(a) Each applicant for registration shall provide substantial evidence to the State Board of Registered Residential Interior Designers that the applicant:

(1) Has taken and passed the Council for Qualification of Residential Interior Designers examination; and

(2)

(A) Is a graduate of a five-year interior design program from an accredited institution and has completed at least one (1) year of diversified and appropriate residential interior design experience;

(B) Is a graduate of a four-year interior design program or a master's degree program in interior design from an accredited institution and has completed at least two (2) years of diversified and appropriate residential interior design experience; or

(C) Is a licensed architect certified by the Arkansas State Board of Architects, Landscape Architects, and Interior Designers.

(b) Each interior design program must be an interior design program of an institution accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, or a program determined by the State Board of Registered Residential Interior Designers to be substantially equivalent to such an accredited program.

(c) Six (6) years from the date of passage, completion of a monitored internship development program may be required as part or all of the residential interior design experience requirement.

(d) The State Board of Registered Residential Interior Designers shall waive examination requirements for an individual who provides proof of passage of the Council for Qualification of Residential Interior Designers examination and who is registered, licensed, or certified as an interior designer in another state, the District of Columbia, or a foreign country, provided that that jurisdiction's requirements for registration are substantially equivalent to those required for registration in this state.

(e) Every registration shall expire annually on a day designated by the State Board of Registered Residential Interior Designers.