(a)

(1) Each applicant for registration shall apply to the board.

(2) Except as otherwise provided in this part, each applicant shall take and pass the examination administered by the National Council for Interior Design Qualifications or an equivalent examination as specified by the board.

(3) The applicant shall provide substantial evidence to the board that the applicant has passed the examination required by this part; and:

(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 interior design experience;

(B) Is a graduate of a four-year interior design program from an accredited institution and has completed at least two (2) years of diversified interior design experience;

(C) Is a graduate of a three-year interior design program from an accredited institution and has completed three (3) years of diversified interior design experience; or

(D) Is a graduate of a two-year interior design program from an accredited institution and has completed four (4) years of diversified interior design experience.

(4) All interior design programs must be accredited by the Foundation for Interior Design Education Research or a program determined by the board to be substantially equivalent to such a program; or an interior design program must be offered by an institution located in this state on April 16, 1991, and the institution is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools or licensed by the Tennessee higher education commission.

(b) An applicant for registration as a registered interior designer shall establish to the satisfaction of the board that the applicant:

(1) Is at least twenty-one (21) years of age;

(2) Has not been convicted of an offense that bears directly on the fitness of the applicant to be registered;

(3) Has passed or supplied proof of passage of the examination required by this part; and

(4) Meets any other requirements established by the board.