Interior Design Fundamentals

The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Foundation, in partnership with the Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC), and the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS), has developed a national interior design examination and credential for high school and junior college students. The Pre-Professional Certification for Interior Design Fundamentals validates the achievement of competencies related to the fundamental principles of interior design. It is anticipated that this credential will promote further education at the post-secondary level and continued training and professional development for those who want to pursue interior design careers.

The Interior Design Fundamentals credential is appropriate for programs in secondary and post-secondary education, community-based education, and employer-based staff development.   Eligible candidates for the pre-professional credentials have not attained a bachelor’s degree. Individuals with a bachelor's degree or higher are eligible for the AAFCS professional certifications. 

·       Career Paths

·         Design Fundamentals

·         Factors Influencing Design

·         Design Communications and Skills Development

·         Interior Design Application and Analysis

·         Professional Practice

Assessment Blueprint

Assessment Bulletin

Includes detailed information on assessment design, scoring, content, sample test items, and resources

Alignment Matrices

21^st Century Student Outcomes

Career Ready Practices

Employability Framework

National Interior Design Junior Certificate

The ASID Foundation, in partnership with the Interior Design Educators Council (IDEC), the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences (AAFCS), and a consortium of twenty-eight states, has developed a national interior design examination and certificate for high school and/or entry level junior college students. With the growing emphasis on assessment and accountability in secondary and post-secondary education, including requirements for Perkins Funding, the Pre-Professional Certification for Interior Design Fundamentals is needed to validate the teaching and learning taking place. It is hoped that states, school districts, and post-secondary education institutions will partner to offer college level credit for successful completion of this examination and attainment of this certificate.

Click here for the list of current certification scores The national cut score for pre-professional certification eligibility is established annually by AAFCS. Scores can be used to demonstrate competency, identify gaps in performance, enhance programs and curricula, and demonstrate accountability to stakeholders. Through articulation agreements, scores may be used as the basis for advanced placement and/or credit-by-exam at post-secondary institutions. When the assessment is submitted, the results are immediately available to the test candidate. The results provide an overall percentage score, a breakdown of scores corresponding to domains, and indicate if the pre-professional credential was achieved.

AAFCS credentials are based on industry standards. The Development Panel was comprised of industry professionals and educators. The following stakeholders participated on the development panel for the credentialing assessment.

Email Pre-PAC

Direct Telephone Line: 703-636-7641