Graduate Education in Interior Design:

1
Graduate Education in Interior Design

• Enhancing the Pool of Qualified Educators

IDEC Fellows Forum Montreal 2008
Prepared by Moderator J.H.Dohr, FIDEC
2
Panel Members

• Caren Martin
• Laura Smith
• Eileen Jones
• Nancy Blossom

3
Context Recent IDEC Activities

• 2006 Fellows Forum Body of Knowledge
• Ad Hoc Committee Defining Graduate
  Education in I.D.
• 2007 Fellows ForumGraduate Education in I.D.
• JID (33.1) Perspective Article
• JID (33.2) White Papers

4
Drivers of Discussion

• Evidence-Based Design and Growth of Fields
  Scholarship
• Complexity of Field New Paradigms related to
  Social- Environmental Agency of Interior Design
  Numbers of students
• Building Ranks of Qualified Interior Design
  Educators

5
2007 Ad Hoc Committee Paper Key Points

• Terminal masters degree accredited M.I.D
• 1. Includes professional content research
  promoting integration of research in design
  process
• 2. Qualifies as terminal professional teaching
  degree, distinct from but an equivalent
  alternative to Ph.D. other terminal degrees
• 3. Qualifies as the terminal practice degree
  (although it need not preempt the accredited
  baccalaureate)

6
Highlights 2007 Members Discussion

• Graduate Education MID as First-Professional
  Degree in light of MID Graduate Education as
  Post-Professional Degree
• Degree equivalencyMArch MFA PhD DArch and
  other professional degrees
• Needs for specializations qualified educators to
  join us shifts in guiding paradigms

7
Highlights JID Perspective Article

• J.H.Dohr
• Summary of 2007 Panel/Member Discussion
• Posed questions Scholarship as underpinning of
  Graduate Degree Functions of Scholarship
• Compared 3 Scholarly Cultures in Design
  Creative Performance, Research-Based Practice,
  Design Research
• Related Each Culture to components of inquiry and
  degree type

8
Highlights JID White Papers

• D. Guerin
• MID reflects need faced by profession in future
  tied to scholarship and to clarification of
  graduate education
• Presented I.D. Education Credential Matrix
  clarification of different types missions of
  academe and fit with degree and qualifications
• Suggests Examining Structure of Professional
  Programs in Institutions
• Added Promote I.D. Education as Career Option

9
Highlights JID White Papers

• M. Kroelinger
• Professional degrees are not equal to research
  degree they prepare students for different roles
• Advocates sound research basis for design
• To programs take what is and articulate Center
  of Excellence rather than whole new structure
• Shift discussion to acceptable, alternative
  degree paths vs. alternative terminal degree

10
Highlights JID White Papers

• J. Rabun
• Consider Proposal of NAAB in our discussion which
  held MArch inferior to PhD DArch
• Problems with Professional school identity
  given I.D. lacks status tied to legislation or
  identity through practice acts
• Similar difficulty in finding qualified educators
  across fields of ID and Architecture

11
Onward to Today--- Building Our Ranks and
Enhancing the Pool of Qualified Educators
12
Highlights 2008 Panel Discussion

• Caren Martin Asst. Professor
• Trajectory to graduate education from practice
• onto PhD, Directorship of Informedesign,
• tenure-track position at University of Minnesota
• Pulled study questions from practice experience
• Grad Program was accessible found excellent
  advisor some individuals face difficulty in
  meeting the expectation of having a diversity of
  institutions across degrees and degree to place
  of hire
• Difficult for mid-career designers with families
  to move several times
• Difficult going from professional salary to TA
  salary, considering cost of graduate school and
  needed additional support (spouse)
• Realized necessity to teach well in addition to
  research and service

13
Highlights 2008 Panel Discussion

• Laura Smith Graduate Student
• Enrolled at University of Michigan in the
  Architecture Design Studies masters program
  Recently accepted into Doctoral Program
• Idea about Graduate School initiated by
  undergraduate Advisor at University of Missouri
• Trajectory UndergraduatePracticed 5
  yearsReturn to Master/PhD program
• When looking at programs, lacked understanding of
  terminal and masters/doctoral opportunities and
  terms
• Awarded support by programimportant factor
• Posed question What capacity exists to combine
  teaching and practice?

14
Highlights 2008 Panel Discussion

• Eileen Jones Perkins Will, Chicago and Member
  of Task Force regarding Declining Pool of
  Qualified Educators
• Interior Designers in practice sit at an
  integrated table
• Consider What is expected of us at that table
  the interdisciplinarity of our work Evaluate
  practice, knowledge and educational problems
  Collaborate
• Clients want Research-Driven Results
• Design solutions must be married to business
  goals
• Have clear Methodology of Thinking (qualitative
  methods and strategies)
• Have passion about topics and work
• Learn to differentiate the market
• Map specific site issues to site type knowledge
  to general design/process theory and let cycle
  back to inform academe and practice

15
Highlights 2008 Panel Discussion

• Nancy Blossom Professor and Director of
  Interdisciplinary Design Institute at Washington
  State University
• Suggests diagramming a model of knowledge related
  to the academy, profession and publicseek
  correlation and relevancy
• Compare disciplinary knowledge, professional
  knowledge and knowledge about field
• Move to fresh thinking, clinical research and
  crossing boundaries among disciplines which
  requires preparation
• Transitional model must feature key themes
  evidence-based design, research reflective
  thinking, strong skills for doing, communicating,
  and meeting challenges at all levels of
  undergraduate and graduate education

16
Summary Points for Enhancing Pool of Qualified
Educators By Moderator J.Dohr

• Consider Motivations for advanced study
• Realize questions for study may arise while in
  practice
• Create vision encourage undergraduates to
  consider graduate education after practicing 2-5
  years
• Provide financial support and bring clarity to
  financial reward for individuals and employing
  firm/company
• Promote ID education as career path
• Academe be clear on opportunities, terminology,
  meanings of degree, courses of study and
  teaching/practice relationships Address
  accessibility
• Practice begin to articulate value assigned to
  graduate studies and how it might enhance practice

17
Summary Points for Enhancing Pool of Qualified
Educators By Moderator J.Dohr

• Attend to methodologies, to mapping research
  process and research-driven results
• Attend to interdisciplinary nature of field and
  types of knowledge/skill as well as designed
  environments that sustain, retain and satisfy
  client/users
• Address tensions between disciplinarity and
  interdisciplinaritya reality of higher education
  and practice today
• Articulate integrated relationships within
  practice and within academe--While
  interdisciplinary team approach exists on one
  hand, clarity of role and being informed,
  knowledgeable and an expert exists on the other.

18
Questions and Comments