Candidacy

Candidacy Status

The Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) requires interior design programs to have graduated a minimum of two classes before they are eligible to seek accreditation. The reason for this requirement is that CIDA’s Standards for accreditation are heavily focused on student learning; therefore, the assessment of student learning must be based on a representative body of student work produced from a program’s current and on-going curriculum. While interior design programs that have not yet graduated two classes may show great promise, these programs still lack the body of work required for full assessment of student learning.

Many accrediting agencies address this potential problem by offering candidacy status, which recognizes the quality of academic programs in development. Candidacy status is public recognition that an agency grants to an institution or program for a limited period of time (no more than five years) to signify that the agency has determined the institution or program is progressing towards accreditation and has the potential to achieve compliance with the agency’s standards within a limited period of time.

If you would like to receive the Candidacy Status Policy and Procedure and application, please email the CIDA office.

Candidate Programs

Candidacy status is recognition of the quality of academic programs in development. CIDA’s Accreditation Commission awards candidacy status to programs to signify that the Commission has determined the program is progressing towards CIDA accreditation and has the potential to achieve compliance with CIDA Standards within five years. Candidacy status does not indicate that a program is accredited, nor does it guarantee eventual accreditation of that program by CIDA. 

The list of candidate programs on this website supercedes all previously published lists. The list is updated twice a year following Accreditation Commission meetings at which accreditation decisions are made. Candidacy status is granted for a non-renewable term not to exceed five years. The two dates in parenthesis next to the name of the program represent the date candidacy status was awarded and the date it will expire.

University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Bachelor of Science in Interior Architecture (2022, 2027)

Interior Architecture Program
School of Architecture and Design
Nisha Fernando, Associate Professor
Phone: 785.864.0564
E-mail: nisha.fernando@ku.edu
Accreditation Decision Letter