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Interior Design MA

Prepare to take a creative and critical position, rethink existing interiors, redesign spaces, and forge your individual identity in the field of interior design.

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Overview

Our Interior Design course aims to support you to experiment boldly, meaningfully challenge conventions, and consider innovative approaches to the future of interior design. It challenges the integration of spaces, whether that be the old with the new, the digital with the physical, engineered with nature or the integration of communities with their surroundings.

You will develop, research and practice design thinking to an advanced level, integrating strong research methods into the creative process. You will be encouraged to think sustainably, as well as develop your understanding of professional and commercial practice by considering the viability of your design proposals. Our stunning and sophisticated facilities offer an inspiring place for you to foster and refine your talents, and where you will collaborate across disciplines within our close-knit design community.

The course culminates in the detailed development of a major design brief or work-based project in industry. This will enable you to hone your skills as an independent researcher or gain first-hand experience of professional skills. Your individual interests are at the heart of the course and we will support you to develop your skills and expertise towards your career aspirations.

Key features

  • Have the freedom to tailor your studies with modules such Technology for Design, where you will discover emerging digital technologies and use them to envision daring and innovative design strategies of the future.
  • An optional year-long work placement will enable you to gain valuable experience to further enhance your practical and professional skills.
  • Become part of a community working together to co-design new ways of thinking to redefine the future of creative practice.
  • Our teaching team keeps the curriculum current, with expertise across the interior design spectrum and an ethos of supporting you to take risks with your work.
  • Our award-winning Vijay Patel building has been designed to provide the space and facilities where all of our art and design students can develop their ideas and flourish. IT facilities include PC, CAD, graphics, and multimedia labs, with software for drawing, multimedia, painting/DTP, 3D modelling, animation and video.
  • Study in a lively multidisciplinary environment alongside working and upcoming designers, where you will benefit from both collaborative and individual learning experiences.
  • You will graduate with the skills to forge a successful professional career in your chosen specialism, or to continue on the academic pathway to PhD level study.

Talk to our course team

If you would like to find out more about how this course can help you achieve your career ambitions, send a message to our course team [Alex Stothard] who would be happy to chat to you. Alternatively, you can register for our next postgraduate event or call our course enquirers team on +44 (0)116 2 50 60 70  / WhatsApp: 0797 0655 800.


Scholarships:

DMU offers a range of undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships and bursaries to help you realise your academic ambitions.

International Scholarships

Find out about available scholarships and country specific fee discounts for international students. 

 

More courses like this:

Design Innovation and Management MA/MSc

  • UK
  • EU/International

Programme code: W25081

Start date: September 2024

Duration: One year full-time. Two years part-time.

Fees and funding: 

2024/25 tuition fees for UK students: £9,435 per year.

Find out more about course fees and available funding.

Additional costs: Here at DMU we provide excellent learning resources, including the Kimberlin Library and specialist workshops and studios. However, you should be aware that sometimes you may incur additional costs for this programme.

Programme code: W25081

Start date: September 2024

Duration:

September: One year full-time.

Fees and funding: 

2024/25 tuition fees for EU and international students: £15,800 per year

Find out more about course fees and available funding.

Additional costs: Here at DMU we provide excellent learning resources, including the Kimberlin Library and specialist workshops and studios. However, you should be aware that sometimes you may incur additional costs for this programme.

Entry criteria

Typical entry requirements 

You should have the equivalent or above of a 2:2 UK bachelor’s honours degree in Interior Design or a related subject.

If you have other professional qualifications and industry experience we will consider your application on an individual basis. 

Interview and portfolio

Applicants and relevant qualifications should submit a portfolio of work (please see our Interior Design application portfolio advice for full details).

Non-standard applicants will be invited to attend an interview with a portfolio.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language an IELTS score of 6.0 overall with 5.5 in each band (or equivalent) when you start the course is essential.

English language tuition, delivered by our British Council-accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.

Structure and assessment

 

Course modules

Teaching and assessments

 

Modules

Block 1: Creative Interior Design Studio

This studio-based module immerses you in the world of higher-level design thinking and problem solving. Through a short and contemporary interior design project, the emphasis will be on how design should be informed by research and the interpretation of the found data or insight. The importance of quality secondary research from a range of appropriate resources will be discussed and practised, to form cohesive understanding of the area of focus and the construction of valuable ‘design insight.’

The principles of sustainability will also be introduced, including design strategies for the circular economy and sustainable resource use; lifecycle analysis of a product in relation to climate change, air, land and water pollution and human health impacts; importance of sustainable materials selection; the UN (United Nations) sustainable development goals; and issues of ethics in production, supply chain transparency and greenwashing.

You will produce a design concept proposal that you can reflect upon for your onward journey to larger scales projects, including your individual ‘Major Design Project.’

Block 2: Research and Design Methodology

In this module you will engage with current design research, professional practices, and advanced scholarship in your discipline. Throughout the module, you will create new hypotheses, form independent judgements in complex and unpredictable design situations, and learn to communicate them appropriately to professional and non-specialist audiences.

You will consider the role of research within a design context, and reflect on your personal attributes, skills, and values as a contemporary researcher. Typical content will include research design; gathering, managing, and analysing data; developing critical and ethical practices; and reporting and presenting research findings.

Block 3: Select one from the following:

  • Narrative Spaces

This module will explore how the design of spaces can tell a story. You will consider the interaction between objects, space and stories, in order to better understand complex ideas, messages or emotional connections and empathy. The interpretation of ‘space’ will be stretched beyond physical space and you will also explore how digital platforms can play a significant role in enhancing and immersing people in the built environment. There will be a particular focus on how modern retail environments and progressive museum and exhibition design use a combination of spaces and experiences to convey a story.

You will produce a group design project and presentation as a design team, with flexibility within the design brief to propose a multi-layered design concept proposal.

  • Technology for Design

Technological advancement in design and manufacturing techniques are growing exponentially. Designers of all specialisms are curious about how technology can help them create and innovate in order to develop new practice, effect change things and affect the way we live. This module aims to provide a platform for you to explore a range of technologies and help to advance your knowledge and practice in this area.

You will research a range of technologies and work with the staff team to identify an area which you would like to investigate, which could include computer aided design; computer visualisation; virtual prototyping; direct digital manufacturing and the development of new equipment, materials, artefacts and devices. Staff will assist and provide guidance in the partnering of student and technology where possible, internal within the university or external in local industry.

  • UX and UI

This module is designed to prepare you for a career in UX/UI design. You will develop the skills to design a user interface that enhances the user experience using tools and techniques used in industry.

The content of the module will include conducting research to devise a UX Strategy and you will develop an understanding of Human Computer Interaction (HCI), Human Interface guidelines and best practice. You will apply UX design principles, tools and techniques to an existing or new design solution incorporating awareness of Inclusive design, data security and privacy. The design concept will be enhanced with usability testing and performance reviews (using data analysis) leading to further design iterations.

Block 4: Strategic Interior Design Proposal

This module builds your individual ‘Major Design Project.’ You will be supported to undertake strategic, rigorous, and valuable primary research, which requires ethical approval before data can be collected.

Taking a business viewpoint, you will need to prove the ‘viability’ in your design proposal. You will establish a marketing strategy for a design, service or experience which will include positioning the value offering against its competitors, defining the target market and proposing a broad corporate strategy to deliver the creative value offering.

You will develop and present a ‘design framework’ and conclusions from your analysis of your research, which will be taken forward to the final module.

Blocks 5 and 6: Select one from the following:

  • Major Design Project

In this module you will be supported to demonstrate a systematic and comprehensive understanding of the techniques applicable to your own research and advanced scholarship in their completion of the project you have set yourself in the earlier modules. You will demonstrate your ability to use initiative and ingenuity, make complex decisions and act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a professional level.

You will have the choice of either a major focus on design practice supported by a written critical evaluation (practice) or a major focus on the critical evaluation supported by a condensed design practice (academic). This should reflect your chosen path after graduation, should that be into design practice or continuing to an academic path.

  • Work-based Project

This module provides the opportunity to develop and demonstrate skills acquired from the course in a practical context - for example working with a design company on the development of a specific innovation which adds value to the company or the wider practice of interior design. You will bring together all aspects of the course ranging from research methodologies to discipline-specific modules. This work-based project will receive supervision from the host organisation and the university and outcomes will be negotiated and may include a mix of a research reports for the host, design concepts, and/or prototypes.

Note: All modules are indicative and based on the current academic session. Course information is correct at the time of publication and is subject to review. Exact modules may, therefore, vary for your intake in order to keep content current. If there are changes to your course we will, where reasonable, take steps to inform you as appropriate.

 

Overview

You will be taught through a combination of lectures, seminars, workshops, studios and tutorials. Studio culture is a key part of the course, and you will work in a multidisciplinary environment with students across our design community.

There is a varied mix of assessments including individual and group project work, individual and group presentations, report writing, academic poster development, reflective practice and design proposals.

Contact hours

In your first two terms you will normally attend around 12 hours of timetabled taught sessions including lectures, tutorials and workshop and studio sessions each week, and be expected to undertake at least 23 hours of independent study each week.

Your third term will be pre-dominantly self-directed (including meetings with your supervisor), during which you can expect to undertake 35 hours of independent study each week.

 

 

Facilities and features

Art and design facilities 

Our award-winning Vijay Patel building has been designed to provide the space and facilities where all of our art and design students can develop their ideas and flourish. 

The creative industries require imaginative graduates who can develop new ideas and products. Students use our sophisticated and contemporary workshops, labs and studios to experiment and test in the same way they will in industry, while the open and transparent spaces in the building encourage collaboration between disciplines. In doing so, the building prepares students for industry and helps develop them as future leaders in their respective fields. 

Take a look at our stunning showcase of the building at dmu.ac.uk/aad.

 

Library and learning zones

On campus, the main Kimberlin Library offers a space where you can work, study and access a vast range of print materials, with computer stations, laptops, plasma screens and assistive technology also available. 

As well as providing a physical space in which to work, we offer online tools to support your studies, and our extensive online collection of resources accessible from our Library website, e-books, specialised databases and electronic journals and films which can be remotely accessed from anywhere you choose. 

We will support you to confidently use a huge range of learning technologies, including the Virtual Learning Environment, Collaborate Ultra, DMU Replay, MS Teams, Turnitin and more. Alongside this, you can access LinkedIn Learning and learn how to use Microsoft 365, and study support software such as mind mapping and note-taking through our new Digital Student Skills Hub. 

The library staff offer additional support to students, including help with academic writing, research strategies, literature searching, reference management and assistive technology. There is also a ‘Just Ask’ service for help and advice, live LibChat, online workshops, tutorials and drop-ins available from our Learning Services, and weekly library live chat sessions that give you the chance to ask the library teams for help.

 

More flexible ways to learn

We offer an equitable and inclusive approach to learning and teaching for all our students. Known as the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), our teaching approach has been recognised as sector leading. UDL means we offer a wide variety of support, facilities and technology to all students, including those with disabilities and specific learning differences.

Just one of the ways we do this is by using ‘DMU Replay’ – a technology providing all students with anytime access to audio and/or visual material of lectures. This means students can revise taught material in a way that suits them best, whether it's replaying a recording of a class or adapting written material shared in class using specialist software.

 

Opportunities and careers

Find the people who will open doors for you

DMU's award-winning careers service provides guaranteed work experience opportunities DMU Careers Team
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Placements

During this course you will have the option to complete a paid placement year, an invaluable opportunity to put the skills developed during your degree into practice. This insight into the professional world will build on your knowledge in a real-world setting, preparing you to progress onto your chosen career. Placements will normally take place between semester two and three. 

Our Careers Team can help to hone your professional skills with mock interviews and practice aptitude tests, and an assigned personal tutor will support you throughout your placement. 

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DMU Global

This is our innovative international experience programme which aims to enrich your studies and expand your cultural horizons – helping you to become a global graduate, equipped to meet the needs of employers across the world.

Through DMU Global, we offer a wide range of opportunities including on-campus and UK activities, overseas study, internships, faculty-led field trips and volunteering, as well as Erasmus+ and international exchanges.

 

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Graduate careers

Many of our graduates progress on to exciting creative careers designing environments and interiors in retail, public spaces and leisure. Previous students have taken up roles at leading companies such as Conran Design, Pinewood Studios, Kelly Hoppen, Tesco’s Design Think Tank, Blue Print, Haley Sharpe, and Foster + Partners.  
 
The focus on research and developing your skills as an independent learner will be an excellent stepping stone to study at PhD level. DMU also offer extensive support for entrepreneurial ambitions, and graduates would also be in a strong position to consider developing a new business with help and advice from the university’s Careers Team. 
 
Interior Design graduate Rawan said: “The overall journey was enlightening, not just on the academic field but in all other personal and cultural aspects. Everything I have encountered during this journey has lifted me up and enriched my knowledge and store of experiences, from the positive learning environment provided by DMU to the professional courses I have taken and the individuals I have met.” 

Take your next steps