Paper Title
Entry-Level Competencies Sought by Interior Designers: Comparison Between Kuwait and The United States

Abstract
Job expectations by entry-level interior designers may vary from one country to country depending on the market needs. This research aims to investigate whether entry level interior designers in Kuwait and United States have compliant job competencies. A quantitative research approach was used through a survey questionnaire to examine interior designers’ competencies, design knowledge and skills, as well as personal attributes. Both online and paper-based surveys were distributed to professional interior designers and architects in Kuwait. A total of one hundred and eighty-seven (N=187) responses were collected. The findings of this study revealed that Interior design competencies, design knowledge and skills, as well as personal attributes sought by emerging interior designers in Kuwait and the United States are mostly similar, but they differ in some domains when comparing their mean values. Educational implications and suggestions for future research are discussed. Keywords - Interior Design Education, Interior Designer, Design Competencies, Design Skills, Knowledge, Kuwait