Purpose

The National Council for Interior Design Qualification serves to identify to the public those interior designers who have met the minimum standards for professional practice by passing the NCIDQ Examination.

NCIDQ continually updates the examination to reflect expanding professional knowledge and design development techniques. NCIDQ seeks the acceptance of its examination as a universal standard by which to measure the competency of interior designers to practice as professionals.

History

Download a timeline of NCIDQ's history since 1972.

Conceived in the late 1960's to serve as a basis for issuing credentials to today's professional interior design practitioner, the Council has been in effect since 1972. It was formalized as a not-for-profit organization when it was incorporated in 1974. NCIDQ's founders were the American Institute of Interior Designers (AID) and the National Society of Interior Designers (NSID), two national organizations that were then preparing to merge into what became the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID). All national design organizations, whose membership was made up in total or in part of interior designers, were asked to join.

The parent organizations decided that a separate council was needed to (1) develop, administer and certify, through a qualifying examination, the interior design practitioner competent to practice; and (2) study and present plans, programs and guidelines for the statutory licensing of interior design practitioners.

Membership

NCIDQ's members are state and provincial boards that regulate the profession of interior design. There is no membership category for individuals.

Certificate Holders

While NCIDQ does not offer membership to individuals, professional interior designers can become Certificate holders by completing the examination process. Individuals who meet NCIDQ's eligibility requirements and pass all required sections of the NCIDQ Examination are each assigned a unique NCIDQ Certificate number. Certificate holders who pay an annual Certificate Renewal fee receive exclusive Active Certificate holder benefits and discounts.

Acceptance

Successful completion of the NCIDQ Examination is a prerequisite for professional registration in those American states and Canadian provinces that have enacted licensing or certification statutes to protect the health, safety and welfare of the public. The NCIDQ Examination must also be passed by every interior designer applying for professional membership.

Administration

Representatives from state/provincial regulatory agencies are appointed to serve as delegates on the NCIDQ Council of Delegates for two-year terms. Currently, the following states/provinces are represented on the Council: Alabama, Alberta, Arkansas, British Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Manitoba, Maryland, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Brunswick, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nova Scotia, Oklahoma, Ontario, Puerto Rico, Saskatchewan, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia. The activities and affairs of the Council are managed by its Board of Directors which has the right and authority to manage its affairs, property, funds and policies.

Beyond the Council's responsibilities for conducting and jurying the examination in locations throughout North America, it is charged with defining, researching and updating bodies of knowledge, conducting field surveys, analyzing candidate performance, evaluating subject areas and item validity, developing and pretesting questions and problems, improving scoring, implementing grading and jurying procedures, reviewing education and practice requirements, and identifying public health, safety and welfare issues.