Option for Placement Year
Option for Study Abroad
This course focuses on interior design for a broad spectrum of spaces, including those of commercial, lifestyle, educational, civic and cultural purposes. You will discover the power that interior and spatial design has to influence our daily lives, whilst developing a rich understanding of how to create impactful and effective spaces that are environmentally and socially conscious.
The course emphasises conceptual design and technical ability, providing the perfect environment for you to prepare yourself to enter the interior design industry.
The way your work is assessed is informed directly by industry practices and predominantly focuses on producing design project portfolios, with supporting presentations, collaborative work, and reporting on your design-led inquiry. As a designer preparing for practice, assessments encourage your visual communication, compelling story-telling, theoretical and critical justification, and thorough documentation of your own design journey. Design processes are driven forward by feedback. Our studio-based approach emphasises assessment for learning, providing you with opportunities for ongoing weekly feedback, formative reviews and peer-learning to enable you to push your own boundaries. Your submissions will receive concise summative feedback to recognise the strengths in your work and provide recommendations to help you to achieve your potential.
Other courses you may be interested in: Interior Architecture BA (Hons) and Architecture BA (Hons)
112 UCAS Tariff points
From a combination of acceptable Level 3 qualifications which may include: A-level, T Level, BTEC Diplomas/Extended Diplomas, Scottish and Irish Highers, Access to HE Diplomas, or the International Baccalaureate.
Find out how many points your qualifications are worth by using the UCAS Tariff calculator: www.ucas.com/ucas/tariff-calculator
Northumbria University is committed to supporting all individuals to achieve their ambitions. We have a range of schemes and alternative offers to make sure as many individuals as possible are given an opportunity to study at our University regardless of personal circumstances or background. To find out more, review our Northumbria Entry Requirement Essential Information page for further details www.northumbria.ac.uk/entryrequirementsinfo
Subject Requirements:
There are no specific subject requirements for this course.
GCSE Requirements:
Applicants will need Maths and English Language at minimum grade 4/C, or an equivalent.
Additional Requirements:
A portfolio of creative design work is required. Get advice on preparing your portfolio here: www.northumbria.ac.uk/study-at-northumbria/coming-to-northumbria/portfolios-and-auditions
International Qualifications:
We welcome applicants with a range of qualifications which may not match those shown above.
If you have qualifications from outside the UK, find out what you need by visiting www.northumbria.ac.uk/yourcountry
English Language Requirements:
International applicants should have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.0 with 5.5 in each component (or an approved equivalent*).
*The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades in our English Language section: www.northumbria.ac.uk/englishqualifications
For further admissions guidance and requirements, please visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/admissionsguidance Please review this information before submitting your application.
UK Fee in Year 1: £9,535
* This is the tuition fee for your first year of study. You should expect to pay tuition fees for every year of study. The University may increase fees in the second and subsequent years of your course at our discretion in line with any inflationary or other uplift, as decided by the UK Government, up to the maximum amount for fees permitted by UK law or regulation for that academic year. To give students an indication of the likely scale of any future increase, the UK government has recently suggested that increases may be linked to RPIX ( Retail Price Index excluding mortgage interest payments) * Fees subject to annual increases over the course of the period of study. Students will be liable for payment of any/all tuition fees which are not sponsored by their employer or other third party.
International Fee in Year 1:
ADDITIONAL COSTS
Throughout your course you will be expected to pay for the printing of work and to purchase specialist equipment, this may include: layout pads, drawing pencils, sketching pens, craft knives etc. These will vary in cost and as a guide can range from approximately £400-£500 over the duration of the programme. There are optional field trips that you may wish to participate in and as a guide these have previously ranged from London, Manchester, Berlin to New York, with an approximate associated cost of £250-£1000 to cover travel and accommodation, plus subsistence. You are also expected to budget for final year graduate exhibitions, should you take part - this covers travel, accommodation and exhibition set up. Whilst we provide access to computers and software, we would recommend that students have their own laptops –with 8 GB RAM and a graphics card with 2 GB VRAM, 15"" screen minimum (cost varies depending upon type of machine, between £700 - £2800). Software programmes: Adobe Creative Cloud is provided by the University throughout the programme. AutoCAD is introduced in your second year of studies, which can be accessed via a free student licence. Access and software delivery within the interior design programme is on PC, however Mac’s are also suitable.
In year 1 you will discover the world of interior design. Pulling back the curtain on iconic spaces, we will encourage you to challenge the way in which you see the built environment. You will learn the art of storytelling through designed spaces and be shown how to represent these ideas technically. You will emerge with an understanding of key practices and concept-driven interior design.
In year 2 you will build upon key skills gained in year 1. You will be encouraged to push boundaries within creative projects, striving to deliver socially conscious design solutions which promote human well-being, exploring the importance of responsible design initiatives. You will aim to positively impact global design through ethical, sustainable practices within interior design projects.
You will have the option to undertake an industrial placement year, or study abroad at a range of partner institutions all over the world.
In final year you have space to really flex your design skills. You will build a deep critical understanding of a topic of your choice and set your own project brief, allowing you to showcase your interests and create a sense of professional identity. You will finish with a final major project and have the opportunity to present this to industry and potential employers.
Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.
DE4022 -
Interchange 1 – Experimental Processes (Core,20 Credits)
In this module, you will delve into experimental design processes that are directly applicable to your future role in the ever-changing field of design. The boundaries between established design disciplines are continually shifting due to the ongoing collaborative nature of design projects calling on multiple skill sets, technological advancements, evolving design trends and societal needs.
The main objective is to provide you with the opportunity to explore making practice through different media, by acquire new skills or gaining experience in areas that are unfamiliar to you. For example, different briefs might explore 3D printing, upcycling, narrative storytelling and illustration or coding for designers. You will be encouraged to experiment and will be rewarded for taking creative risks. Throughout this process, you will develop into a more competent and self-assured designer, essential for a professional design career.
DE4029 -
Discovering Interior Design (Core,40 Credits)
Discovering Interior Design is a level 4 block 1 module that will introduce you to the world of interior and spatial design through a series of projects that emphasise creativity, exploration and experimentation, all within a supportive environment that aims to encourage playful risk-taking in your work.
You will become familiar with the experiential learning benefits of studying, working and collaborating in a studio environment. The module will introduce you to the fundamentals of the design process through an exploratory, creative approach intended to help stimulate your curiosity and build confidence in using design methods.
During this module you will undertake a series of practical interior design projects by responding to set design briefs, that will enable you to gain an overall understanding of the discipline. You will be encouraged to push your own boundaries and take risks in your creative approach.
You will begin to develop your approach to interior and spatial design through the introduction to essential principles, key skills and core knowledge. You will be introduced to essential drawing and communication techniques including freehand drawing, orthographic projection and Adobe Photoshop.
Design projects will be set in the context of existing or new build architecture and will ask you to engage with the exciting spatial challenges that interior design poses.
Topics: introduction to discipline / what is interior and spatial design / thinking conceptually / working collaboratively / implementation of 2D & 3D development drawing and design communication / orthographic drawing at a general arrangement scale / principles of spatial arrangement / model making / essential design development skills.
DE4030 -
Responding to Context in Interior Design (Core,20 Credits)
This level 4, block 2 module is designed to enable you build upon the fundamentals of the design process that were delivered in Discovering Interior Design, within the context of commercial interior design. You undertake a practical interior design project, responding to a set brief, that will expand your conceptual thinking and design development abilities by designing a concept-driven interior scheme.
To generate your concept you will draw influences from the specific design context that you explore in detail through the parallel module Introducing Interior Design Contexts. You will continue to enhance your analytical and critical thinking by deeply engaging with the physical context of the site, and the socio-cultural and historic contexts explored in Introducing Interior Design Contexts.
This project gives you the opportunity to build on Discovering Interior Design by learning to perform a more comprehensive site analysis. Alongside which, you will continue to establish your research and analytical abilities by gathering and critically interpreting relevant reference material.
The project is structured to provide an experiential journey that sequences the various activities as a contiguous design process. Through which you will continue to develop your confidence with hand drawing, orthographic drawing and model making skills. In addition to these essential communication techniques, you will be introduced to 3D modelling. This will allow you to develop a more sophisticated spatial understanding, and express your design in a new and exciting way.
Creative risk-taking continues to be encouraged, and you will be supported to expand your understanding of how critical thinking integrates with design development by engaging with a plurality of contextual factors.
Topics: introducing a typical sector of commercial interior design / historical, contemporary and socio-cultural factors / generating a concept from relevant contextual factors / fundamental space-planning & layout / 3D modelling / presentation & employability skills.
DE4031 -
Architectural Technologies and Alternative Materials in Interior Design (Core,20 Credits)
This level 4, block 3 module introduces you to the fundamentals of constructing interiors, focusing on design of the physical elements that you will add, remove and manipulate within a given space. The design brief requests that you carefully consider the environmental impact of your material decisions by exploring a range of alternative materials. You will go on to design an intervention that celebrates one or more materials that are bio-based / low-carbon / renewable / regenerative / recycled.
In order to expand your range of design development and communication techniques, you will continue to grow your 3D modelling skills, experimenting virtually with the ideas you envision for spatial interventions.
Your learning continues to be structured around a design project, initiated by a set brief, that enables you to synthesise your learning so far with a new focus on manipulating space with walls, floors, fixed elements, joinery, materials, and lighting. You will continue to develop your comprehension of the fundamentals of interior design practice, such as logical principles of planning and layout, whilst gaining an introductory understanding of statutory requirements such as building regulations.
Through this project your observational skills will be enhanced by engaging with the physical building structure and fabric of your given site, which you will need to understand carefully in order to recognise the many creative possibilities available. Your developing competency in research and analysis will be necessary to allow you to extend your points of reference in order to expand your awareness of materiality and work on a site with more than one floor level.
The project is structured to provide an experiential journey that sequences the various activities as a contiguous design process. Through which you will continue to develop your confidence with hand drawing and model making skills, whilst also continuing to gain experience with crucial visualisation software - Photoshop. Creative risk-taking continues to be encouraged as you begin to incorporate an extended palette of design considerations, from built elements that configure space to new materiality, lighting, fixed and loose furniture, and beyond.
Topics: Environmental sustainability / alternative materiality / planning and construction / manufacture and fabrication of interior elements.
DE4032 -
Introducing Interior Design Contexts (Core,20 Credits)
Introducing Interior Design Contexts is a level 4 block 2 module that will introduce you to key historical and cultural influences in design, focusing on the critical role of context in establishing meaning and purpose in interior spaces. This module will enable you to explore significant design exemplars and understand their wider global and cultural influences and impacts. This fundamental understanding will help inspire, inform and justify your contemporary design projects, and begin to lay the foundations for your own developing practice of interior design.
Drawing from a depth of research and disciplinary knowledge, academic staff will deliver an introductory understanding of key design influences, exploring how they can be translated into contemporary design concepts. This module will strengthen your overall understanding of how historical and contemporary phenomena provide a rich basis from which to generate concepts and justify design decision making. Furthermore, the module aims to stimulate your curiosity and initiate your own journey of independent exploration, as you begin to gather a depth of references that position not only your project work, but who you are as a designer.
Topics: iconic design and aesthetics (varying topics) / influential movements in design / storytelling for design concept generation / development and implementation of conceptual design / working with heritage & listed buildings.
YB5001 -
Academic Language Skills for Design (Core – for International and EU students only,0 Credits)
Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.
The topics you will cover on the module include:
• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.
DE5021 -
Interchange 2 – Emerging Issues and Practices (Core,20 Credits)
In this module, you will explore some of the most important emerging design issues and practices that are shaping contemporary design and design research. As designers, we are in a perpetual state of evolution, responding to a world that is constantly in flux, where new challenges and opportunities arise on an almost daily basis.
This module occurs at a critical and timely stage in your design education, where you will delve into the heart of design's developing practice opportunities or most compelling dilemmas. You will learn to identify, analyse, and propose innovative opportunities to these dynamic and often complex situations. You will also learn to react to these challenges by working with others, leveraging your collective skills and knowledge to develop more nuanced design outcomes.
Emerging issues and practices may include a diverse range of topics, from sustainability, responsibility, inclusivity and diversity to technology and innovation, which may in turn have implications for cross-cultural design and global design trends.
DE5034 -
Tactics and Strategies for Interior Design (Core,40 Credits)
This level 5 block 1 module is designed to further develop your understanding of interior space and form by encouraging you to be more radical with your interventions.
The module allows you to build upon the skills and knowledge gained in previous design project modules and will allow you to develop an individual analytical approach to your design practice. Through a sequence of set design briefs you will learn to develop strategies combining interior design tactics that are both spatial and human-centred, synthesising contextual factors with user-research to create several alternative design concepts.
Practical design projects will challenge you to combine a thorough understanding of purpose, whilst dealing with increasingly complex technical and commercial realities. Allowing you to define your own boundary-pushing approach to design through the experience of site, scale, manipulation of space, strategic re-use of existing buildings, building technology, remodelling, lighting, branding, virtual environments, ergonomics, materiality and construction detailing.
Design projects will be set in the context of adaptive re-use of existing buildings and will ask you to engage with the exciting spatial challenges that interior design poses. Projects typically focus on commercial sectors of retail, leisure, hospitality and exhibition, through the tactics of architectural insertion, installation, and/or intervention in response to the interplay of site and users.
During this module you grow your readiness for professional practice through an introduction to industry level Computer Aided Design (CAD) 2D drawing. Building on your understanding of orthographic drawings, you will now be able enhance your design communication and technical abilities with the increased sophistication afforded by CAD software packages.
This module is intended to be fast-paced and highly interactive, taking your newly familiar studio-based working practices to the next level. You will be expected to work both collaboratively and independently, whilst extending the range of physical and virtual design development and communication techniques that you now have at your disposal.
Topics: Building re-use and re-interpretation / Human centred design and user research / Service design as part of a full interior design proposal / Building exteriors and facades / Embedding design principles through design practice / Detailing packages / Sustainability / Architectural technologies.
DE5035 -
Interior Design for Wellbeing (Core,20 Credits)
This level 5 block 2 module is designed to further broaden your contextual understanding of interior design. Through this practical design project you will explore the role of spatial design - and responsibilities of interior designers - in relation to wellbeing.
You will critically engage with prevailing contemporary cultural movements and/or social and societal matters of concern, and develop your practice in response to the crucial factors that you identify through research. You will be encouraged to consider how such contextual influences may evolve and transform future scenarios. What are the challenges now? How might they be transformed in the future?
Interior Design for Wellbeing runs in parallel with the adjacent Investigating Interior Design Contexts module. As a result you will be expected to combine curiosity and creativity with inquiry and criticality, to design spaces that address emerging needs, desires, challenges and trends relating to wellbeing.
Your growing material understanding will allow you to explore new opportunities that respond to the intrinsic inter-dependency between human and environmental wellbeing. Thus, enhancing your already growing awareness of sustainability in interior and spatial design.
This module also requires you to build on the essential CAD skills that you gained in block 1 and develop a robust understanding of CAD-driven orthographic drawing principles, conventions and communication techniques.
Topics: Building re-use and re-interpretation / Service design as part of a full interior design proposal / Building exteriors and facades / Embedding design principles through design practice / Detailing packages / Sustainability / Architectural technologies.
DE5036 -
Branded Environments in Commercial Interior Design (Core,20 Credits)
This level 5 block 3 module will draw together the knowledge that you are developing about interior design practice. The module foregrounds the key roles of brand, audience and product/service in creating successful commercially-driven interior spaces.
A focus on synthesising the skills and knowledge that you have gained in previous design project modules will help you to advance your own practice, whilst also helping you develop your individual approach from design brief through to design proposal. During this module you will be encouraged to make design decisions more independently, and confidently articulate their justifications. In doing so, you will build on your emerging sense of professional identity.
The practical design project will be based on either a staff-selected design competition, collaborative project, live brief or staff-initiated design brief that will challenge you to respond to contemporary critical issues, emerging trends and anticipated future opportunities. Your resultant work will demonstrate a thorough consideration client brand, target audience, and product/service delivery, developed in harmony with the implications of site, place and urban context.
Projects are intended to emphasise the experiential nature of successful interiors and may deal with industry sectors such as retail, leisure, civic and culture. You will continue to explore strategies of insertion, installation, and/or intervention in response to site, with a strong understanding of the surrounding urban environment. You will be supported to implement design tactics related to brand, urban context, manufacture, materials and processes, construction and technology, ergonomics and lighting in producing a well-resolved branded interior design proposal.
Design projects will be set in the context of existing or new build and will ask you to engage with the exciting spatial challenges that interior design poses.
Topics: Building re-use and re-interpretation – internal and external / Branding and branded interior environments / Service design as part of a full interior design proposal / Architecture, ‘shop fit’ and visual merchandising as part of a cohesive scheme / Construction and furniture detailing / Architectural technologies.
DE5037 -
Investigating Interior Design Contexts (Core,20 Credits)
This level 5 block 2 module will demonstrate that successful design does not begin with a clean slate, rather it will always draw inspiration from somewhere. As aspiring designers, it is important to understand that constructing proposals for creative projects requires thorough investigation of the situation within which we are designing. Establishing the contexts of the design project is essential when generating ideas, and this is led by an ethos of ‘the more you look the more you will find’.
Investigating Interior Design Contexts continues to promote the fundamental relationship between designing and storytelling. Whatever project you are presented with must always be supported by a strong narrative. The module will explore the wider extent of global, social, and cultural impacts of significant examples of design whilst considering how they may inspire or provide clarity within your own contemporary conceptual design projects.
Focus will be placed on socially conscious design, challenging consumer focused society and asking how we can produce sustainable spaces which promote human wellbeing and quality of life. The world as we know it is heavily influenced by design outcomes that have gone before, it is our job to make something even better. To help you achieve this, the module aims to advance your established understanding of conceptual design and critical influences.
Through a series of collaborative sessions promoting open discussion, academic staff will present a critical exploration of key influences on socially conscious design, exploring how they can be translated and implemented for contemporary design concepts within tutor guided sessions. Within this module you will continue to explore significant/exceptional pieces of design, building upon understanding gained within level 4.
Topics: socially conscious design exemplars / responsible design initiatives / design strategies for human well-being / global design impact / ethical, sustainable practices.
YB5001 -
Academic Language Skills for Design (Core – for International and EU students only,0 Credits)
Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.
The topics you will cover on the module include:
• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.
DE5022 -
Creative Studio 1 (Optional,60 Credits)
Creative Studio 1 is a blended learning module where you will have the opportunity to collaborate and work on one or more live or simulated industry related briefs, international competitions or speculative design scenarios. The module is characterised by an intensive period of collaboration followed by a shorter period of independent reflection and portfolio building.
The different project briefs will be managed by academic staff and will run either independently or collaboratively through teamwork. The projects will be varied and will provide you with the opportunity to hone your specialist skills, professional, enterprise and entrepreneurial capabilities through real-life scenarios – providing an authentic learning experience. You will be encouraged to develop a flexible and imaginative enquiry-based approach to the design projects. You will become an active participant, integrating your design practice with distinguishable practical and intellectual skills whilst recording your process for summative assessment. At the end of the module, you will be given time to reflect, complete and relate this work to your own professional portfolio allowing an opportunity for independent and autonomous study.
This module supports the development of industry specific skills and techniques. It enables you to understand what it means to be a design practitioner build professional ambition, how to work autonomously and how to prepare for future employment.
It is anticipated that all projects will run successfully in a blended delivery mode to allow you to work on campus or at distance as and when required. Note, international students will be expected to meet in person with their tutors at least once per month to order to fulfil their visa requirements.
DE5023 -
Creative Studio 2 (Optional,60 Credits)
Creative Studio 2 is a blended learning module where you will have the opportunity to collaborate and work on one or more live or simulated industry related briefs, international competitions or speculative design scenarios. The module is characterised by an intensive period of collaboration and a shorter period of independent reflection and portfolio building.
The different project briefs will be managed by academic staff and will run either independently or collaboratively through teamwork. The projects will be varied and will provide you with the opportunity to hone your specialist skills, professional, enterprise and entrepreneurial capabilities through real-life scenarios – providing an authentic learning experience. You will be encouraged to develop a flexible and imaginative enquiry-based approach to the design projects. You will become an active participant, integrating your design practice with distinguishable practical and intellectual skills whilst recording your process for summative assessment.
Dependent on the start date of your live or simulated design briefs, you will be given independent time at the beginning or end of the module develop your professional portfolio and complete your assessment tasks.
This module supports the development of industry specific skills and techniques. It enables you to understand what it means to be a design practitioner build professional ambition, how to work autonomously and how to prepare for future employment.
It is anticipated that all projects will run successfully in a blended delivery mode to allow you to work on campus or at distance as and when required. Note, international students will be expected to meet in person with their tutors at least once per month to order to fulfil their visa requirements.
DE5024 -
Design Placement 1 (Optional,60 Credits)
In this module you will have the opportunity to complete either one or several placements working in the creative industries, which will enable you to explore possibilities for your future career within the sector. With the support of your Academic Tutors and the placement support staff you will be encouraged to source, apply and confirm your chosen placement(s). This will help you to develop a network and become confident in applying for opportunities within creative industries.
A single placement or series of placements can run continuously or sporadically throughout the placement period as long as a minimum of 15 weeks or 600 hours of design-related placement work and study is achieved. A placement can also seamlessly transfer into the Placement 2 module. This flexible opportunity offers you a potentially broad insight into how the design industry operates in differing market and innovation sectors. Being part of a design agency or in-house team means a greater understanding of design processes, market and product development cycles.
Through this work experience, you potentially gain exposure to design related professions such as brand strategy, marketing, social media content creation, manufacturing processes, as well as developing your own visual and general communication skills. Furthermore, the experience of applying your academic studies in a real work environment gives context and will help you to develop a confident and professional attitude and it will encourage you to become career ready, actively making informed decisions about your future. To consolidate this aim, you will be encouraged to maintain a digital diary of your learning, and professional experience, documenting the new skills and knowledge you acquire during your placement semester encouraging deep thinking, questioning and you will be asked to critically reflect and contextualise this learning in relation to your own professional practice.
Note, if you intend to continue with ‘Design Placement 2’ in semester 2 but are unable to complete or secure an industrial work placement in advance of the module starting you will have the opportunity to switch to the 'Creative Studio 2' elective which connects to industry live design briefs, competitions and speculative design scenarios that thrive on mirroring real-world design. However, please also remember that the Creative Studio modules are full-time taught modules and therefore attract full tuition fees.
DE5025 -
Design Placement 2 (Optional,60 Credits)
In this module you will have the opportunity to complete either one or several placements working in the creative industries, which will enable you to explore possibilities for your future career within the sector. With the support of your Academic Tutors and the placement support staff you will be encouraged to source, apply and confirm your chosen placement(s). This will help you to develop a network and become confident in applying for opportunities within creative industries.
A single placement or series of placements can run continuously or sporadically throughout the placement period as long as a minimum of 15 weeks or 600 hours of design-related placement work and study is achieved. A placement can also seamlessly transfer into the Placement 2 module. This flexible opportunity offers you a potentially broad insight into how the design industry operates in differing market and innovation sectors. Being part of a design agency or in-house team means a greater understanding of design processes, market and product development cycles.
Through this work experience, you potentially gain exposure to design related professions such as brand strategy, marketing, social media content creation, manufacturing processes, as well as developing your own visual and general communication skills. Furthermore, the experience of applying your academic studies in a real work environment gives context and will help you to develop a confident and professional attitude and it will encourage you to become career ready, actively making informed decisions about your future. To consolidate this aim, you will be encouraged to maintain a digital diary of your learning, and professional experience, documenting the new skills and knowledge you acquire during your placement encouraging deep thinking, questioning and you will be asked to critically reflect and contextualise this learning in relation to your own professional practice.
Note, if you intend to continue with ‘Design Placement 2’ in semester 2 but are unable to complete or secure an industrial work placement in advance of the module starting you will be encouraged to switch to the 'Creative Studio' elective which connects to industry live design briefs, competitions and speculative design scenarios that thrive on mirroring real-world design.
DE5026 -
Design Study Abroad 1 (Optional,60 Credits)
This module will give you the opportunity to undertake a semester abroad studying at a partner university completing the equivalent to 60 UK credits. This gives you access to modules from your discipline taught in a different learning culture and so broadens your overall experience of learning. With the support of the Study Abroad team you will be encouraged to source, apply and confirm the course of study abroad. This opportunity will allow you to network and become confident in applying for opportunities within partner institutions. Your module credits, performance and attendance will be recorded by the host University via your learning agreement. The module will be assessed by conversion of graded marks from the host University.
Learning outcomes on any year-long modules on which you are unable to attend via the home institution must be met at the host institution, and marks from the host are incorporated into the modules as part of the overall assessment.
You will be encouraged to maintain a digital diary of your learning, documenting the new skills and knowledge you acquire during your study abroad period encouraging deep thinking, questioning and you will be asked to critically reflect and contextualise this learning in relation to your own professional practice.
DE5027 -
Design Study Abroad 2 (Optional,60 Credits)
This module will give you the opportunity to undertake a semester abroad studying at a partner university completing the equivalent to 60 UK credits. This gives you access to modules from your discipline taught in a different learning culture and so broadens your overall experience of learning. With the support of the Study Abroad team you will be encouraged to source, apply and confirm the course of study abroad. This opportunity will allow you to network and become confident in applying for opportunities within partner institutions. Your module credits, performance and attendance will be recorded by the host University via your learning agreement. The module will be assessed by conversion of graded marks from the host University.
Learning outcomes on any year-long modules on which you are unable to attend via the home institution must be met at the host institution, and marks from the host are incorporated into the modules as part of the overall assessment.
You will be encouraged to maintain a digital diary of your learning, documenting the new skills and knowledge you acquire during your study abroad period encouraging deep thinking, questioning and you will be asked to critically reflect and contextualise this learning in relation to your own professional practice.
DE6021 -
Interchange 3 – Contemporary Challenges and Design Futures (Core,20 Credits)
On this module, you will undertake a brief that will either tackle current challenges to designers or explore design’s role in near-future visions of society. The module will challenge, inspire, and propel you into the future as a visionary designer or ‘change maker’ equipped to address some of the pressing issues of our time.
Design challenges and our responses are increasingly complex. Technology has automated many of the simplest design tasks, leaving designers to focus on solving more complex problems. To help tackle them, most designers work in multi-disciplinary teams. Even more individual design specialists such as designer-makers work co-operatively with other craft specialists, manufacturers and business professionals to bring their work to market.
Therefore, this module led by design tutors and other subject specialists enables you to work with peers and collaborators to address contemporary challenges or future opportunities. The choice of briefs may be developed in partnership with professional design teams, set by design competitions or written by your tutors in response to important design research or practice challenges.
DE6026 -
Business and Commercial Strategies for Interior Design (Core,20 Credits)
This level 6 block 1 module will use design practice to introduce you to an advanced level of professional knowledge and understanding, using an experiential approach based on proposition and feasibility; the strategic planning stages of a design project. You will gain an essential understanding of commercial interior design as business, starting from the basics of "how to actually make money as a designer" as an initial positive focus. This understanding will help you to contextualise the wider implications of your design practice, and highlight the importance of attention to detail.
Empowered by this new understanding, this module will help you to grasp the detail of project management, control and coordination of project information, and contract administration. This crucial professional knowledge will give you a powerful head-start as you enter practice in industry, or go on to further study. Throughout the previous 2 years of study you have acquired a range of important communication techniques that use a variety of media. Now it is time to focus on the most important medium that you - as a designer - have at your disposal; yourself! You will learn how to present and conduct yourself professionally, and in doing so gain a new confidence in your design practice.
Topics: construction project management / client needs / contract administration / practice management / employability / critical design analysis / key project stages.
DE6027 -
Speculative Futures for Interior Design (Core,20 Credits)
This level 6 block 2 module is designed to give you freedom to push your creative boundaries ever further. Fundamentally, design involves creating the future and what is produced through designing becomes the constituent parts of the future that we will live in. This is the power of design.
To truly innovate you need to break free from existing concepts and notions, it is necessary to look beyond the present day and beyond current conceptions. Radically innovative design comes about through creative leaps that are not based simply on iteratively improving the existing. Radical creative leaps emerge through a process of completely re-envisioning the world around us.
Through Interior Design Contexts in first and second years you have learned the important relationship between designing and storytelling. This module will challenge you to generate boundary-pushing interior design concepts by envisioning alternative and/or near future scenarios, and develop these into a convincing design proposition supported by a compelling narrative. You will be supported to speculate about directions of future development, anticipated new applications of interior design practice, and emerging ideas about how we might live, work and play.
The practical design project(s) will be an appropriately selected design competition, collaborative project or staff-initiated design brief. As a level 6, final year design module, you are expected to work with an increasing degree of autonomy, therefore specific aspects of the brief will be left undefined to allow you to propose appropriate factors. The module allows you to bring together core principles, skills and knowledge gained in previous design projects. Meanwhile you will be encouraged to experiment with emerging techniques and new technologies for design development and communication.
Topics: emerging and creative technologies / design futures / speculative design / visualisation / scenario-driven narrative concepts.
DE6028 -
Advanced Commercial Interior Design for Industry (Core,40 Credits)
This level 6 block 3 module allows you to demonstrate your comprehensive understanding of the design process through a complex, self-determined, research informed and comprehensively resolved final major project. This project is developed from your early proposals made in Business and Commercial Strategies for Interior Design (DE6026), and supported by your investigation in Research Practice for Interior Design (DE6029).
In this module you will reflect upon your learning to-date to demonstrate autonomous creative, professional, analytical and intellectual ability. You will evidence your developing practice of interior design and readiness to engage with the industry. The self-determined project brief will research and develop key themes such as; design, site, brand, sustainability, technologies, construction, customer, user experience and the future. The module allows you to build upon the skills and knowledge gained in previous design project modules and will allow you to develop your individual approach to design briefs through to a final design proposal, set in the context of the final year graduate approaching employment.
You will subsequently demonstrate your understanding and skills in communicating a resolved interior design solution. Building on the previous level 6 modules, you will further develop design intent through various techniques and methods including, modelling (both computer generated and physical), verbal and continued drawn design development. You will be required to demonstrate how design solutions are realised through the use of 2D and 3D communication, to industry level, that enables clear communication and dialogue with clients, construction firms and manufacturers.
Design projects will be directed by you and set in the context of existing or new build architecture and will ask you to engage with the exciting spatial challenges that interior design poses. A diverse range of topics and sites relevant to the interior designer will be covered and defined by you.
DE6029 -
Research Practice for Interior Design (Core,20 Credits)
This level 6 block 2 theoretical module will provide the platform for you to build your research practice for Interior Design. This is your opportunity to become an expert in your chosen topic of interest, developing your own rich knowledge-base to support your self-directed final major project. Throughout your study so far you have gathered experiences of different design approaches, contexts, sectors, and purposes. You will reflect on your journey so far and outline your own unique area of interest, upon which a focused investigation will take place.
During this module you will investigate the critical context for your final project. This will involve systematic research and analysis to comprehensively grasp your chosen subject. You will conduct primary and secondary research activities in order to build an evidence base, using designerly methods, tools and techniques, that will provide you with unique expertise to inform and influence your design work. You will be introduced to a variety of analytical procedures that will enable you to interpret your research data. These will incorporate typical methods of analysis alongside more subject-specific techniques.
The outcome of this module will be a professionally prepared report, combining a practitioner-led reflective inquiry with a method statement and insights from primary and secondary research. You will embed the full spectrum of communication techniques that you have gained so far, combining a variety of text-based approaches with engaging and informative visual and diagrammatic content, to engage your reader and communicate your research findings effectively.
YB5001 -
Academic Language Skills for Design (Core – for International and EU students only,0 Credits)
Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.
The topics you will cover on the module include:
• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Speed reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.
To start your application, simply select the month you would like to start your course.
The School of Design, Arts and Creative Industries is a leading centre for supporting and energising creative practice and academic study. Our inter-disciplinary research and experiential education is committed to the betterment of people, place, cultures, and societies. Our programmes are defined by the way we collaborate with communities, industry, and external partners to inform curriculum, your learning and contribute to wider society. Discover more.
Top Department: Northumbria is ranked 1st in the UK for Interior Design studies (Guardian University League Table, 2025).
Student Rated: Over 94% of students studying Interior Design at Northumbria believed their course positively challenged them to achieve their best work, and thought their course enabled them to develop knowledge and skills needed for their future (NSS, 2025).
Top University: Design at Northumbria is ranked 4th in the UK (Daily Mail University Guide, 2025).
You will gain unique access to industry leading specialists and cutting-edge research. Furthermore, you will be joining a course with an exceptional reputation for employability that is recognised by a wide-spread network of design agencies, studios and practices.
Our Interior Design course has an excellent reputation for employability. We maintain strong links with industry through a wide network of design studios and practices in the UK and beyond. We strongly value experiential learning and by choosing to study with us, you will learn by doing, making, creating and engaging with real-world situations and professional practitioners.
Career directions related to interior and spatial design are many and varied, your skills will be in demand both within and beyond the mainstream interior design industry. You can expect to work within inter-disciplinary project teams, and opportunities to work internationally are common.
Your degree will provide you with the core technical skills demanded by the interior design industry. But more importantly, our course is designed to give you both the creative confidence and professional competence to grow in your career.
You will learn in an environment that nurtures your talents whilst also foregrounding the importance of professionalism as a crucial mindset, supporting you to transition smoothly and confidently as you make your next steps. Take a moment to view a snapshot of our Class of 2025's work.
Teaching and learning is delivered by a team with significant industry experience, including current and visiting professionals. This is enhanced by leading researchers, bringing you to the forefront of design innovation.
Our course is predominantly delivered in purpose-built design studios, which provide space for formal teaching but also are open for independent study. Alongside the studios you have access to a comprehensive range of technical facilities, workshops, creative technology, photography studios, dedicated computer aided design lab, and large format printing. You will also have easy access to a wealth of knowledge through Northumbria University’s award winning library.
All information is accurate at the time of sharing.
Full time Courses are primarily delivered via on-campus face to face learning but could include elements of online learning. Most courses run as planned and as promoted on our website and via our marketing materials, but if there are any substantial changes (as determined by the Competition and Markets Authority) to a course or there is the potential that course may be withdrawn, we will notify all affected applicants as soon as possible with advice and guidance regarding their options. It is also important to be aware that optional modules listed on course pages may be subject to change depending on uptake numbers each year.
Contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with possible restrictions imposed by the government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors if this is deemed necessary in future.
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