Creative arts and design
Interior architecture and design
BA
Overview
Interior design and interior architecture study how indoor spaces are planned, lit and furnished for the people who use them. Courses differ in how technical they are. This is not the route to the protected title of architect. Students who enjoy it like drawing spaces and thinking about how a room works, and they usually build a portfolio. The course should be read for how much construction and regulation it teaches, because that varies.
You want interiors rather than whole-building architecture or graphic design.
Architecture is a longer professional route. Graphic design is not spatial in the same way.
People who like drawing, materials and human use of space.
What you will study
Universities do not teach the same modules. The lists below are a general shape, not a syllabus.
Year 1
- Drawing space
- Materials
- Small projects
Later years
- Larger interiors
- Technical drawing
- Final project
Skills
Useful before you start
- Drawing
- Spatial ideas
Developed during the degree
- Spatial planning
- Visual communication
- Material choices
Teaching and assessment
Teaching often includes Studio, Critiques, Workshops.
Assessment often includes Portfolio, Projects.
Typical weekly commitment
Estimate.
Entry requirements
Indicative patterns from published UK admissions information. Not an offer. Actual requirements vary by course, university and year. Pearson Edexcel International A Level and Cambridge International A Level are not treated as the same qualification as GCE A level.
Indicative requirements by qualification
The A-level band is the catalogue reference. IB and American lines come from the named university guides under the table. They are not a conversion every university uses, and they are not an offer.
| Qualification | Indicative requirements |
|---|---|
| A Levels | BBC–BBB. Art, design or a technical subject can help. Requirements vary. |
| IB Diploma | No UCL figure is stored for BBC or BBB. The stored UCL table runs from ABB to A*A*A. A required A-level subject must be Higher Level in UCL's rule. Each Higher Level subject in that table is at least 5. UCL equates A* to 7, A to 6 and B to 5. This is one university's table. |
| American curriculum | No Manchester social-sciences AP example is stored for BBC or BBB. Bristol publishes a GPA of 3.2, or 3.4 for competitive courses, and does not use one AP pattern for every degree. |
- University College London: Undergraduate entry requirements. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
- University of Manchester, School of Social Sciences: Americas country guide. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
- University of Manchester, Civil Engineering: USA country entry requirements. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
- University of Bristol: USA international qualifications. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
A-level subjects
Art, design or a technical subject can help. Requirements vary.
Often recommended: Art and Design, Design and Technology.
Useful preparation: Mathematics.
GCSE and IGCSE
English at GCSE or IGCSE is commonly expected. Other subject grades vary. No single national threshold is stored.
Indicative only. Portfolio rules are course-specific.
Other ways in
- This degree does not confer the title of architect.
Admissions tests and extra requirements
No admissions test is stored as usual for this course. A university can still set one for a particular year.
Course costs
For many standard full-time courses in England, the home-fee maximum in 2026 to 2027 is Up to £9,790. This is the maximum standard full-time fee published for approved English providers with a TEF award and an access and participation plan. It is not the fee a named university charges, and it does not decide whether you pay home or international fees.
Clinical, laboratory and studio courses are not given a different home-fee figure here, because the regulated maximum is not the same thing as an international or clinical fee.
International tuition is set by each university and is not stored here. Clinical courses are often much higher than classroom-based courses. A school in Qatar does not decide home-fee status.
Source: Changes to tuition fees: 2026 to 2027 academic year. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Living costs, field trips and professional fees are not included.
Where you could study
UK degrees in this subject are numerous. This page does not list every university, because a list without a checked entry requirement would look more certain than it is.
No individual UK course page is stored yet for this subject. Use the university site.
No overseas course has been checked for this subject yet.
Where could this degree take you?
Interior designer
Common route
A usual degree route. Practice experience still matters.
Architect
Related, but not enough on its own
This is not part one of the architect qualification.
Explore your pathway
A course sits between school subjects and a career. It does not guarantee either admission or a job.