history
The year 2008 will marked the 44th year our department has been in existence, since its creation in1964 when formal coursework was first offered by our program founder Jack C. Durgan. In 2008: For the first-time ever, we confered the First Professional Master of Interior Architecture and Product Design upon our graduating seniors. This degree was quite likely the very first of its kind to be offered in the United States.
We invite you to read on and discover additional benchmarks of which the Department of Interior Architecture and Product Design has been a part…
| 1954 | Jack C. Durgan becomes a member of the faculty within the Department of Architecture and Allied Arts (within the School of Engineering) at Kansas State College. |
| 1959 | Kansas State College becomes Kansas State University. |
| 1963 | College of Architecture and Design (CAD) is established as a separate entity from Engineering. |
| 1964 | Formal coursework offered within the newly formed Department of Interior Architecture. |
| 1968 | First furniture design workshop facilities obtained in what is now Seaton Court 112 and 113. |
| 1972 | First year for Bachelor of Interior Architecture (BIA) at Kansas State University. |
| 1973 | One of the first three such programs nation-wide to gain FIDER (Foundation for Interior Design Education Research) accreditation. |
| 1974 | Current furniture design workshop facilities obtained. |
| 1970’s | University of Oregon requests the assistance of program founder Jack Durgan in the development of a similar workshop-based Interior Architecture curriculum. |
| 1985 | Product Design added as a core component to the curriculum. |
| 1986 | Recognized as a Program of Excellence by the Kansas Board of Regents. |
| 1988 | One of three such “exemplary” Interiors programs to be reviewed by FIDER for establishing new accreditation guidelines for all interiors programs across the country. |
| 1993 | College of Architecture, Planning and Design (CAPD) namesake is adopted with the addition of Regional and Community Planning (RCP). |
| 2002 | Name change approved for the “Department of Interior Architecture and Product Design.” |
| 2006 | Establishment of lighting laboratory and course content for lighting of commercial interiors. |
| 2006 | Kansas Board of Regents approves new degree offering for Master of Interior Architecture and Product Design (MIAPD). Accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA, formerly FIDER). |
| 2008 | First graduating class to receive the Master of Interior Architecture and Product Design (MIAPD). |