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Interior Design BA(Hons)

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    Overview

    Enrol onto our Interior Design BA(Hons) course and we’ll help you develop the skills you need to become a professional interior designer. Through a supportive learning journey, you’ll be encouraged to imagine what is possible and develop your own designs. With an emphasis on creativity, you can explore current design thinking, using this to push design boundaries and to focus on new ways of transforming environments.

    On this course, you can focus on the practical elements of Interior Design, and you’ll have the chance to get involved in a range of projects across several typologies, building your own unique portfolio as you move through the course.

    We’ll aim to give you a thorough grounding in all the technical demands of detailing and specification alongside the creative aspects.

    An Interior Design degree can lead you to a host of post-University opportunities, too; you may decide to pursue a career in Interior Design itself, or branch out into art, graphic design, illustration and more.

    Plus, an impressive 90% of graduates from this course are in work and/or further study 15 months after graduating (HESA Graduate Outcomes 21/22).

    Why study Interior Design BA(Hons)

    You’ll learn in the £30-million Barbara Hepworth Building, which provides facilities such as 3D printers for rapid prototyping; laser cutters, special software, studios and more.

    You can opt to undertake a work placement in a professional design practice, giving you the chance to gain hands-on experience and build your portfolio to boost your employment prospects.

    You’ll be encouraged to take part in workshops, live briefs, and international design competitions, as well. If design studies interest you, this Interior Design course will certainly satisfy your passion for interiors, creative design, art and creative architecture.

    Entry requirements

    To find out if you’re eligible to start this course in September 2025 and get more information on how to apply, please see our Clearing pages or call our Clearing Helpline on 0333 987 9000.

    If you’re interested in studying this course in September 2026, please view the 2026-27 course information.

    Course Detail

    Core modules:

    Design Process and Communication

    This module introduces and develops your awareness and understanding of 2D and 3D visual language relating to research, analysis, evaluation and synthesis through exploration of the creative process of design. The module comprises three components: visual enquiry, design interpretation and communicative processes. Your knowledge and understanding of these principles will be demonstrated through a portfolio containing visual exploration and development, 2D/3D proposals and design experimentation.

    Design Theory Fundamentals

    This module will introduce you to a range of relevant theories for and about design. It will introduce you to discourses and debates relating to the history, influences, production and critical reception of design. It will contextualise these aspects in terms of your discipline providing an overarching understanding of design in general as well as more focused elements pertinent to your design field.

    Design Exploration

    This module provides you with an opportunity to develop an understanding and explorative approach to the production of spatial design proposals. Design work will enable you to integrate design process, creative experimentation and visual communication techniques while encouraging the development of organisational, creative and CAD competencies. Explorative design proposals will evidence your knowledge, understanding and developing abilities.

    Core modules:

    Design in Context

    In this module you will be asked to consider and investigate spatial, visual and cultural contexts through the exploration of design at a variety of scales – to progressively focus in on a design project to reveal the contextual aspects which effect the design and representation of the spatial and built environment, and to consider varying approaches towards design concept manipulation and expression. Collaborative research enquiry will lead to an individually selected design project for an identified interior design topic area in which you will be expected to develop expertise in design evaluation, exploration and digital communication, and demonstrate the development of an integrated and cohesive approach to the design process.

    Design Identities

    This module is divided into 2 parts, a theoretical component and a practical component. The practical component will present approaches that encourage personal development and reflection while developing an appreciation and understanding of strategies and methodologies related to employability and work placement. There will be guidance in the preparation of an individual Curriculum Vitae, letters of application and an understanding of the role and nature of self-promotion. There will be an emphasis on developing an enhanced ability to reflect upon your personal design engagement and own learning across the year. Theory is explored through the field of expansion of applicable design practices. It focuses on the theorisation of professional practices, cultural practices and histories relevant to the study of design. It encourages you to explore ideas and concepts through research of theory and practice.

    Design Realisation

    This module will contain a number of projects from which to choose, and will include a focus towards audience and client expectations and needs, competitiveness, social and ethical considerations and the identification of design criteria. Design work will continue to develop design exploration studies, in both 2D and 3D, encouragement will be made towards understanding the importance of digital presentation and modelling techniques and related issues in the design process. You will identify an appropriate use for a selected building (or structure) and undertake appropriate research studies to support initial concept proposals, followed by a digital design package of information. Work undertaken in this module will require presentations to be made digitally, verbally and visually.

    Arts and Humanities Placement

    The placement year is your chance to gain hands-on experience and build on the skills you’ve developed in your first two years of study. You’ll spend up to 48 weeks (minimum 36 weeks) in a graduate-level role, sharpening your professional skills, exploring career options, and boosting your future job prospects. During your placement, you'll reflect on your performance, develop real-world skills, and learn to approach your role with a critical eye. Your placement will be monitored, and you’ll be assessed on your achievements, setting you up for success in your final year and beyond.

    Core modules:

    Research Proposal

    This module will establish and inform your major project. Within it you will identify a theme/subject/issue relevant to your practice. The module will re-emphasise the importance of in-depth research, within which you will demonstrate originality, pro-activity and innovation. The context and parameters of this module will be defined by you through negotiation and ongoing dialogue with your tutors.

    Professional Practice

    The module is specifically designed to support, develop and enhance your final major project through the exploration and analysis of design potential within the wider context of professional interior design practice. You will analyse, appraise and synthesise appropriate influences to further define and underpin the trajectory of your design project, while developing your knowledge and practice as a professional designer.

    Major Project - Interior Design

    You will build upon and test research developed in your Research Proposal. You will channel your creative and intellectual skills, either as an individual, or as part of a collaboration or interdisciplinary team, to create innovative, original or highly professional proposition(s) appropriate to your discipline through, for example, sketchbooks, worksheets and creative outputs. You will realise the potential of your major project in a form appropriate to your intentions. Your artefacts will act as a group of coherent summative statements.

    On average, 25.4%* of the study time on this course in spent in lectures, seminars, demonstrations and tutorials etc.

    *based on 23/24 programme specifications.

    You'll have the opportunity to learn through participation in studio-based design projects, workshop demonstrations, lectures, seminars, group and individual tutorials. Your progress will be monitored by presentation of a portfolio of design work, written assignments, and oral presentations, both individually and in groups.

    We will support your career aspirations through a series of specialised projects throughout the course supported by industry led design briefs which give you real world experience of the creative design industry.

    Your module specification/course handbook will provide full details of the assessment criteria applying to your course.

    Feedback (usually written) is normally provided on all coursework submissions within three term time weeks – unless the submission was made towards the end of the session in which case feedback would be available on request after the formal publication of results. Feedback on final coursework is available on request after the publication of results.

    Further information

    The teaching year normally starts in September with breaks at Christmas and Easter, finishing with a main examination/assessment period around May/June. Timetables are normally available one month before registration.

    Your course is made up of modules and each module is worth a number of credits. Each year you study modules to the value of 120 credits, adding up to 360 credits in total for a bachelor’s qualification. These credits can come from a combination of core, compulsory and optional modules but please note that optional modules may not run if we do not have enough students interested.

    If you achieve 120 credits for the current stage you are at, you may progress to the next stage of your course, subject to any professional, statutory or regulatory body guidelines.

    1. The University of Huddersfield has been rated Gold in all three aspects of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2023. We were the only university in Yorkshire and the Humber and the North West to achieve Gold ratings in all three aspects of the TEF among those announced in September 2023. In fact only 13 Universities, out of the 96 that were announced in September 2023, were Gold in all three ratings.

    2. Our teaching staff rank first in England for the proportion with higher degrees and teaching qualifications, as well as being top five for those holding doctorates (HESA 2025). So you’ll learn from some of the best, helping you to be the best.

    3. We are second in the country for National Teaching Fellowships, which mark the UK’s best lecturers in Higher Education, winning a total of 24 since 2008 (2025 data).

    4. We won the first Global Teaching Excellence Award, recognising the University’s commitment to world-class teaching and its success in developing students as independent learners and critical thinkers (Higher Education Academy, 2017).

    Visit ‘Our experts’ page where you’ll find in-depth profiles of all our academic staff

    At Huddersfield, you'll study the Global Professional Award (GPA) alongside your degree* so that you gain valuable qualities and experiences that could help you to get the career you want, no matter what your field of study is. On completion of the Award, you'll receive a GPA certificate from the University of Huddersfield, alongside the specialist subject skills and knowledge you gain as part of your degree, which may help to set you apart from other graduates.

    Giving students access to the Global Professional Award is one of the reasons the University won ‘Best University Employability Strategy’ award at the National Graduate Recruitment Awards 2021. Find out more on the Global Professional Award webpage.

    *full-time, undergraduate first degrees with a minimum duration of three years. This does not include postgraduate, foundation, top-up, accelerated or apprenticeship degrees.

    Placements

    The course offers an optional one-year (36 weeks minimum) work placement after the second year, in the UK or abroad. This will give you the opportunity to gain valuable hands-on experience, insight into your chosen career and open up your graduate employment prospects. Our Placement Unit and academic staff have excellent industry links and can support you in applying for and finding your placement(s), as well as during your placement year.

    Students on the course have previously taken up placement opportunities with companies including: Edge - London; Spatialized - Wakefield; Keane Brands - Birmingham; Concrete - Amsterdam; Fitch - London; PDS Design and Build – Wakefield; Concept IDL – Sheffield and Green Room Interiors – Leeds.

    You can find out more information on placements here.

    My placement was at Green Room Interior Design, a luxury residential design studio. From this, I gained knowledge that not only helped me during final year but also gave me skills to take forward on to work life. I recommend a placement, as you learn practical, hands on skills.

    Georgia Clarke, in robes and mortarboard, smiling at camera

    Georgia Clarke, Interior Design BA(Hons) graduate

    Our Facilities

    Discover our facilities, in the School of Arts and Humanities at the University of Huddersfield.

    Dedicated to exploration, students across the School of Arts and Humanities have the opportunity to cultivate, curate and showcase in a range innovative spaces, utilising extensive and purpose-built facilities. These include 3D printers for rapid prototyping and modelling, laser cutters, the virtual reality cave, print and dye capabilities, photography studios, digital print centre, specialist film studios including industry-standard equipment, and so much more.

    A gallery of work by our Interior Design students and graduates. Click on each image to find out more.

    Interior Design studio
    Computers in Interior Design Studio
    Interior Design studio
    Textiles samples in the Interior Design Studio
    Student Work in the Interior Design Studio
    Barbara Hepworth building

    Discover more about the course

    Your Career

    Discover the job roles our graduates are working in now.

    Inspiring Graduate

    Get inspired by real students and their careers.

    Careers advice

    Check out the personalised guidance we offer you.

    Student Support

    Discover all the support available so you can thrive.

    Further Study

    Learn about pursuing a Master’s or PhD at Huddersfield.

    Research Excellence

    See how our innovative research shapes what you'll learn.

    Important information

    When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by our terms and conditions, Handbook of Regulations and associated policies. It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan.

    Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons:

    Changes to a course you have applied for but are not yet enrolled on

    If we propose to make a major change to a course that you are holding an offer for, then we will tell you as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment. We may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or combine your programme with another programme if we consider this reasonably necessary to ensure a good student experience, for example if there are not enough applicants. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and if you are unhappy with the change we will discuss with you other suitable courses we can transfer your application to. If you do not wish to transfer to another course with us, you may cancel your application and we will refund you any deposits or fees you have paid to us.

    Changes to your course after you enrol as a student

    Changes to option modules

    Where your course allows you to choose modules from a range of options, we will review these each year and change them to reflect the expertise of our staff, current trends in research and as a result of student feedback or demand for certain modules. We will always ensure that you have an equivalent range of options to that advertised for the course. We will let you know in good time the options available for you to choose for the following year.

    Major changes

    We will only make major changes to non-optional modules on a course if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change is a change that substantially changes the outcomes, or a significant part of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days (part time provision), type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum. For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators or a commissioning or accrediting body. We may also make changes to improve the course in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback or to ensure you are being taught current best practice. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as a key member of staff being unable to teach due to illness, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to pandemics, other disasters (such as fire, flood or war) or changes made by the government.

    Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but may happen sooner in an emergency. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will consult with affected groups of students and any changes would only be made in accordance with our regulations. If you reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment or hardship we will, if appropriate, work with you to try to reduce the adverse effect on you or find an appropriate solution. Where an appropriate solution cannot be found and you let us know before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for any additional tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so and you may be eligible for an exit award depending on how far through your course you are.

    In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed in accordance with the student protection plan.

    The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.

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