Digital visual of a V&A exhibition

Interior Design BA(Hons)

Create impactful interiors considering design theory, psychology and sustainability.

Key details
Location
Falmouth Campus
Course duration
3 years / 4 years
Attendance
Full-time / Professional Placement
UCAS code
W252/PY41

Course overview

Create impactful interiors for commercial, residential and experiential spaces on a course that equips you with the skills you need to create a dynamic career. You’ll explore areas such as design theory, psychology and sustainability as you learn how to make memorable atmospheres using colour, pattern and material.

Working in our dedicated studios and workshops, with access to cutting-edge equipment including virtual reality (VR), you’ll gain technical knowledge through hands-on collaborative projects – ready to graduate as an innovative and industry-connected designer of the future.

You will:

  • Work with a variety of exciting industry partners such as Gensler, DSK, MIX Magazine and Sanders Studios 
  • Pitch ideas to compete for a coveted industry placement or micro-internship
  • Negotiate your own interior design projects and develop an individual design philosophy to achieve your dream job in industry
  • Engage with the collaborative work ethic of the future through interdisciplinary projects that look to innovative solutions
  • Harness your creative identity through our studio culture, IT suites and workshops
  • Draw inspiration from our extensive materials library 
  • Have the opportunity to go on study trips such as Milan Furniture Fair (Salone Internazionale del Mobile di Milano) and Dutch Design Week (DDW), the biggest design event in Northern Europe 

Course details

Interior Design BA(Hons) Course Video

On this Interior Design degree, you'll have the opportunity to gain a BA(Hons) degree over three years or study Interior Design BA(Hons) with a professional placement option.

Through this interior design course, you'll develop the practical skills and theoretical understanding to become a confident, well informed and industry-connected designer of the future. 

Through hands-on projects spanning residential, commercial and branded spaces, you’ll explore the fundamentals of interior design and Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment (FF&E); examine space in relation to communities, human behaviour, design theories and brand awareness; and consider the environmental impact of built environments. You’ll also learn vital project and design management skills, including how to pitch, model, draw, simulate, test and communicate design proposals. 

In your first year, you’ll be introduced to the principles of interior design and examine the psychology of creating interior atmospheres. You’ll learn how to use spatial concepts to analyse how design decisions shape the experience of a place, and to make recommendations based on client and user need. This will allow you to evaluate, research, draw and model a space to propose an innovative design based on an experiential-focused brief. 

Modules

Spatial Awareness

In this module, you’ll explore the relationship between body, movement, space and form. Working with lecturers from the Academy of Music & Theatre Arts, you’ll tap into the world of choreography and dance to help develop your understanding of the experience of space. 

Design Principles

In this module, you’ll explore the principles of interior decoration, commercial interiors/branded spaces and interior architecture, as well as developing your understanding of interior space from a user, client, brand and site perspective. 

Taste

In Taste, you’ll gain an understanding of the theories surrounding the visual aesthetics of the interior. You’ll also develop the technical skills you'll need to communicate your ideas in a professional interior design context. 

You, Me, Us

In this module, you'll investigate collective identities, practices and values. Examining human behaviour, you'll gain an understanding of the social, psychological and cultural factors that shape the interior condition. 

In the second year, you’ll explore innovative design concepts for the future through live briefs and collaborations with industry partners. Throughout this project work, you’ll continue to enhance your understanding of colour, light, texture, materiality and acoustics, as well as building your understanding of technical detailing and presenting to industry standards. 

You’ll also have the opportunity to compete for a variety of industry internships and undertake study trips.  

Modules

Trend forecasting

In the Trend Forecasting module, you’ll learn to explore, identify and predict consumers’ attitudes, needs, wants, spending patterns and lifestyles, and discover how all this informs interior design via global trends. 

Future Living

What is the future of interior design? Here, you’ll explore the evolution of the interior from concept through to technical resolution, while actively questioning future living environments and their environmental impact. 

Collaboration

Working as part of a team, you'll work on 'Challenge Briefs' that reflect the sort of assignments you could expect to be working on in industry. Developing your 'soft skills', like communication, problem-solving, critical thinking and leadership, you'll sharpen your ability to work well as part of a group to produce outstanding work. 

Fictional Interiors 

You'll explore the possibilities and constraints of representation by considering narrative and storytelling as integral to 'imagined' interior spaces. You'll learn to articulate the differences between virtual and real interior places by experiencing AR and VR technologies.  

You can choose to take an optional professional placement after your second year on a three-year programme. 

You’ll be responsible for finding your own placement, with support from the Employability team. 

Choosing this option will enhance your industry experience and skills while studying. 

How you’ll study during your professional placement

You’ll spend time working in a professional context, as part of a business or organisation. This can be in one role, or up to three, and must be for a minimum of 24 weeks. 

You’ll develop in-demand workplace skills, deepen your insight into industry and grow your network of contacts, all of which could help you get ahead in your career after graduation. 

Throughout this year, you’ll develop a portfolio of work that includes critical self-reflection on what has been learned from the experience. You’ll be required to evidence your experiences, the skills you’ve learned and your professional growth. 

The final year of the course is focused on preparing you for life as a professional interior designer. Through masterclasses in lighting, sustainable materials, detailing and Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment (FF&E), you’ll further solidify your technical design skills – giving you the knowledge to complete a project from concept through to resolution. You’ll also hone your project and design planning skills and techniques through a dedicated Design Ambitions module.   

You’ll consolidate everything you’ve learned through personally negotiated projects and the completion of an industry-ready graduate portfolio, which will be your calling card as you step into the world of work. 

Modules

Design Insight

Through a critical report, you’ll explore a personal philosophy as a designer and develop an entrepreneurial mindset by identifying a niche in the market.  

Innovation

You’ll develop a personal design pathway that embraces originality, creativity and innovation and actively questions the future of interior design. 

Design Ambition 

In this module, you’ll reflect on your skills and ambitions helping you to define a career pathway post-university. 

Showcase

In your final module, you’ll prepare for industry or further study by creating a ‘showcase’ for your skills and design ability. 

The modules above are those being studied by our students, or proposed new ones. Programme structures and modules can change as part of our curriculum enhancement and review processes. If a certain module is important to you, please discuss it with the Course Leader.

Students looking at a laptop together in design studio at Falmouth University
Interior Design 18

How you’ll learn & be assessed

Based on Falmouth Campus, with opportunities to access facilities on Penryn Campus, you'll learn through a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials, studio practice, workshops and practical demonstrations. You'll also learn through guest lectures and integrated studio design projects. 

At Falmouth, we use a 'digitally enhanced learning & teaching' approach. Your experience will always be predominantly in-person, including seminars, tutorials and studio teaching, with some, more targeted elements, being online either live (synchronous) or pre-recorded (asynchronous). You can read more here.

You'll be assessed through practical submissions and coursework.

Assessment methods

Assessments can take many forms, including: 

  • Design process – sketchbooks  
  • Research 
  • Presentations 
  • Project-based portfolios 
  • Essays or reports 
Interior design students looking inside a model.
Interior Design students looking inside model

Interior Design final project retrospective


Step into the life of an Interior Design student here at Falmouth by hearing from some of our amazing students, graduates and staff. They'll take you through their thought processes and design tips and techniques behind the creation of impactful built environments. 

Find out more

Facilities

  • Dedicated design studios 
  • Workshops – 3D, metal, wood, resistant materials, rapid prototyping, casting, milling, virtual reality suites, dance studios and theatres 
  • Subject specific library with multiple on-line resources 
  • Material Library with access to real material samples 
  • Student support and academic support services 
  • IT - WiFi and open access IT suites across both campuses 
  • Online Learning Space with 24/365 access 
Student working in metal work studio
Art Facilities_01

Art & Design Facilities

Primarily located at the Falmouth Campus in a subtropical garden, our studios and workshop facilitie...

Art & Design Facilities
Library facilities
Library facilities

Library Facilities

Offering extensive collections, our two libraries provide a wealth of digital resources, magazines, ...

Library Facilities
Falmouth University Sports Centre building exterior with blue sky and a path
Sports Centre - Outside
Sports Centre

Sports Centre

Our Sports Centre, on Penryn Campus, includes a spacious gym with up to 90 of the latest, new statio...

Sports Centre

Staff

Our Interior Design staff includes professional interior designers, architects, digital specialists and lighting designers. You’ll also gain the latest professional insights through talks, workshops and opportunities with our industry-leading partners. 

Fay Freeman

Course Leader, BA(Hons) Interior Design

Fay Freeman is the new Course Leader for BA(Hons) Interior Design having joined the University ...

Fay Freeman
Carlo Convertini staff profile picture

Carlo Convertini

Senior Lecturer

Carlo is also an Interior, Furniture and Product Design Professor with more than 10 years of experie...

Carlo Convertini
Jean Whitehead staff profile

Jean Whitehead

Senior Lecturer Interior Design

Jean, a senior lecturer in Interior Design and a graduate of Glasgow School of Art, chosen because s...

Jean Whitehead
Jennifer Neal staff image

Jennifer Neal

Associate Lecturer

Jennifer graduated from Falmouth University in 2010 and is delighted to be back teaching here as her...

Jennifer Neal

Iain Stewart-Tull

Associate Lecturer

Iain graduated from the Mackintosh School of Architecture with a master of architecture degree and w...

Iain Stewart-Tull
Emma East headshot

Emma East

Lecturer

Emma East graduated in 2011 from the University of Derby in Architectural Technology & Design, h...

Emma East
Jeb headshot

Jeb Beresford

Associate Lecturer

Having spent his architectural career in Hong Kong, USA, Shanghai, Abu Dhabi and the UK, Jeb brings ...

Jeb Beresford
Sarah Molloy headshot

Sarah Molloy

Associate Lecturer

Sarah has worked as an Interior Designer in both the commercial and high-end residential design sect...

Sarah Molloy

Some members of staff only teach on specific modules, and your course might not feature every staff member who teaches on the course.

Stories from our community

Explore student projects, graduate successes, staff news and industry insights

Thumbnail for Ones to Watch video with Hollie Milne
Holly Milne

Ones to Watch | Hollie Milne

16 January 2024

Together with business partner Jennie Trethewy Interior Design BA(Hons) graduate Hollie Milne co-fou...

Ones to Watch | Hollie Milne
Speculative office design for tech company Snoop by Interior Design student Sam Bloor
Interior Design Student Work - Sam Bloor 2

Impressive pitch secures internship with global architecture and design firm

17 August 2023

We talk to Sam Bloor about the industry collaboration opportunities on Falmouth's Interior Design co...

Impressive pitch secures internship with global architecture and design firm
Digital interior design by Doroteja Liaukeviciute
BIID Competition Winner - Digital - Doroteja Liaukeviciute

Graduating Interior Design student announced as BIID Student Drawing Competition winner

13 July 2023

Doroteja Liaukeviciute has been announced as the winner of the ‘Digital’ and ‘Hand Drawn’ ca...

Graduating Interior Design student announced as BIID Student Drawing Competition winner
An Interior Design student sitting on a sofa with a lecturer and industry partner
Interior Design industry partners day

Interior Design students showcase portfolios to industry experts

06 July 2023

Interior Design students connect with potential employers at industry partners day.

Interior Design students showcase portfolios to industry experts
Interior design students looking inside a model.
Interior Design students looking inside model

Interior Design final project retrospective

25 January 2023

Step into the life of being an Interior Design student here at Falmouth by hearing from some of our ...

Interior Design final project retrospective
A man stands by a project display at
AP Holm

Student takes home sustainability award at Interior Educators 2022

02 August 2022

BA(Hons) Interior Design student Ashley Powell has seen his shortlisted project 'holm' rise to ...

Student takes home sustainability award at Interior Educators 2022
A project page
Ashley Powell

Interior Educators Awards 2022: Shortlisted projects exhibited at Re-Form show

22 July 2022

Falmouth University's shortlisted Interior Educators Awards submissions were recently exhibited at t...

Interior Educators Awards 2022: Shortlisted projects exhibited at Re-Form show
An interior of a restaurant with a wooden roof, plants and chairs
Restaurant Interior design

The psychology of space: How interiors shape our behaviour

20 May 2022

Discover how interior environments can impact our daily lives and influence our behaviour.

The psychology of space: How interiors shape our behaviour
Close up of a woman drawing a sketch
Sketch

Interior Design students create concept designs for AMATA

18 May 2022

Two second-year Interior Design BA(Hons) students have teamed up to create concept designs for an ex...

Interior Design students create concept designs for AMATA
Interior design of a furnished apartment with a leather sofa, glass internal doors and large photos
Interior Design apartment visual

The difference between interior design and interior architecture

28 April 2022

Understand the key differences between interior design and interior architecture.

The difference between interior design and interior architecture
Interior design of large room with orange and green chairs and framed patterns
Interior Design room

9 Best interior design Instagram accounts to follow

08 April 2022

Ashley shares nine of his favourite interior design Instagram accounts to take your feed to new heig...

9 Best interior design Instagram accounts to follow
Trinitycollabboazkoha 002
Trinitycollabboazkoha 002

Graduates pool their skills to design positive community change

28 October 2021

A team of Interior Design graduates are helping to transform a disused pub into a community space in...

Graduates pool their skills to design positive community change
Photo 2
Photo 2

Graduate returns to Falmouth to embed sustainability into design curriculum

18 June 2021

Megan Coe graduated from BA(Hons) Interior Design in 2019, and has since been working in Cornwall fo...

Graduate returns to Falmouth to embed sustainability into design curriculum
Headshot of Interior Design graduate Ella Tapley
Ella Tapley

Graduate is creating luxury interiors and connecting people

14 May 2021

Interior Design graduate Ella is currently working for Mehrai Design, a London-based ...

Graduate is creating luxury interiors and connecting people
Riko Headshot Mg 2776 1
Riko Headshot Mg 2776 1

Graduate designing for Sybarite

18 March 2021

Interior design graduate Riko Sobukawa left Falmouth in 2016 and is currently working for architectu...

Graduate designing for Sybarite
Black and white image of Jake Morley
Jake Morley image

Graduate designing modular apartments in Sweden

05 February 2021

Interior Design graduate Jake is currently working for Adept Consulting as a structural designer –...

Graduate designing modular apartments in Sweden
Emily King Headshot
Emily King Headshot

Graduate designing luxury yachts

13 January 2021

Interior Design graduate Emily is currently working as Creative Designer for Princess Yachts, a lead...

Graduate designing luxury yachts
Rachel Davies Jasmine Attwoodpage
Rachel Davies Jasmine Attwoodpage

Students create collaborative 'Future Trends' Report

22 December 2020

First and second year Interior Design students and first year Photography students have completed an...

Students create collaborative 'Future Trends' Report
Interior Design of multi-story building
Romina Arellano-Templer Design Student
Image: The Re-Build Project, credit Romina Arellano-Templer

Talented Falmouth Design Students Win National Competition

19 August 2020

Congratulations to Falmouth University students, Emily Robson and Romina Arellano-Templer, for their...

Talented Falmouth Design Students Win National Competition
portrait photo of graduate - Phyllys Egharevba
Grad Profile - Phyllys Egharevba portrait

Graduate Designs at the Young Vic

03 August 2020

Interior Design graduate Phyllys Egharevba graduated in 2018, she is currently working freelance as ...

Graduate Designs at the Young Vic

Second year internship programme 

“Working with Interior Design students at Falmouth University enables us in industry to not only keep track of junior talent to benefit us in the long run, but it also allows us to support in honing their skills to better prepare them for entering the design world. University degrees are a great start to what we hope will be a long future for many design students, but it can only teach so much.

The course is structured in a way to give breadth and knowledge and a broad overall sense of what the design industry is all about. With first hand connections we support in filling the gaps and keeping the conversation fresh. It’s a great privileged and honourable opportunity for us working in agencies to use our experience, much of which is varied to mentor these students so that they are fully prepared, excited and ready to start their careers as post graduates. After all they are our future”  

– Sammi Burden, Creative Director, Bull Design

Interior Design and Campaign Design collaboration

Careers

As a graduate of this Interior Design degree, you could go into varied roles including:  

  • Interior designer 
  • Design consultant 
  • Spatial designer 
  • Project manager 
  • Design journalist 
  • Lighting designer 
  • FF&E consultant  
  • Exhibition/event designer 

Sustainable Product Design student work depicting refugee camp
Sustainable Product Design student work

Student work by: Sam Thomas

How to apply

Ready to join us? You can apply for September 2024 through UCAS. You'll need to reference the course and University code (F33).

Apply via UCAS

Course route UCAS code
Interior Design BA(Hons) three year degree W252
Interior Design BA(Hons) with professional placement PY41

We consider all applications on their own individual merit and potential. We invite all applicants to an interview day or audition to give them the opportunity to demonstrate this along with what inspires and motivates them in their field. Applicants will also be able to show their portfolio or give a performance depending on the course. We welcome applications from all subject backgrounds, whether you’ve specialised in STEM, the arts or humanities.  

Course route Entry requirements
BA/BSc(Hons) three year degree 104 – 120 UCAS Tariff points
BA/BSc(Hons) four year degree with professional placement 104 – 120 UCAS Tariff points

Check the title of your course to see if it's a BA or BSc award. UCAS Tariff points will primarily be from Level 3 qualifications such as but not limited to A-levels, T Levels, a BTEC/UAL Extended Diploma or a Foundation Diploma. 

Check how many points your qualifications are worth

For applicants whose first language is English we require you to have or be working towards GCSE English Language Grade 4 (C), or equivalent. 

If English is not your first language you will need to meet the same standard which is equivalent to the IELTS Academic 6.0 overall score, with at least 5.5 in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. We accept a range of in country equivalencies and approved tests.  

If you need a student visa to study in the UK, you may need to take a recognised language test. You can read our English Language Requirements for more information.

For starting your studies in 2024

UK applications: 31 January 2024 (for equal consideration)

Applications after the 31 January will be considered on a first-come, first-served as long as there are places available. Apply for this course now.

International fee payers

International fee payers can apply throughout the year. But we recommend applying as early as possible, to make time for visa and travel arrangements.

What we're looking for

We want someone who:

We’re looking for students who are curious, artistic and passionate about the interior design field. Good hand drawing skills and an awareness of three-dimensional understanding and thinking is desirable.  

Fees, costs & funding

Tuition fees for September 2024 entry

Annual tuition fee Student
£9,250 per year Full-time UK
£17,950 per year Full-time EU/international
£1,850 per professional placement year Full-Time UK and EU/international

Tuition fees for September 2025 will be confirmed in summer 2024.

Tuition fees are set annually and are subject to review each year. The University may therefore raise tuition fees in the second or subsequent years of a course, in line with inflation and/or the maximum permitted by law or Government policy. Students will be notified of any changes as soon as possible. 

The figures above don't include accommodation and living costs

Typical course costs

  • £100-£200 – recurring annual costs (materials and printing)
  • £40 - Suggested reading
  • £400-£450 – optional study visits
  • £750-2000– one-off cost for the duration of the course (laptop)

If you need to bring equipment or materials with you, these will be outlined in your Welcome Letter. 

Ask a student

What better way to find out about life at Falmouth University than by asking our current students?

From course details and academic support, to the social scene and settling in, our students are ready and available to answer any questions you might have. Simply set up your account, send them a question and they'll get back to you within 24 hours.

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