Interior Design MA

Program Overview

---

Through a focus on research, sustainability, and technology, the program prepares graduates for careers in interior design, UX/UI design, and related fields. Students benefit from access to award-winning design facilities and support from industry professionals.

Program Outline

---

Degree Overview

The Interior Design MA course aims to empower you to rethink existing interior design norms, challenge conventional approaches, and forge a unique path in the interior design field. The course delves into the integration of spaces, be it the old with the new, the digital with the physical, technology with nature, or communities with their surroundings. The program focuses on developing, researching, and practicing design thinking at an advanced level, integrating robust research methods into the creative process. You'll be encouraged to adopt sustainable design principles and broaden your understanding of professional and commercial practices by assessing the practical feasibility of your design proposals.

---

Outline

The "Interior Design MA" course comprises the following modules:

---

Block 1: Creative Interior Design Studio

• Focuses on how research informs design through a contemporary design project.
• Emphasizes quality secondary research from diverse sources to develop a cohesive understanding of the focus area and construct a valuable "design insight."
• Introduces sustainability principles, including circular economy, resource use, lifecycle analysis, sustainable material selection, and ethical production.
• Requires you to develop a design concept proposal for future larger-scale projects.

---

Block 2: Research and Design Methodology

• Engages you with current design research, professional practices, and advanced scholarship.
• Equips you to form independent judgments, conduct research, and communicate findings effectively to diverse audiences.
• Covers topics such as research design, data gathering, analysis, and ethical considerations.

---

Block 3: Choose one from the following:

---

Narrative Spaces:

• Explores how spaces can tell stories, analyzing the interplay between objects, space, stories, and emotional connections.
• Extends the interpretation of "space" beyond the physical and explores digital platforms' role in enhancing the built environment experience.
• Focuses on how modern retail environments and museum/exhibition design utilize a combination of spaces and experiences to convey a story.
• Requires you to create a group design project with flexibility to propose a multi-layered design concept.

---

Technology for Design:

• Explores the growing influence of technology in design and manufacturing techniques.
• Provides a platform to investigate various technologies, including CAD, visualization, prototyping, digital manufacturing, and new equipment/material development.

---

UX and UI:

• Prepares you for a career in UX/UI design by equipping you with the skills to design user interfaces that improve user experiences using industry tools and techniques.
• Provides you with support to conduct rigorous, strategic, and valuable primary research requiring ethical approval.
• Emphasizes the "viability" of your design proposal by adopting a business perspective.
• Requires you to develop a marketing strategy for a design, service, or experience that positions it against its competitors, defines the target market, and outlines a broad corporate strategy for delivering the value offering.
• Involves developing and presenting a "design framework" and conclusions from your research analysis for further development in the final module.

---

Blocks 5 & 6: Choose one from the following:

---

Major Design Project:

• Guides you in demonstrating your understanding of research techniques and scholarship through the completion of the project you have defined in earlier modules.
• Requires you to demonstrate initiative, ingenuity, independent decision-making, and planning skills in completing tasks at a professional level.
• Offers you a choice to focus primarily on design practice supported by a critical evaluation or on the critical evaluation supported by a condensed design practice, aligned with your career aspirations.

---

Work-based Project

• Offers an opportunity to apply and showcase the skills you've acquired throughout the course in a practical setting, such as working with a design company on an innovative project.
• Requires you to integrate all course aspects, from research methods to specific modules, into a project with practical applications.
• Involves supervision from both the host organization and the university, with negotiated outcomes that may include a combination of research reports, design concepts, and/or prototypes.

---

Assessment:

• Assessment methods include individual and group projects, presentations, report writing, poster development, reflective practice, and design proposals.

---

Teaching:

• Teaching methods include lectures, seminars, workshops, studios, and tutorials.
• Studio culture is emphasized, and you will work in a multidisciplinary environment alongside design students from various specializations.

---

Careers:

• The course prepares you for exciting careers designing interiors for retail, public spaces, museums, and more, with previous students employed by leading companies like Conran Design and Foster + Partners.

---

Other:

• The program emphasizes the importance of sustainability, ethical design practices, and user experience.
• The course provides you with access to DMU's award-winning design facilities, including workshops, labs, and studios.
• You will also benefit from the support of DMU's renowned library and learning resources, including the Kimberlin Library and online resources.