Summary Resolved: To endorse the concept of a “professions master's degree” in interior design, to be designated th Master of Interior Design (MID), thereby promotin degree identity and clarifying the degree track. The MID would be defined: to include both professional design content and research methods, and the integration of research into the design process. By integrating research and project‐based design (possibly through the thesis), research is applied to design practice rather than isolated from it. Arguments for this integrated model and for “evidence‐based design” are prevalent in current discourse. as the first “professional” teaching degree, qualifying the degree‐holder for full‐time college‐level teaching. Although the master's degree is currently endorsed by IDEC as an acceptable teaching degree, it is not universally recognized by the academy. Existing degrees are characterized by different degree names, missions, curricular focuses, accreditation statuses, and credit hours, contributing to a lack of clarity and an uneven level of recognition. The proposed MID is defined as the “professional master's degree” and would be grounded in a comprehensive evidence‐based design education. The Ph.D. would continue to be recognized as the terminal and highest research‐based degree in the discipline. The proposed MID, as well as other research‐oriented master's degrees, could all serve as the first graduate‐level degree leading to the Ph.D. to qualify as the terminal practice degree in the discipline by virtue of its master's level status. For students already having earned the first professional baccalaureate, the MID would provide a more rigorous master's level professional education in preparation for practice. It would similarly provide a first professional degree to students with baccalaureate degrees outside the major (or in related majors). A flexible “leveling” component would need to be provided to insure adequate baseline preparation for these students. It is important to note that the MID need not preempt the professional and accredited baccalaureate, at least in the short term. It is further important to note that by redefining the terminal practice degree at the master's level, this would have a significant long‐term impact on the pool of qualified mid‐career practitioners who might wish to pursue full‐time teaching. Currently, mid‐career practitioners are less likely to return for the required master's degree because of limitations related to cost, location, or family obligations. by single‐degree nomenclature (MID). It is important to establish single degree nomenclature as a way of clarifying this degree as distinct from other master's degrees leading to the Ph.D. The MID is appropriate because it has disciplinary identity. Other degrees are understood as serving multiple disciplines (the MFA), or as research degrees (the MA and MS). The MID, as a newer degree, can best be defined by the discipline. by Council for Interior Design (CIDA) accreditation. In addition to defining the professio...

Advances in Internet communication are redefining interior design education and suggest new and exciting potentials for collaboration and the sharing of knowledge. The goal of this project was to explore issues related to collaborative work using Internet communication to resolve a complex design problem. Interior design and architecture students at two universities participated in an exploratory studio project which took place over a seven‐week time period. Students developed a working knowledge of several distance communications technologies as required to complete the detailed studio problem. Use of the Internet as a communication device for collaborative design allowed students, as future professionals, to challenge ways in which collaborative design is accomplished in the workplace. Just as importantly, new communications technologies suggest exciting possibilities for interuniversity, interdisciplinary, and student/professional partnering. As universities scramble to implement new technologies, it is incumbent on interior design educators to envision the potential of this technology and to construct learning experiences which challenge existing models for design and communication processes.

OBJECTIVE: This article provides a critical review of the interior design of the new Aronoff Center for the Arts (opened October 1995) in downtown Cincinnati. ANALYSIS: Criteria used for evaluation looked at whether the building is cohesive and consistent; succeeds on a compositional level; is experientially evocative; and speaks to its users, in this case the performing arts. CONCLUSIONS: Viewed holistically, the building is clearly good but not great. It is cohesive and comprehensive at all scales, and it succeeds, for the most part, on a compositional level. Shortcomings, however, include a lack of attention paid to secondary spaces and a failure to look at new forms, materials, and technologies appropriate to a building of this type.