CIDA Announces Professional Standards 2018

January 19, 2018

The Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) Board of Directors recently adopted revisions to quality standards for interior design higher education programs. CIDA Professional Standards 2018 are published and effective for programs undergoing accreditation reviews after July 1, 2018.

Professional Standards 2018 update the current Professional Standards 2017 in response to feedback from user groups, field audits, and to integrate content from environmental scanning and forecasting. Revisions were circulated broadly for community review and comment late in 2017. “The ongoing development of CIDA Professional Standards reflects CIDA’s strong commitment to ensuring graduates are well prepared for rapid changes impacting interior design. Additionally, we take seriously our responsibility to provide interior design programs with expectations that are clearly communicated and consistently applied. Feedback from our various stakeholders allows us to continually improve upon our process,” states Holly Mattson, Hon. FASID, Executive Director.

CIDA Board Chair Collin Burry, FIIDA acknowledges all who contributed to the most recent standards revisions. “An impressive group of professionals brings vision and expertise to CIDA’s collaborative standards development process. Because of this, we are confident that Professional Standards 2018 reflect both our profession’s body of knowledge and our aspirations for future interior design graduates. The impact and value of community involvement in CIDA’s work cannot be understated,” states Burry.

For more information about the recently adopted Professional Standards 2018, please click here.

The Council for Interior Design Accreditation is an independent, non-profit, accrediting organization responsible for setting standards and evaluating degree-granting interior design programs. There are 190 CIDA-accredited programs in the U.S., Canada, Qatar, and the UAE.


Amy Kaye