Author: Lewis Bauer

Interior design schools across the nation train students for a future career in interior design, but few are preparing students for licensing exams.

There are only a few states that require interior designers to pass a licensing exam following their studies in interior design school.

Those states that do require licensing have recently come under fire by opponents of these types o regulations in the industry. Some opponents feel that licensing exams are unconstitutional and use the fact that 47 states find the exams unnecessary to make their case. They also claim that licensing exam requirements put an extra burden on both students who are seeking a career in this field and the interior design schools who prepare them for that career.

Such is the case in the state of Florida, where interior design schools must prepare students to successfully pass the licensing exam requirements in addition to traditional and contemporary interior design practices. Opponents of the state licensing requirement claim that the law is unconstitutional and want to see the Supreme Court hear a case to that effect this year.

An interesting article published by Law.com asks the question: Does the First Amendment protect your right to speak for a living? Many might ask what this has to do with interior design schools and licensing exams in the state. According to the article, the requirements to become an interior designer in Florida are too stringent and are based on “occupational language” regulations that should be protected under the First Amendment.

In order to become an interior designer in Florida, a person must successfully pass six years of interior design school, complete an apprenticeship with a state licensed interior designer, and pass the state exam. Because interior designers do their job through speech, as opposed to actually conducting any physical work, opponents of the regulations feel that Florida’s law is clearly a violation of the Constitution and subjects the speech based occupation to unlawful regulation.

Interior design students interested in an interior design school outside of the United States will soon have other options.

An American interior design school is set to unveil its newest program in opulent Dubai soon, adding to the already growing number of programs at the institution.

According to Trade Arabia, the American University in Dubai is expanding its education program to include architecture, art, and interior design specializations. The university has always offered an interior design school, architecture school, and communication. This new program is expected to seed these three core competencies together for the purpose of a more fulfilling curriculum at the design schools.

The one question that may come up with students, who are now more than ever aware of international issues, might be: Is it safe?

Over the past few years, stories have circulated about some of the labor forces in Dubai that offer excellent pay and benefits to workers to help build the super-flashy, manmade city on the water, who later find that they are stuck in Dubai  with minimum payment (if any) and the inability to come back home. For students of interior design schools, however, Dubai is relatively safe.

Perhaps the best way to safe-guard against becoming stuck in Dubai is to follow the guidelines for travelling to any country for higher education studies. Students seeking interior design schools in a city like Dubai need only practice commons sense, remain in contact with family and friends, and be sure to stick close to people they know and trust.

The American University of Dubai will offer interior design degrees through a four-year curriculum in to grant students a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design. The University is accredited by the UAE Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

A major college in California made it possible for interior design students at a smaller college to achieve a bachelor’s degree in interior design recently.

The Arts Institute of California and Lakeland College have entered into an agreement so that students at Lakeland’s interior design school are able to transfer credits to the four-year college.

The interior design school at Lakeland College is a two-year program, but offers students an in-depth education in the concepts and practices of interior design. According to a report in the news publication The Vermilion Standard, the Art Institute of California is confident in their curriculum.

“Lakeland’s two-year diploma program produces graduates who are very talented but who need additional opportunities to pursue a degree. Because the Arts Institute of California recognizes that Lakeland’s program is comprehensive, is academically advanced, and aligned with industry standards, our students will be able to receive transfer credit for course work that they’ve completed at Lakeland,” according to VP of Academic, Innovation, and Research Alice Wainwright-Stewart of Lakeland College.

As an added bonus, the Art Institute’s campus is located in Los Angeles, a city teeming with opportunity for interior designers. Home to Beverly Hills, Los Angeles is loaded with plenty of star-studded neighborhoods, top of the line boutiques, medical spas, and more opening up all the time. Each of these is willing to pay top dollar for the best interior designers in the market place.

Contrary to news reports a couple of years ago that claimed LA’s declining creative market would wreak havoc on these types of industries, interior design schools like the Art Institute of California are turning our hundreds of new professionals each year. Interior designers who are flexible in price point, design ability, and commercial interior design are able to survive and thrive despite the ominous economic climate.