (1/13) –
Freelancer: 7.6% (1/13)
Unknown: 7.6% (1/13)

Acceptance into Graduate Programs
One student 7.6% (1/13) from the Class of 2015 secured graduate school enrollment.

Graduation Rates
84% (11/13) of the students from the Class of 2015 graduated in four years. Contrary to the previous academic year, the internship offering was readjusted so that students graduate in May. This has enhanced the May graduation rates.

Retention/Attrition
100% of the students who enrolled during the spring 2016 semester returned in fall 2016, putting attrition at 0%.

Class of 2015
Job Placement
54.5% of the students who graduated in May 2015 were employed by January 1, 2016.

For more details on job placement and collateral data, see the data hereunder:
Unemployed: 4.5% (1/22)
Unemployed by choice: 4.5% (1/22)
Within six months: 54.5% (12/22)
More than six months: 4.5% (1/22)
Joined Graduate School: 13.6% (3/22)
Unknown: 18.1% (4/22

Acceptance into Graduate Programs
Three students 13.6% (3/22) from the Class of 2015 secured graduate school enrollment.

Graduation Rates
77% (17/22) of the students from the Class of 2015 graduated in four years. Contrary to the previous academic year, the internship offering was readjusted so that students graduate in May. This has enhanced the May graduation rates.

Retention/Attrition
95% (21/22) of the students enrolled during the spring 2015 semester returned in fall 2015, putting attrition at 5%.

Class of 2014
Job Placement
44% of the students who graduated in May 2013 were employed by January 1, 2014.

Acceptance into Graduate Programs
One student from the May 2013 graduating class who applied to graduate school—Master of Fine Arts at VCUarts Qatar — was accepted.

Graduation Rates
32% of the students from the Class of 2013 graduated in four years. This low graduation rate might be explained by the fact that many seniors complete their internship during the summer semesters. If the graduation rate is calculated, including the summer semesters, the graduation rate will be much higher.

Retention/Attrition
100% of the students who enrolled during the spring 2013 semester returned in fall 2013, putting attrition at 0%.

QUALITY MANAGEMENT AND ASSURANCE

VCUarts Qatar Strategic (Appendix A)

IDES strategic plan (Appendix B)

IDES vision, mission, and goals (Appendix C)

IDES course sequencing (Appendix D)

IDES Advisory Board List and Bylaws (Appendix E)

Example of Annual WEAVE Report (Appendix F)

Example of Assessment Quality Review (Appendix G)

Annual Faculty Report (AFR) and Individual Work Plan (IWP) (Appendix H)

Faculty compressed curriculum vitae (Appendix I)

IDES Retreats’ agenda and support data (Appendix J)

Macro curriculum analysis (Appendix K)

IDES Newsletters (Appendix L)

2030 Qatar National Vision (Appendix M)

CIDA Accreditation

Accreditation
CIDA’s Accreditation Commission meets a minimum of twice a year for the purpose of reviewing programs for accreditation. After reviewing the Program Analysis Report, the Visiting Team Report, and comments from site visitors, the Accreditation Commission makes a final decision regarding accreditation status. Commission decisions regarding accreditation status must be unanimous and require a quorum of five members.

The Accreditation Commission may, at its discretion, elaborate on or clarify evaluative comments in the Visiting Team Report. The final report resulting from the Accreditation Commission’s action is based on the Visiting Team Report and is the Accreditation Report.

Confidentiality and Disclosure
The Program Analysis Report, Visiting Team Report, Accreditation Report, and related correspondence notifying programs seeking accreditation of the accreditation decision are confidential. Documents may be disclosed only with prior approval from the program or in the event the program releases misleading or incomplete information.

Decisions rendered by the Accreditation Commission to award or deny accreditation, and the term of accredited status, are made public. CIDA does not disclose or make public applications on file or a program’s intent to apply for accreditation, except in response to a specific request by the program deemed reasonable and appropriate by the Accreditation Commission.

The official list of accredited programs is available on CIDA’s website at http://accreditid.org/accredited-programs. CIDA updates this list following each meeting of the Accreditation Commission (twice a year) and as changes take place. In addition, CIDA provides information regarding the accredited status of interior design programs to selected governmental agencies and professional organizations.

Programs are at liberty to disclose their accredited status to the public. The policy for program disclosure of accredited status follows on page 4 of this Section.

Notification of Decision
On the first business day immediately following the Accreditation Commission meeting at which accreditation decisions are made, the program coordinator is sent notification of the Commission decision of accreditation status by e-mail, with written notification following by mail. Notification will not normally be made over the telephone.

Within four weeks of the Commission meeting, official notification of the Commission decision and the Accreditation Report are sent to the chief executive officer of the institution, the dean of the appropriate administrative unit, the interior design program coordinator, and, optionally, one additional person designated by the program. A copy of the Accreditation Report is retained in CIDA’s files.

Accreditation
If the Accreditation Commission determines the program is in compliance with CIDA Standards, the program is awarded accreditation for six years.

The Accreditation Report may identify areas that require further development or are of concern. All accredited programs must submit a written Progress Report on areas identified as having deficiencies three years from the time of the accreditation decision. The Accreditation Commission may also require an interim visit as a condition of accredited status.

The Commission reserves the right to require an interim visit in order to monitor the program’s progress toward improving weaknesses identified at the time of the last accreditation review and the program's continued compliance with CIDA Standards. An interim visit is required in addition to a Progress Report if areas for improvement identified from the last accreditation review require on-site evaluation to ensure that the quality of the educational program is being sustained and is not jeopardized by further decline.

The Accreditation Commission determines if an interim visit is required at the time accreditation is awarded. If an interim visit is required, the program must submit a written Progress Report and undergo an on-site evaluation three years after the date of the accreditation decision. The Accreditation Commission will determine the scope of the interim visit at the time accreditation is awarded. (Also see Interim Visits, CIDA Accreditation Policy and Procedure, Maintaining Accredited Status, page 2)

Probation
Probation is an accreditation status that indicates critical weaknesses have been identified in an accredited program that require improvement in order for the program to maintain accreditation. Probation indicates that the Accreditation Commission, in its discretion, determined the quality of the accredited program is at risk due to critical weaknesses identified. Probation provides the program a specific period of time to improve areas of weakness in order to maintain accreditation.

Probation may be granted for a period of not more than two years at the discretion of the Accreditation Commission. The Commissioners will state in writing specific areas of weakness, which the program must improve within a specified time period. Probationary status may require the program to collect evidence and forward it to the Commission at the conclusion of a specified term, or this status may require a site visit by one or more CIDA representatives to review evidence on site and report to the Accreditation Commission. The Accreditation Commission will then determine whether improvements warranting continuation of accreditation have been made. If the Accreditation Commission determines that improvements warranting continuation of accreditation have not been made, accreditation will be denied.

Probationary status is a public action and is disclosed in CIDA’s list of accredited interior design programs. Programs granted probationary status maintain all rights and responsibilities of an accredited program. A decision to place a program on probation may not be appealed under the Appeal Procedure.

A program will be notified of probationary status promptly following the Accreditation Commission meeting at which the decision is made.

Denial of Accreditation
A program that is determined not to be in compliance with CIDA Standards will be denied accreditation. In this case, the Accreditation Commission has identified major weaknesses with respect to important aspects of the educational program. The Accreditation Report will identify these weaknesses.

Effective Dates of Status
The accreditation status of an interior design program is effective as of the date of the Accreditation Commission’s decision to award accreditation. If the program maintains compliance with CIDA Standards and complies with CIDA’s requirements regarding reports, site visits, and fees, accreditation status continues until the date the Accreditation Commission reviews the program for re-accreditation. The effective date of denial of accreditation is the end of the academic semester or quarter during which the decision to deny accreditation is rendered.

Required Published Statement of Accredited Status
All CIDA-accredited programs are required to publish the following disclosure statements in an easily accessible place on the interior design program’s website: “The interior design program leading to the is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation, http://www.accredit-id.org, 206 Grandville Avenue, Suite 350, Grand Rapids, MI, 49503.”

“The CIDA-accredited program prepares students for entry-level interior design practice, for advanced study, and to apply for membership in professional interior design organizations. The granted by meets the educational requirement for eligibility to sit for the National Council for Interior Design Qualification Examination (NCIDQ Exam). For more information about NCIDQ Exam eligibility visit: https://www.cidq.org/eligibility-requirements.”

Failure to publish these statements may lead to revocation of accredited status.

Announcement of Accredited Status and Disclosure Policy
A program is at liberty to announce the award of accredited status. All accredited programs must include accurate statements about accredited status in their institutional publications, including the program website. CIDA requires accurate disclosure, clearly identifying the program and degrees that are covered.

A program is accredited, on probation, or not accredited. CIDA does not allow use of the following terminology in relation to accreditation since partial accreditation is not possible: full accreditation, provisional accreditation, initial accreditation, continued provisional accreditation.

CIDA publicly discloses accreditation decisions, reasons for accreditation decisions, and accredited status. As standard practice, CIDA does not publicly release the Program Analysis Report, Visiting Team Report, or Accreditation Report. Programs may publicly disclose the contents of their Program Analysis Report, Visiting Team Report, Accreditation Report at their discretion; however, if a program or institution releases incomplete or misleading information, CIDA has the prerogative of releasing complete and accurate information in order to adequately inform the public and protect its integrity as an accrediting agency.

Programs that are not accredited by CIDA, including applicant programs, may not use the Council for Interior Design Accreditation name or acronym in any published materials, as this may lead prospective students to believe the program is currently or will be accredited.

All institutional personnel with responsibility for advising students must be made aware of the interior design program’s official accreditation status with CIDA and the appropriate rules for disclosure of this information.