Hi all, I'm posting to seek guidance on graduate school for interior design. For context: I applied to pre-professional master's programs at Chatham, Drexel, Thomas Jefferson, Virginia Commonwealth U, and George Washington U. I've been accepted to Chatham, TJU, and George Washington, and am still waiting to hear back from Drexel and VCU. I chose to apply to all of those programs in large part because they were CIDA accredited, however, I recently saw on the CIDA website that George Washington and VCU's accreditation is on probation. VCU's MFA program probation is particularly concerning as they were flagged as not meeting the following standards:
"Standard 14. Interior designers use the principles of acoustics, thermal comfort, indoor air quality, and water and waste systems in relation to environmental impact and human wellbeing. Weaknesses related to student learning expectations a, f, g, h, and i led the Accreditation Commission to determine that Standard 14 is in non-compliance.
Standard 15: Interior designers understand interior construction and its interrelationship with base building construction and systems. Weaknesses related to student learning expectations e, f, h, i, and j led the Accreditation Commission to determine that Standard 15 is in non-compliance."
I'm really bummed out because VCU was my top choice, but this has thrown me and made me rethink my whole plan. Those standards seem to be pretty critical. Can anyone on here give more insight into CIDA and their probation process? Or into VCU's program?
Also, from the programs I applied to, what program would be the best in terms of preparing me for the profession?
original posted by toomuchtaurus to r/InteriorDesign on Tue, 05 Mar 2024 15:02:14 GMT.