Interior Design BA Honours

Program Overview

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Interior Design BA Honours

Course Overview

Learn how to design successful, commercially focussed interiors from industry professionals while using state-of-the-art facilities on a course rated 100% for student satisfaction.

Why Choose Interior Design BA at Middlesex?

Obsessed by interior design? We are too. Together we'll develop your creative and practical skills to turn your imaginative ideas into the foundations for a rewarding career. You'll learn how to think and work like a designer alongside fellow creatives.

What You Will Gain

The BA Interior Design course will prepare you for a creative career in contemporary design, focusing on commercial, real-world projects that include the opportunity to explore retail, hotel, workplace, leisure, social and culture spaces, exhibition, installation, refurbishment and adaptive re-use.

What You Will Learn

The course encourages an interdisciplinary exploration of design, with students researching into contemporary interior design trends as well as cultural and historical contexts, considering the role of interiors for commercial clients as well as within communities, and considering a designs support of a brands identity and their target customer, and how they may adapt to future needs and changing expectations.

Course Structure

Year 1

• Design Thinking and Communication (30 credits): This module is an introduction to the fundamentals of design thinking and communication that enables you to prompt design ideation.
• Studio: Spatial Design (30 credits): This studio-based module is an introduction to the spatial principles of the interior through a series of design tasks that enables you to understand the design process.
• Studio: Exploring people and place (30 credits): This studio-based module is an exploration of the cultures and contexts of the interior that allows you to focus on forms of inhabitation and placemaking.
• Studio: Designing for people and place (30 credits): This studio-based module focuses on designing for people and place, with an emphasis on the impact of spatial interventions on human inhabitation.

Year 2

• Interior Design Studio: Explore Commercial Interiors (30 credits): Introducing the principles and strategies of commercial interior design, you will identify and apply research methods and practices to interpret its contexts and challenges.
• Interior Design Studio: Design Commercial Interiors (30 credits): Introducing you to the art of designing for commercial clients, the module focuses on the design and communication of commercial interiors.
• Interior Design: Context & Construction (30 credits): Develops an understanding of the critical role of in-depth research into the cultural, historical, political, and socio-economic contexts that underpin the practice of Interior Design, alongside the investigation of materials, construction technologies, and processes that are integral to shaping interior spaces and enriching the experience of interior environments.

Year 3/4

• Interior Design Studio: Experiential Interiors (30 credit): Enables you to test and apply newly acquired spatial competencies to address real-world design challenges.
• Interior Design: Research for Design (30 credits): Introduces you to advanced research methods and practices that synthesise their knowledge, understanding and critical exploration of Interior Design as a diverse field of practice.
• Interior Design Studio: Branded Environments (30 credits): Enables you to undertake and articulate a critically engaged design process from inception, through design development, to design resolution and presentation.
• Interior Design Studio: Explore Sustainable Futures (30 credits): Allows you to focus on designing a project of substantial scale and complexity, identifying a client, conducting extensive market research, analysing a site and developing a negotiated brief to propose strategies for articulating potential design solutions.
• Interior Design Studio: Design Sustainable Futures (30 credits): Focuses on a practice-led design project of substantial scale and complexity. Integrating all aspects of their learning experience into a single output, students repurpose a multi-storey existing building to ensure its sustainable future.

Teaching and Learning

• You'll learn to benefit from support through one-to-one discussions, where you will be able to gain the insight of professional designers to help you develop your own 'voice'.
• The clearly structured and timetabled modules allow you to balance your on- campus time and your independent study where you can progress your ideas in a way that best suits your lifestyle.
• You will be taught through a combination of supervised studio time, tutorials, interactive sessions and practical workshops.

Careers

• The course focuses predominantly on core specialist and transferable skills necessary for a successful career in Interior Design.
• These skills are applicable in various professional settings, including design practice, independent consultancy, and diverse industry-relate sectors.

Entry Requirements

• Qualifications: UCAS tariff Points (112 UCAS points)
• A-level: BBC-BBB
• BTEC: DMM-DDM
• Access requirements: Overall pass: must include 45 credits at level 3, of which all 45 must be at Merit or higher
• Combinations: A combination of A-Level, BTEC and other accepted qualifications that total 112 UCAS Tariff points

Fees and Funding

• UK students: £9,535* (Full-time), £79 per taught credit (Part-time)
• International students: £16,600 (Full-time), £138 per taught credit (Part-time)
• Additional costs: Your personal art materials and equipment, printing at larger than A3 sizes, or on non-standard paper in the Reprographics area and binding, additional, specialist materials for the 3D and advanced digital workshops for individual output, optional field trips and visits which are normally subsidised by the programme (generally and approximately up to 50% of the cost)

Program Outline

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Degree Overview

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Middlesex University's Interior Design BA (Hons)

program offers students the chance to delve into the world of successful, commercially focused interiors alongside expert industry professionals. This program is highly regarded, boasting a 100% student satisfaction rating and a top 3 ranking among interior design courses in the UK, according to the Guardian University Guide 2024. The course emphasizes hands-on learning, employing state-of-the-art facilities to empower students to develop both their creative and practical skills. By collaborating with fellow designers and industry experts, students will progressively hone their skills and build a comprehensive portfolio to launch their careers. Graduates of the program have enjoyed successful placements with renowned design companies such as Brinkworth, Virgile and Partners, Dalziel and Pow, 20.20, Silver and Co. and Fitch.

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Outline

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Course Content:

The curriculum delves into seven critical learning strands, each progressively developed throughout the course. These strands include:

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Research:

This strand focuses on understanding and analyzing the cultural, historical, political and socio-economic contexts, enabling informed and impactful design decisions.

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Process:

Students will learn the fundamentals of the design process, from inception through development, resolution, and communication.

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Design:

This strand emphasizes achieving the highest design standards while staying current with innovative and evolving trends in contemporary interior design practices.

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Making:

Students will gain a deep understanding of the materials used in interior design, their form, function, and impact on the experience of the space.

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Communication:

This strand emphasizes effective representation and communication of design concepts through various media and techniques, ranging from freehand drawing to advanced visualization programs.

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Practice:

Students will receive thorough instruction on professional standards and practices within the interior design field, ensuring they develop the critical skills needed for successful careers in the industry.

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Employability:

This strand focuses on self-evaluation and development, preparing students for career opportunities within the design industry and related fields.

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Course Structure:

The course typically spans three years of full-time study. Students will gain practical experience on real projects through a one-year placement option available in the four-year sandwich course variant.

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Course Schedule:

A typical weekly schedule during the first year encompasses approximately:

• 12 hours
of supervised design studio, including group/one-to-one tutorials and skill-based workshops.
• 12 hours
of open studio access for independent work.

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Individual Modules:

The course comprises a modular structure, with each module encompassing a specific learning focus and contributing to the development of comprehensive design skills.

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Year 1:

• Fundamental Contexts and Skills (30 credits) - Compulsory
• Fundamental Practice (30 credits) - Compulsory
• Interpreting Contexts and Skills (30 credits) - Compulsory
• Interpreting Practice (30 credits) - Compulsory

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Year 2:

• Developing Contexts and Skills (30 credits) - Compulsory
• Developing Practice (30 credits) - Compulsory
• Interior Design: Application (60 credits) - Compulsory
• Interiors: Placement 1 (Optional) 60 credits
• Interiors: Placement 2 (Optional) 60 credits

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Year 3 (Placement optional):

• Interior Design: Integration - Research and Practice (60 credits) - Compulsory
• Interior Design: Integration - Major Project (Optional) 60 credits
• Interior Design: Synergy (Placement only) (60 credits)
• Interior Design: Integration (Optional) 60 credits

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Assessment

Assessment within the course employs various methods to comprehensively gauge students' understanding and application of knowledge. This typically involves a combination of coursework and practical examinations, with the specific balance varying depending on the individual modules chosen by the student.

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Assessment methods:

• Coursework assignments
• Practical examinations
• Written essays and reports

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Feedback:

Students receive regular feedback on their progress through formative assessments, which are reviewed and discussed with tutors.

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Teaching

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Teaching Methods:

• Supervised studio time with individual and group tutorials
• Lectures covering key concepts in design history and contemporary practice
• Practical workshops focused on specific design skills and techniques
• One-to-one discussions with experienced designers

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Faculty:

• Experienced and reputable design professionals
• Experts in various design disciplines

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Careers

Graduates of the BA Interior Design program are well-equipped for a diverse range of career paths, including:

• Interior design practices
• Architectural design studios
• Specialist studios and consultancies
• Building and property companies
• Advisory and consulting firms
• Design departments within public and commercial organizations

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Other

• Top 2 university in the UK (THE Young Universities 2022)
• Based on a leafy north London campus
• Excellent industry and international school connections

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UK students1 Full-time: £9,250 Part-time: £77 per taught credit International students2 Full-time students: £16,600 Part-time students: £138 per taught credit