Interior designers
decorate rooms, homes and businesses for their clients.
There were 40,120 interior designers working in the U.S. as of May 2010, according to the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. The BLS's Occupational Employment Statistics survey showed that, of those, 3,450 were employed in Texas, giving the state the second-highest employment level for interior designers. Annual mean wages for interior designers in Texas were $51,470 as of May 2010. Interior designers who wish to work in Texas must meet national and state standards to qualify for employment.
Instructions
1. Earn a college degree. The BLS reports that training programs for interior designers take two to four years to complete. Aspiring interior designers should seek out programs approved by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design or the Council for Interior Design Accreditation. While you do not need to earn your interior design degree from a school located in Texas to work in Texas, the state is home to several NASAD- and CIDA-accredited interior design programs. Interior design majors take courses in architecture, design materials and building technology, in addition to completing general education courses.
2. Apply for National Council for Interior Design Qualification certification. To qualify for the NCIDQ credential, an interior designer must have a combination of six years of education and experience. At least two of the six years must be postsecondary education, the BLS reports. Candidates who meet the eligibility requirement can register to take the qualification exam. The multiple-choice exam is administered in three sections; it covers content areas that include building systems, project coordination, construction standards and design applications. A passing score is 500.
3. Register with the Texas Board of Architectural Examiners. Under a reciprocity agreement, interior designers who are licensed in another state can simply provide proof of passing the NCIDQ examination along with proof of current state licensure to receive a Texas license. The alternative is to take the NCIDQ examination in Texas; you can start taking the exam sections after completing six months of work experience in the state under the supervision of a licensed designer. However, you must have the entire six years of combined experience and education before being awarded a license, regardless of when you take the exam.
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