Masters in Interior Design UK: Universities & Course Details

As the lifestyle of people around the world improve, their wish to live in a functional and aesthetic house increases as well. The job of building a house is that of an engineer, but making that house liveable and beautiful on the inside is the job of an interior designer.

Through this blog, we will provide you with the details of studying Masters in Interior Design UK. Plus, you will get to know what colleges you can apply to and what kind of career you can build.

Overview of Masters in Interior Design

Interior designing is a profession that has been gaining traction in recent years. As the world becomes more interconnected through social media and the internet, people prefer to live in houses that fulfil their sense of beauty and functionality.

To become an interior designer, one can complete a degree in interior design. Interior design can be studied through an undergraduate as well as postgraduate program. However, a postgraduate program can help you get better jobs and projects and polish you further as an interior designer. A master’s in interior design is provided at many universities in the UK.

The courses are mainly Master of Arts (MA) interior design and Master of Design (MDes) interior design. UK universities provide an excellent education in interior design MA programs and extensive knowledge about digital designing software and techniques. You can choose to work in the sustainable design area or digital design future, as per your area of interest.

Interior designing students have a variety of skills that they can choose to master. This puts them ahead of the competition and helps them get better-paying jobs. Some of these skills are listed below:

• Technical Specification
• Vectorworks
• Autodesk Revit Architecture
• Project Management
• Adobe InDesign
• ArchiCAD
• Design
• Rhino 3D Modeling Software

Why Study Master’s in Interior Design in the UK?

The UK is an aesthetic country in itself, with centuries-old infrastructure and a knack for designing beautiful buildings. Studying master’s in interior design in the UK can be a great choice for your career because:

• The UK has several arts and designs schools that rank highly in the world rankings. In fact, the Royal College of Art ranks number one in the QS World Ranking Art and Design 2021.
• UK universities provide a high placement rate to their graduates through which students can secure a well-paying job as soon as they graduate.
• The UK provides several scholarships every year to its incoming international students. This eases the financial burden on their shoulders and makes it simpler for them to acquire quality education.
• Architecture firms that are known all over the world pick graduates from UK universities. This gives you an excellent opportunity to grab a well-paying job and get a good ROI on your degree.

Top Colleges offering Masters in Interior Design in UK

Royal College of Art

Courses offered: MA Interior Design (2 years) Annual tuition fees: £29,000 per year IELTS band score requirements: 6.5 Course details: Primer unit in term 1 discusses the methods and principles of interiors. The media studies unit in term 2 aims at increasing students’ critical engagement with art and media.

Glasgow School of Art

Courses offered: MDes Interior Design (1-year) Annual tuition fees: £19,980 per year IELTS band score requirements: 6.0 Course details: It focuses on sustainability, material innovation, digital presentation, information gathering, augmented realities, accessible design, and the effects of globalisation and online commerce.

Coventry University

Courses offered: M.A. Interior Design (1-year) Annual tuition fees: £14,700 per year IELTS band score requirements: 6.5 Course details: Core modules include Interior Design Specialism, Collaboration in Practice, Professional Context, Final Project Plan, Interior Design Final Project, Interior Design Specialist Investigation, and Leading Strategic Change through Creativity and Innovation.

University of Central Lancashire

Courses offered: M.A. Interior Design (1-year) Annual tuition fees: £13,200 per year IELTS band score requirements: 6.5 Course details: Core modules include Research Methodologies, Research in Context, Reflective Practice, Experimental Practice, Specialist Practice, and Interior Design Advanced Practice.

Manchester Metropolitan University

Courses offered: M.A. Interiors (1-year) Annual tuition fees: £17,500 per year IELTS band score requirements: 6.5 Course details: The core modules include Design Thinking and Design Studio.

Lincoln University

Courses offered: M.A. Interior Architecture Design (1-year) Annual tuition fees: £14,000 per year IELTS band score requirements: 6.0 Course details: Core modules include Interior Design Preparation, Interior Treatise, Design-research Methods, Direction, and Practice and Collaboration.

University of Hertfordshire

Courses offered: M.A. Interior and Architecture Design (1 year) Annual tuition fees: £10,430 per year IELTS band score requirements: 6.0 Course details: Core modules include Creative Economies, Major Study of Interior Architecture and Design, Research and Enquiry, and Discourse and Reflection Design.

Heriot-Watt University

Courses offered: M.A. Interior and Architecture Design (1 year) Annual tuition fees: £15,400 per year IELTS band score requirements: 5.5 Course details: Core modules include Interior Design Practice and Expertise, Research Methodologies, Design Technology and Innovation, and Sustainable Design and Management.

Birmingham City University

Courses offered: MA Interior Architecture & Design (1-year) Annual tuition fees: £13,200 per year – £14,600 per year IELTS band score requirements: 6.0 Course details: Core modules include Design Systems, Appreciative Design Inquiry, Design Cultures, and Co.LAB.

London Metropolitan University

Courses offered: MA Interior Design (1 year) Annual tuition fees: £13,750 per year IELTS band score requirements: 6.0 Course details: Core modules include Design Project Development, Design Research for Practice, Project as Professional Practice: Interior Design, Democratising Luxury, Design for Change, Interior Contexts, and Material Thought.

University of East London

Courses offered: MA Interior Design (1 year) Annual tuition fees: £13,680 per year IELTS band score requirements: 6.0 Course details: Core modules Advanced Interior Design, Interior Design Theory, and Professional Practice (Mental Wealth).

Nottingham Trent University

Courses offered: M.A. Interior and Architecture Design (1 year) Annual tuition fees: £15,100 per year IELTS band score requirements: 6.5 Course details: Core modules include Design Studio for Interior Architecture and Design, Design Communication, Technical Communication, and Research Methods.

Middlesex University

Courses offered: M.A. Interiors (1-year) Annual tuition fees: £14,500 per year IELTS band score requirements: 6.5 Course details: Core modules include Explore – Scale and Place, Encounter – Contexts and Debate, Develop – Personal Practice, Advance – Thinking and Writing, and Realise – Independent Research and Design

Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for studying an interior designing course in the UK are different from regular degrees that are focused on academics. The general entry requirements that applicants have to fulfil to get into a master’s program in interior design in the UK are as follows:

• A bachelor’s degree in design or architecture or a related field with second class honours.
• As per the UK grading system, second class honours are equal to 50% – 64% and 5.5 – 6.49 on 10 point CGPA scale for Indian students.
• English proficiency test scores such as IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, etc., need to be submitted if the applicant is from a non-native English-speaking country. The qualification for these scores varies from university to university.
• Portfolios are one of the most important aspects of an interior designer aspirant’s application. Your portfolio must exhibit a bunch of your capabilities as an interior designer for the selection committee to consider you.
• Your portfolio must be at least 10-20 pages long.
• Some universities in the UK might require you to have prior work experience for admission to their MA interior design program.

Documents Required

The following documents need to be presented to the university by the applicant for admission to the Master in Interior Design program:

• UK Student visa, also known as tier 4 visa
• Official transcripts of previous academic qualifications
• CV/Resume
• Portfolio
• English proficiency test scores
• Passport photocopy
• Proof of funding
• Statement of Purpose (SOP)

How to Apply for Masters in Interior Design UK?

• Research about the various programs offered by the universities in the field of interior design
• Visit the official website and select your preferred interior design course
• Check whether you are qualified or not
• Fill out the application form
• Upload the necessary documents
• Submit the application form
• Pay the application fees
• Upon successful admission, apply for your student visa through your offer letter as soon as possible

Cost of Living in the UK

The UK is an extravagant country with scenic cities and venues. Thus, the cost of living in the UK is a bit on the higher side. On average, you need around 930 GBP per month to manage your living expenses. However, the cost of living varies from individual to individual as per their lifestyle. While applying for a student visa, you need to provide proof of funding that shows you can manage a monthly expense of 1015 GBP per month if you will be residing outside London and 1265 GBP if you will be residing in London.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

The UK government as well as British universities provide several scholarships and awards every year to their students. This releases the financial stress on the student’s shoulders and helps them focus on achieving quality education through UK’s top universities. While applying for your program, you can look into the following scholarships and apply for the ones you deem fit:

• Coventry University International Academic Excellence Award – 1,500 GBP
• Coventry University Coventry Entrepreneurship Award – 3,500 GBP
• UK Government Bodies Chevening Scholarships – Full funding including tuition, travel and accommodation.
• MMU Vice-Chancellors PG scholarship – 2,500 GBP
• Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment National Overseas Scholarship – Variable
• London Metropolitan University International Excellence Scholarship – 2,500 GBP discount on tuition
• British Council Commonwealth Scholarships – Thesis and travel grant
• QS Trust QS Scholarships – Variable

Job Prospects

Interior design is a booming field that has only been getting better with the introduction of new technology. If you wish to secure high-profile and better-paid projects, a master’s in interior design is the way to go for you. The UK is a good destination for architecture firms to pick their potential candidates from. The following companies are some of the popular employers that hire interior design students in the UK:

• Graven
• Kapsimali Architects
• Norman Foster & Partners
• Orange & Uniter Designers
• Orbit Architects
• Studio Sofield
• Bill Dunster Architects
• Muji

Post-completion of their master’s degree, interior design graduates can land the following jobs in the UK that pay well and provide high ROI:

• Interior Design Assistant – £31,600 per year
• Interior Designer – £67,000 per year
• Kitchen Designer – £42,200 per year
• Landscaper – £52,000 per year
• Design Manager – £115,000 per year
• Design and Decorative Assistant – £35,600 per year
• Landscape Artist – £58,300 per year
• Architectural Designer – £80,900 per year

Location plays a key role in the pay package that you might be able to secure. Working in a region that focuses highly on your field can provide you with better salaries, e.g. tech students in Silicon Valley, fashion students in Milan and Paris and so on. In the case of interior design graduates, the following locations in the UK provide the highest pay packages:

• Aberdeen – £67,300 per year
• Belfast – £70,700 per year
• Bradford – £75,900 per year
• Cambridge – £67,800 per year
• Coventry – £76,400 per year
• Durham – £65,300 per year
• Edinburgh – £72,700 per year
• Glasgow – £74,700 per year
• Leeds – £80,400 per year
• London – £81,500 per year
• Manchester – £79,400 per year
• Southampton – £74,600 per year
• Wells – £57,300 per year
• Oxford – £71,900 per year

Conclusion

Interior design can be an exciting profession for you if that is your area of interest. A master’s in interior design can help you climb up the ladder and grab better jobs and projects. Plus, the UK can be a good choice for you to study and work as an interior designer as the scope of employability is high.

Frequently Asked Questions