The online Kitchen and Bath Design program at Century College in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, is the only National Kitchen and Bath Association NKB-accredited online program of its kind available in the United States, according to Arlynne Wolf, program coordinator.Story:The online Kitchen and Bath Design program at Century College in White Bear Lake, Minnesota, is the only National Kitchen and Bath Association NKB-accredited online program of its kind available in the United States, according to Arlynne Wolf, program coordinator.
"There are other colleges that have endorsed programs, however, these colleges group their kitchen and bath design programs within another major, i.e. interior design," said Wolf.
The 30-credit program offers its courses completely online, as well as classroom sections which are taught at the International Market Square in Minneapolis. No classes are taught on campus except two electives - Intro to Autocad, and Furniture Styles and Periods. Non-metro and out-of-state students take the online section.
The program is designed to concentrate only on kitchen and bath design, and focuses on construction and design, as well as the business aspects of the kitchen and bath industry. Currently, all students must begin the program in fall semester and attend on a full-time basis. They graduate the following May.
Enrollment in the program has grown from 33 students in its first year of operation (August of 2002) to 47 students in this year's class. There are no requirements or pre-requisites for the program. Students must complete assessment testing in math and reading and also have some basic computer skills to be successful in the program. The age range of the students range is from 18 to the late 50s. The majority of students are in their mid to late 30s.
The program originated from a request by an industry member who was on the advisory committee of the Interior Design program at Century College.
"As we began to work with the National Kitchen and Bath Association, we found the need for qualified kitchen and bath designers was and still is very high throughout the United States," said Wolf, who developed and wrote the curriculum with the help of industry people and NKB, and established the program's advisory committee. "The concept was then presented to the curriculum committee at the college and from there it was approved as a new program by the MnSCU Board of Trustees."
Wolf said she is very happy with the success that the students and graduates have had. In the last three years, students have placed highly (one first place and two third places) in several competitions sponsored by the National Kitchen and Bath Association Industry Shows. Graduates, likewise, have gained recognition within the MN Chapter of NKBA.
"We have been very pleased with the success of our graduates," said Wolf. "The majority are doing very well while working in some aspects of the industry. To date, we have had 15 graduates complete the Associate of Kitchen and Bath Design certificate," she said. For more information about this program, please contact Arylynne Wolf, coordinator of Kitchen and Bath Design at Century College, 651-748-2600.