The First Interior Design Engineering Program in ...

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ScienceDirect Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 102 (2013) 335 – 339

6th International Forum on Engineering Education (IFEE 2012)

The First Interior Design Engineering Program in Saudi Arabia: Relevancy to introduce the program at Yanbu University College Asharyzal Ahmad*, Ali Abdulkariem M.Ali, a

Interior Design Engineering Department, Yanbu University College, Saudi Arabia

Abstract This paper discusses why Interior Design Engineering (IDE) program has been introduced at Yanbu University College (YUC) of Saudi Arabia. Interior design program is considered as an art program in most universities and in some universities is considered part of architecture schools and not an engineering program. In contrary, IDE program at YUC is designed with emphasis on engineering oriented courses into interior design program. Further research is made to investigate interior design programs offered in Saudi Arabia and compared with IDE program at YUC. The paper concluded that the introduction of IDE program at YUC is relevant as demanded by the profession and graduate students will be benefited to be technically knowledgeable and earning privileges of being engineering graduate holders. © 2013The TheAuthors. Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.access under CC BY-NC-ND license. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Mohd ZaidiZaidi Omar, Ruhizan Mohammad Yasin, Roszilah Hamid, Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Professor Dr Mohd. Omar, Associate Professor Dr Ruhizan Mohammad Yasin, Norngainy Mohd. Dr Tawil, Kamaruzaman Yusoff, Mohamad Rasul Dr Roszilah Hamid, Norngainy Mohd. Tawil, Associate ProfessorSattar Dr Wan Kamal Mujani, Associate Professor Dr Effandi Zakaria. Keywords: Interior Design Engineering; IDE; YUC; Yanbu University College; Interior design program;

1. Introduction In February 2012 YUC has introduced and offered the first IDE program to female campus, it is a four-year program that upon completion of this program students will be awarded a Bachelor of Engineering in Interior Design (BEID). This paper describes significant reasons that lead to introduce the first IDE program at YUC and also turn out to be the first IDE program in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). will be analyzed to identify which are called core design courses, technical engineering oriented courses and liberal arts and sciences courses. Further universities and a college in Saudi Arabia, these institutions are reputed with their established interior design program. The analysis will be focusing on the program curriculums to reveal differences in terms of program curriculums and distribution of credit hours. The result of the analysis has indicated technical engineering oriented

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +966 550908981 E-mail address: [email protected]

1877-0428 © 2013 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Open access under CC BY-NC-ND license. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of Professor Dr Mohd. Zaidi Omar, Associate Professor Dr Ruhizan Mohammad Yasin, Dr Roszilah Hamid, Dr Norngainy Mohd. Tawil, Associate Professor Dr Wan Kamal Mujani, Associate Professor Dr Effandi Zakaria. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.10.748

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Asharyzal Ahmad and Ali Abdulkariem M.Ali / Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences 102 (2013) 335 – 339

courses and that makes significant difference between YUC and any other interior design programs in KSA. It is a major finding to justify the relevancy of introducing IDE program at YUC. 2. Why Interior Design Engineering Program? Canadian (94%) [1] and likely encourage their children to be doctors and most likely all Asian parents desired the same. In Saudi Arabia being an engineer is similar being a doctor, people grant engineers with respect and recognized as respectful position. Being an IDE graduate holder is similar to those graduates in KSA. 2.1 Recognize by Saudi Council of Engineers (SCE) Interior design program is commonly manage by interior design department and attached under umbrella of School of Ar [2]. encompass processes and products in art which are judged primarily in terms of their aesthetic value and theoretical significance, as opposed to those which have a specific practical [3]. Even though the interior design programs are part of architecture, fine arts and human ecology but in Saudi Arabia interior design and architectural profession is recognized as part of engineering profession, therefore the interior design profession is recognized by Saudi Council of Engineers (SCE). Interior designers are required to submit their credentials to SCE to obtain professional license. Upon obtaining approval from SCE, then the interior designers are able to practice as professional interior designer in Saudi Arabia. SCE is Saudi Arabian professional body that governs all engineering professionals including to architects and interior designers. 2.2 Technically Knowledgeable Presently interior design programs in Saudi Arabia are offered only to female students. The interior design programs are design to suit female working environments where [4]. Female interior designers are not expected to be employed in the fields of construction because the ce interior designer are not expected to be involved in the construction works, the These circumstances have created general perception that interior designers are technically unknowledgeable. Therefore by introducing IDE program with insertion of more technical engineering oriented courses that emphasis on technical knowledge, thus the IDE program in YUC would be able to produce graduate students with better technical knowledge compared to any other interior design graduate in Saudi Arabia. It would change the general perception that interior design graduates are technically incompetence. 2.3 The first interior design program to be offered to male students In February 2013, IDE program will be offered to male students that lead to another record where YUC will be the first college offering interior design degree program to male students in KSA. Due to the practice of gender segregation, the role of male interior designers are broader and expected to be involved in complete cycle of design and construction activities. Having exposed to interior design and technical engineering courses, IDE graduates are well prepared either to work as designer in consulting firms or as an interior design in the fields of Thousands of [5]. Since IDE graduates will be the first male graduates from interior design program in KSA, they are expected to take-up more roles in interior design industries and having more job opportunities compared to graduates from other interior design schools in KSA.


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2.4 Higher social status and earn higher salary Upon completion of the program, students will be awarded Bachelor of Engineering in Interior Design (BEID). BEID is recognised as an engineering degree, therefore BEID graduate will be recognised as an engineer rather than interior designer. Being an engineer in KSA will be refelected to higher social status compared being an interior designer. [6], in public sector if you are graduated with your degree has stated an engineering word, then you are considered having a professional degree which entitle for higher employment grades. Therefore BEID graduates will be benefitted to earn higher grades and higher salary scale in public sector because they are graduated with engineering degree. 3.0 Interior Design Programs Analysis Interior Design curriculums can be divided into three categories; they are core design, technical knowledge and liberal arts and sciences knowledge. Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) issued Professional Standards 2011 document that described interior core design knowledge are: history, space and form, color and light, furniture, fixtures, equipment and finish materials [7]. The technical knowledge is environmental system and controls, interior construction and building systems, and regulations [7] are: English composition, oral communication, logic, literature, foreign language, history, fine arts history, philosophy, biology, botany, zoology, mathematics, physics, chemistry, anthropology, archeology, sociology, psychology, economics. This includes humanities, which are defined as studies emphasizing the cultural aspects [8]. Table 1: Distribution analysis of course category and credit hours (total credit hours are excluding internship and elective courses).

Course Category Core Design Liberal Arts & Sciences Technical Engineering Total of credit hours

YUC Credit hours 49

%

%

41%

PMU Credit hours 51

%

43%

KAU Credit hours 38

36

30%

34 119

29%

%

44%

DAC Credit hours 48

51

43%

16 118

14%

%

39%

UD Credit hours 67

32

37%

57

46%

34

26%

16 86

19%

19 124

15%

29 130

22%

52%

Fig. 1. Analysis percentage comparison by credit hours between three major course

Distribution of courses in interior design programs are analyzed and divided into three categories as illustrated on Table 1, they are; liberal arts and sciences courses, core design courses and technical (engineering related) courses. Figure 1 depicted the comparison of credit hours and courses between three universities and a college that offering interior design programs in KSA alongside with interior design program that offered at YUC (refer to Figure 2). The selected institutions are Prince Mohamad bin Fahd University (PMU) of Dammam Al Khobar

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A four-year program that offered Bachelor of Science in Interior Design under College of Engineering [9], King Abdulaziz University (KAU) of Jeddah A three-year program that offered Bachelor of Science in Interior Design under College of Art and Design [10], Dar Al-Hekma College (DAC) of Jeddah - four-year program that offered Bachelor of Arts in Interior Design under Hekma School of Design and Architecture [11], University of Dammam (UD) A four-year program that offered Bachelor of Science in Interior Design under College of Art and Design [12].

Fig. 2: Course structure of Interior Design Program at YUC is divided into three categories as illustrated.

5. Conclusion Interior Design industry in Saudi Arabia has been progress into technically more complexes and demanding. It is justifiable that interior design program curriculums need to be technically sound to provide skilled professional and to avoid unemployment after graduation. Unemployment among young graduates are serious issues and technical knowledge received by graduates are not sufficient enough to prepare them to take-up field


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works immediately after graduation oor education that does not qualify young people for field work [5]. Although the IDE program at YUC is still considered a new born baby, but curriculum analysis shown that IDE program is structurally design ahead than other reputed interior design institution in KSA in terms of providing students with required up-to-date technical engineering knowledge and design skills that parallel to industry demand. IDE graduates will be benefited being technically more competent compared to other interior design graduates in KSA. IDE graduates will be standing at par with any other engineering graduates in terms of qualification and enjoy social recognition. Finally since interior design profession is governing by Saudi Council of Engineering, it was the most relevant moves to implement interior design program with engineering oriented courses at YUC.

References [1] Neutel, D. Most parents want their kids to be doctors, not car salesmen: Poll. Retrieved October 8, 2012, from canada.com: http://www.canada.com/Most+parents+want+their+kids+doctors+salesmen+Poll/6348051/story.html, 2012 [2] Harris, C. M. Dictionary of architecture and construction (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill.2000 [3] Martin, J. Longman dictionary of art. Essex, England: Longman Group.1986 [4] Davies, C. World news Saudi Arabia. Retrieved September 15, 2012, from theguardian: www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/aug/12/saudi-arabia-city-women-workers, 2012 [5] Al-Rashed, A. R.. Employment remains the larger issue. Retrieved October 12, 2012, from Arabnews: http://www.arabnews.com/employment-remains-larger-issue, 2012 [6] Khaiwaja, M. Saudi graduates struggling to find employment. Retrieved October 5, 2012, from Arabian Gazette: http://arabiangazette.com/saudi-graduates-struggling-employment/, 2012. [7] Qualification, N. C. National Council for Interior Design Qualification. Retrieved October 7, 2012, from Definition of Interior Design : http://www.ncidq.org/AboutUs/AboutInteriorDesign/DefinitionofInteriorDesign.aspx, 2004 [8] Standards, C. f. Policy & Procedures. Retrieved October 2, 2012, from ouncil for Interior Design Accreditation: http://accreditid.org/faculty-programs/policy-procedures, 2011 [9] University, P. M. University, Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd. Retrieved October 2, 2012, from B. ID Study Plan, (updated March 2010): http://coe.pmu.edu.sa/ceo_Interior_Design_b_id_study_plan.asp, 2010. [10] UNIVERSITY, K. A. Study plan for the Interior Design Department. Retrieved September 23, 2012, from College of Art and Design - Division of housing and home management: http://housing-edug.kau.edu.sa/Pages-EStudyPlan-ID.aspx, 2012 [11] College, D. A.-H. Academic Catalog. Retrieved October 3, 2012, from Dar Al-Hekma College: https://sisweb.daralhekma.edu.sa:8251/portal/page?_pageid=353,210095&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL, 2012 [12] Dammam, U. o. (n.d.). Academic Program. Retrieved October 11, 2012, from College of Design: http://www.ud.edu.sa/DU/en/colleges/col_engineering/col_design/COL_DESIGN_PROG_EN