Terminology

NCIDQ encourages the use of the designation "NCIDQ Certificate No." followed by the issued certificate number, on qualified practitioners' business forms, letterheads and business cards. Professional certification is often confused with similar terms, such as accreditation and licensing. Certification itself may take many forms. The following will clarify the various terms.

Certification

Although a few state and provincial governments refer to the term "certification" as a level of legal recognition for individual practitioners within that state or province, certification is generally defined as a voluntary form of recognition of an individual, granted by an organization or agency which is non-governmental. This organizational certification recognizes that an individual has met predetermined requirements established by the organization. Certification may recognize only minimum competency levels, or may recognize advanced levels of accomplishment or proficiency within a profession.

Certificate Renewal

The annual Certificate Renewal fee maintains Active status for individual Certificate holders. Active Certificate holders receive exclusive benefits and services, including publication discounts, newsletters, online access to their NCIDQ information, and unlimited verification of their Certificate to regulatory agencies and professional associations.

Accreditation

Accreditation applies to programs within institutions, rather than to individuals. Generally, accreditation is a voluntary form of recognition and is granted by an agency or association to programs or organizations that meet established qualification and education standards, as determined through initial and periodic evaluations. The Foundation for Interior Design Education Research (FIDER) accredits interior design programs.

Licensing

The specific terminology for licensing (or legal recognition) of a profession varies among jurisdictions. Licensing regulates individuals within a profession, such as interior design. The sole basis for licensing individuals is the protection of the health, life safety and welfare of the public. Licenses are granted by a state or provincial government to individuals who have met predetermined qualifications, generally including education and experience requirements, and who have successfully completed an examination for minimum competency within a profession. Licensing may limit the use of a title associated with the profession, as in the case of title act legislation, or, in the case of practice act legislation, may restrict the practice of a profession to those individuals who have become licensed under the legislation.

Grandfathering

A regulating jurisdiction may, at its discretion, issue licenses to long-term practitioners, or others, who may not meet all license eligibility criteria as set forth in a licensing statute. For example, licensing requires examination, and grandfathering provisions may (but do not always) waive the examination criterion. This general acceptance, often offered only during a specified period of time, is called grandfathering. Practitioners in allied professions may also be grandfathered if the regulatory agency determines that professional and educational backgrounds of the allied practitioners conform to the practice or title criteria established for the licensed practitioner.