The Art Institute of California – Los Angeles’ Interior Design Program Awarded Accreditation from Council on Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA)

(SANTA MONICA, CA – August 11, 2009) – The Art Institute of California – Los Angeles announced today that its Interior Design program has received accreditation by the Council on Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA). CIDA, who is recognized as a reliable authority on interior design education by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), evaluates and grants accreditation at the college/university level twice a year. This prestigious accreditation is valid until 2015 and applies to the Interior Design curriculum, which prepares students to receive a Bachelor of Science degree.

“This announcement is a testament to the quality of the program we have been able to develop here under the leadership of the Interior Design Academic Director, Joanne Kravetz, and her talented faculty. Together, with help from a very committed student body, they successfully demonstrated our program’s academic achievements and strengths, proving our curriculum meets the quality standards set by the Interior Design industry, “ commented Shelley Glickstein, Dean of Academic Affairs at The Art Institute of California – Los Angeles, regarding the CIDA decision.

The accreditation process involves three primary steps, which include the self evaluation prepared by the program’s faculty and administration, an intense three-day site visit conducted by a team of trained evaluators who evaluate a program’s compliance with CIDA’s standards. This team prepares a thorough report and analysis, which is then forwarded to the Accreditation Commission. The evaluation of this report, by the six-member Accreditation Commission, completes the final step in this process.

CIDA accreditation now places The Art Institute of California – Los Angeles among the select group of accredited Interior Design programs in the state of California. For more information on CIDA and the programs they have awarded accreditation to, please visit www.accredit-id.org

“The accreditation process was a labor of love, and as an academic director, I am proud of this accomplishment and what this decision means for our current students and alumni. CIDA accreditation enables our graduates and alumni to apply for their state license, affording them an opportunity to enhance their professional careers as interior designers,” said Joanne Kravetz, Academic Director, Interior Design, The Art Institute of California – Los Angeles. Since the inception of the Interior Design program at The Art Institute of California – Los Angeles in 2004, Kravetz has been leading her faculty and developing her program to prepare for and ultimately secure this prestigious recognition.
The Interior Design program at The Art Institute of California – Los Angeles consists of 12 academic quarters, 192 total credit hours, culminating in a Bachelor of Science Degree in Interior Design upon completion. The program is designed to provide students with a foundation of art and design, while incorporating skills and knowledge of drafting, space planning, history of materials, lighting, residential/commercial design. The program also incorporates courses in 2-D and 3-D computer-aided design, computer rendering, 3-D modeling, and architectural detailing/working drawing methods of presenting design ideas and communicating with related professional services.