Interior Design BA(Hons)

International requirements and visas

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

Visas and immigration advice

Portfolio advice 

Admission to this course includes a review of your portfolio. This helps us to see your potential and understand how you think, create and explore ideas. We want to see your passion and curiosity – not just your finished work.

Creating your portfolio

Find out what to include in your portfolio and how to present it by reading our portfolio requirements.

Sharing your portfolio

Once you have applied and received details on how to activate your 黑料吃瓜网 username and password, you can log on to and share your portfolio link. Please make sure we can access this link without a password or login.

Support and advice

Take a look at our advice and guidance on creating a portfolio. If you need help, please contact our Admissions Team. We also run regular online portfolio advice sessions where you can get support from our expert team.

Top reasons to choose this course  

• Creative, people-centred design – learn how thoughtful interior design can improve the way spaces feel and function, supporting wellbeing, solving real-world problems and enhancing everyday experiences.
• 黑料吃瓜网’s vibrant creative community – study in a city known for its design culture, with opportunities to connect with local studios and attend exhibitions and events.
• Industry engagement and live briefs – work on real-world projects and collaborate with professional designers to gain practical experience and industry insight.
• Work experience opportunities – boost your CV with an optional placement year, internships and industry-led projects that help prepare you for your career.
• Collaborative studio environment – share ideas and projects with peers in a supportive creative community while developing a portfolio that stands out to employers.
• Specialist technical skills – develop expertise in CAD software, 3D modelling, digital rendering and physical model-making alongside advanced design theory and practice.
• Hands-on learning from day one – work on live client briefs, real-world projects and studio-based assignments that reflect professional interior design practice.
• Modern facilities and workshops – learn in dedicated design studios, workshops and digital environments that support model-making, visualisation and design development.
• Build an impressive portfolio – create a portfolio of work through studio projects and live briefs, helping you demonstrate your creativity, technical ability and professional potential.
• Showcase your work – exhibit at 黑料吃瓜网’s Summer Show and connect with industry professionals while presenting your work to a wider audience.
• Research and innovation – engage with staff working on projects in sustainable design, adaptive reuse and emerging technologies, giving you insight into contemporary design practice.

Why Brighton is a great place to study Interior Design

Less than an hour from central London, our Moulsecoomb campus puts you at the heart of a city celebrated for creativity, design and cultural innovation. Brighton is home to thriving design studios, architectural practices and a vibrant arts scene, all within easy reach of your lectures and workshops.

You’ll study in a diverse, welcoming community with excellent transport links that make site visits, exhibitions and networking events part of everyday learning. The city’s rich architectural heritage and contemporary design culture provide endless inspiration for your projects.

Year 1

In your first year you’ll explore a human-centred approach to design through projects ranging from intimate spaces to residential scale, working with real sites, contexts and users.

Modules

• Architecture Criticism/Design Criticism 1: Histories & Theories

  On this module you will be introduced to the major themes relevant to spacial design disciplines. You’ll explore these themes through contemporary and historical case studies, making connections between the old and the new and considering the cultural, environmental and social values embedded in the disciplines. Workshop activities will help you to develop your critical thinking and communication skills.

• Interior Design 1: Situating the Interior

  In this module you will learn how our experiences of interiors can be improved through design. You will develop your creative processes by exploring and testing interior design ideas in response to different spaces and user needs, supporting your growth as an innovative problem-solver. You’ll look at sustainable material choices and inclusive design principles so you can become a responsible and ethically aware designer. You will develop core skills, including industry drawing methods and model-making.

• Technology: Principles

  This module introduces the structural systems, construction methods, materials and environmental performance requirements that are fundamental to high-quality spatial design and architecture. You will explore technological principles that are relevant to sustainable and climate responsive design to develop your appreciation and understanding of various technologies as essential design tools for architectural and spatial design.

• Interior Design 2: Inhabiting the Interior

  You will investigate how interiors can be repurposed during this module. You will design proposals for multifunctional living environments, reusing existing spaces and adapting them for new user groups. You will investigate user needs, explore alteration to change spatial use, and create a clear design proposal that communicates your ideas effectively.

Making sure that what you learn with us is relevant, up to date and what employers are looking for is our priority, so courses are reviewed and enhanced on an ongoing basis. When you have applied to us, you’ll be told about any new developments through .

City of Oasis design by interior designer Austin Man Hon Chan

Year 2

In your second year you’ll focus on the narrative and commercial aspects of interior design. You’ll work on retail, hospitality, exhibition and workplace design briefs, experimenting with branding, identity and adaptive reuse and learning how to use light, material and form to communicate ideas.

Modules

• Interior Design 3: Narrating the Interior

  You will look at how stories can be translated into interior design by using resources such as texts, artefacts and cultural references to create spatial experiences. You’ll think about sustainability and cultural responsibility in narrative-driven interiors and experiment with different media including drawings, physical models, storyboards and video. The module concludes with an independent project where you present a design proposal shaped by narrative interpretation.

• Technology: Strategies

  This module covers systems and materials that are fundamental to spatial design/architecture and construction today. You will explore strategies around environmental performance, material selection, construction methods, structures and sustainable design practice. The aim is to cultivate your appreciation of technology, construction, systems and materials and to be able to apply these in your design practice and building analysis.

• Interior Design 4: Identity in the Interior

  You will look at how identity shapes interiors by exploring commercial settings like retail, hospitality and work spaces. You’ll explore brand values, client ambitions and user needs to form strategies and transform them into compelling and professional design visuals. The module concludes with an independent project where you will present a finished proposal that combines project identity with your unique design voice.

• Architecture Criticism 2

  This module provides you with an overview of contemporary global concerns in spatial design disciplines. You will explore the different ways these disciplines constitute and relate to social, economic, cultural and environmental concerns more broadly, and how they draw on and inform other disciplines and professions. You’ll develop your skills of critical thinking through analysis and research by participating in seminars and workshops.

Placement year

A placement year gives you the opportunity to gain professional experience either through external work placements with industry partners or by working on live projects.

A year on placement strengthens your portfolio, builds confidence, develops your technical and communication skills and provides valuable industry contacts, giving you a competitive edge in the job market.

Previous design students at 黑料吃瓜网 have undertaken placements in a variety of roles across the creative industries. Companies including Interaction in Bath host student placements, offering insights into commercial interior design and workplace strategy. These experiences often lead to lasting professional relationships and even graduate job offers.

Learn more about placement opportunities at 黑料吃瓜网.

Final year

Your final year includes a major project, where you define your own brief and develop a design with technical drawings, models and visualisations. You will exhibit your final project at the Summer Show – an exciting opportunity to present your vision to industry professionals and the public.

Modules

• Major Design Project 1: Interior Definition

  In this module, you will choose your own project focus and explore an interior design problem that matters to you. With tutor support, you will research the site, people and context, study relevant examples and test early design strategies. You’ll learn how to gather and communicate the information needed to shape a clear project direction, creating a strong foundation for your major design project.

• Architecture Criticism 3

  During this module, you will plan, carry out and complete an independent research project on a topic related to spatial design disciplines. You will take responsibility for shaping your inquiry and managing your research process. Your investigation may draw on written and visual sources and, where appropriate, other research methods such as interviews, observation, drawing or analytical mapping. You will also engage with digital research tools, including the critical use of generative AI where relevant to your research focus.

• Major Design Project 2: Interior Development

  In this module, you will develop your design project into an industry-ready interior proposal. You’ll advance the ideas and research from Major Design Project 1 and turn them into imaginative and confident interiors. You’ll resolve the mood and material presence of your interior, representing how people experience them. Through expressive drawings, models, and visualisations, you will craft a compelling interior design proposal that showcases your creative identity and design ambitions.

• Major Design Project 3: Technology

  In this module you will complete your interior design proposal, creating a technical portfolio which meets industry standards. You will use research, specification, sampling, testing and prototyping to demonstrate an in-depth understanding of the materials, systems, detailing and sustainable design methods used in your project. 

Facilities 

You’ll benefit from access to facilities that support creative exploration, technical development and hands-on interior design practice throughout your studies.

• Design studios – work in a collaborative studio environment where you can develop projects, share ideas and build your portfolio alongside fellow design students.
• Workshops – gain practical experience through workshop-based learning that supports experimentation, making and design development.
• Digital design facilities – use digital tools and software to develop, visualise and communicate your design ideas.
• 3D modelling resources – build and test design concepts using 3D modelling as part of your creative and technical development.
• CAD facilities – develop professional skills using computer-aided design software to produce and communicate interior design proposals.
• Digital rendering and visualisation tools – create presentations and visual representations of your design concepts for portfolio and project work.
• Model-making facilities – develop physical modelling skills to explore materials, scale and spatial design ideas.
• Fabrication workshops – access facilities that support the creation of models and design prototypes as part of the design process.
• Digital labs for design development – use specialist digital spaces equipped for CAD, visualisation and project development work.
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Meet the team

Summer shows

At the end of every academic year, the campus comes alive with creativity, celebration, and community spirit at our annual Architecture and Design Summer Show. This vibrant event marks the culmination of months of hard work, innovation, and exploration by our talented students and offers a glimpse into the future of architecture and design.

Take a virtual tour of the Architecture and Design Summer Show and explore our students’ creative work.

Course fees

Interior Architecture Progression Scholarship

Open to first year Interior Architecture BA students, this scholarship provides one student with a grant of £2,000 per year for three years of study, free gym membership for Sport 黑料吃瓜网 and a 1–2 week work placement at Charlotte Tilbury. Find out how to apply.

The course fees shown here are what you will pay for the first year of your course if you start in the academic year 2026–27 and you are studying full-time (fee amount is subject to parliamentary approval). You pay fees in each year of your course. The fees you pay may increase each year.

Regulated fees

Fees for UK students on undergraduate and some postgraduate courses are set by the UK government. These are known as regulated fees. From academic year 2026–27, regulated fees will increase annually in line with forecast inflation.

Student Finance England loans for tuition fees and maintenance will also rise in line with inflation.

If you are studying part-time your fee will usually be calculated based on the number of modules that you take.

Unregulated fees

Course fees for international students taking undergraduate courses and for most postgraduate courses are not regulated by the UK government. Unregulated fees may increase each year by up to 5% or the forecast Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation (whichever is higher).

Find out more

• Fees, bursaries, scholarships and government funding info for UK and international undergraduate students
• Student finance and budgeting while studying
• Read our student contract and (pdf) for more on 黑料吃瓜网 tuition fees.
• 黑料吃瓜网 Boost – cost of living help for our new undergrad students. Find out about how we can help with your study, accommodation or travel costs and more.

Campus where this course is taught

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Support and wellbeing

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