The Housing option at Virginia Tech focuses on the residential environment, especially the design, selection, and marketing of residential spaces and products. Graduates of the option are well prepared to become certified kitchen and bath designers, to work in manufacturing and marketing of housing products, such as appliances and home furnishings, and to support residential construction.
The housing industry has been growing rapidly in recent years and is always an important part of the U.S. economy. Trends suggest there is a strong, on-going need in the housing field for well-educated professionals with specialized knowledge in design and the ability to think and solve complex problems. The diversity of populations with differing needs, range of available products, increase in regulations, growing concern for health and safety, and rapid changes in technology are among the factors that lead to a very complex market place. Required courses in the Housing option emphasize functional human needs, design, technologies, products, and business factors, including current issues and practices which influence the housing environment.
Program Highlights:
- All Housing students complete at least one internship with a firm that specializes in housing products and/or services. Students gain real-word experience, make valuable career contacts, and explore different career focus in a location of their choosing.
- Students in the Housing option can complete the requirements for the Endorsed Program in Kitchen and Bath Design of the National Kitchen and Bath Association. A graduate of this program can sit for the Associate Kitchen and Bath Designer (AKBD) certification exam immediately after completing the program and can sit for the Certified Kitchen Designer (CKD) or Certified Bath Designer (CBD) exams after two years of professional experience
- Program facilities include studio spaces, a resource room, and the Center for Real Life Kitchen Design, which includes five working kitchens used in teaching and research.
- Through contacts with the Center for Real Life Kitchen Design Advisory Board and the NKBA Student Chapter, students have opportunities to meet industry leaders and be involved in professional activities.
- Virginia Tech's Housing faculty members are nationally recognized for their research and scholarly contributions to kitchen and bath design.
Change of Majors for the Housing option will be accepted only during the months of September and February. A typed, double-spaced, two-page statement outlining the applicant's career goals in housing must accompany the Change of Major form.
Housing Courses:
AHRM 2604 - House Planning
AHRM 2624 - House Planning Laboratory
AHRM 2614 - Introductory Residential Technologies
AHRM 2634 - Residential Technologies Laboratory
AHRM 3604 - Housing and the Consumer
AHRM 3624 - House Planning II
AHRM 4604 - Housing: Energy and the Environment
AHRM 4614 - Advanced Residential Technologies
AHRM 4624 - Advanced Kitchen and Bath Design
AHRM 4634 - Housing and Society
AHRM 4664 - Universal Design
AHRM 4964 - Field Study in HousingAHRM Courses:
AHRM 2254 - Idea Development and Creativity
AHRM 2675 - Residential Property Management I
AHRM 2204 - Introduction to Textiles
AHRM 2214 - Apparel Textiles Laboratory
AHRM 2304 - Family Financial Management
AHRM 2404 - Consumer Rights
AHRM 2504 - Resource Management for Individuals & FamiliesBusiness Courses:
ACIS 2004 - Survey of Accounting
MKTG 3104 - Marketing Management
MKTG 4554 - Professional SellingPlus Supporting Courses, Free Electives, and Department and University Requirements
Total Hours = 120 Credits
See Undergraduate Course Catalog: click here
Endorsed Program in Kitchen and Bath Design
Students in the Housing option can complete the requirements for the Endorsed Program in Kitchen and Bath Design. This popular opportunity prepares students for a variety of jobs in the kitchen and bath industry and provides them with advanced credit toward certification as a kitchen or bath designer.
Background:
The Endorsed Program in Kitchen and Bath Design at Virginia Tech was one of the first programs in the country to receive this recognition from the National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA). Endorsement recognizes that the program meets national educational standards and competencies. Participation in the endorsement provides considerable benefits to students, such as resource materials, networking with industry professionals, design competitions, opportunities to attend professional conferences, employment services, and scholarships.
The Virginia Tech program has achieved national recognition through student design competitions and alumni who have achieved career success and designations as certified designers. Alumni are frequently employed as kitchen and bath designers, but also work for manufacturers and retailers as showroom designers, project managers, and account managers. Students are in high demand, and employment opportunities exceed the number of graduates.
Career Benefits:
Students who complete the Endorsed Program are recognized as entering the workforce with credentials that prepare them to quickly succeed. "Name recognition" as a graduate of an Endorsed Program is important. In addition, a graduate is qualified to immediately sit for the Associate Kitchen and Bath Designer (AKBD) certification exam. After two years of professional experience, graduates of the Endorsed Program may apply to sit for the Certified Kitchen Designer (CKD) or Certified Bath Designer (CBD) exams, a process that otherwise would require seven years work experience.
Endorsed Program Requirements:
The primary way to complete the Endorsed Program in Kitchen and Bath Design is through the Housing option course of study. Most of the competencies for the Endorsed Program are integrated into the requirements for this option. In addition, there is a specific requirement for:
- AHRM 4964 Field Study- This must be completed with a kitchen and bath firm and be supervised by the Coordinator of the Endorsed Program.
The second way to complete the Endorsed Program is available to Interior Design/Architecture majors at Virginia Tech. The following courses are required in addition to the requirements for their major.
AHRM 2614 - Introductory Residential Technologies
AHRM 3624 - House Planning II
AHRM 4624 - Advanced Kitchen and Bath Design
AHRM 4964 - Field Study in Kitchen and Bath Design
Finally, interested and qualified graduate students in the AHRM Department may also complete the Endorsed Program, in consultation with the Coordinator.
Please contact the Endorsed Program Coordinator, Dr. Kathleen Parrott, for more information.
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