Interior Design MA

Postgraduate

Large spacious living room with simple white furniture with bare brick walls

The Interior Design MA provides you with the chance to really discover who ‘you’ are as a designer and perfect your individual style.

Year of entry

2024-25 2025-26

Location

Coventry University (Coventry)

Study mode

Full-time
Part-time

Duration

1 year full-time
2 years part-time
16-24 months (with professional experience)

Course code

AHT039

Start date

January 2025

How to apply

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Course overview

This course is designed to develop an advanced knowledge of the principles, applications and practices of professional interior architecture and design. The course encourages you to come up with original, creative responses to challenging interior design and spatial design problems.

If you are looking to deepen your knowledge and experience of interior architecture and design, this course will seek to increase your strengths to allow you to reach a more advanced level of study.
You will have the option to apply for a ‘professional experience’ opportunity², designed to further develop your skills and knowledge with the aim of maximising your employability prospects. See the ‘Modules’ section for more information.
We encourage you to develop your design capabilities within a global context, exploring the human relationship with, and taking into account the scale of, a range of spatial environments, manufacturing processes and the desire for uniqueness.

5 QS Stars for Teaching and Facilities

QS Stars University Ratings

Ranked 11th Modern University in UK by the Times

The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025

Ranked 8th for Overall Satisfaction in PTES

Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) 2024

Why you should study this course

On this master's course, we aim to give you the chance to take part in industry competitions² and during the course, will engage with all aspects of the design process from 2D conceptualisation, investigative enquiry and prototyping, through a studio-centric learning approach.

You will benefit from studio-based learning where lectures, presentations and project developments are taking place. To help enhance your employability and design relevance, you might have opportunities to work on ‘live’ projects, to help develop leadership skills in design creativity, innovation and collaboration².
There will be opportunities² to develop your specialism in a wide range of contexts to suit your career ambitions and skills. For example, you may work in the commercial sector, retail, marketing and branding, health and education to cultural fields.
We pride ourselves on having an ethos that encourages you to build on specialist professional and creative identities. There will be opportunities to attend industry lectures and visits by professionals in all areas of interior design, architecture, products and related creative industries (subject to availability). We have collaborated and taken part in competitions connected to industry and ‘live’ client briefs².
Our current collaborations with UK industry aim to provide input throughout the course through dedicated lecture series, visits, collaborative industry projects and guest teaching (subject to availability)².

Collaborations with other organisations

During your studies, you will have opportunities² to connect with companies, clients and professional designers, showcasing your work and collaborating on projects, which have previously included Coventry Transport Museum, The Bugatti Trust, BMW and the Coventry Watch Museum Project.

The MA Interior Design program was designed with a perfect balance of group and individual projects. This structure not only helped us learn and grow together but also forged lifelong friendships.

Our course tutors were incredibly supportive, they encouraged us to be passionate and articulate about our projects, which helped me develop strong design and presentation skills essential for the industry. After completing my MA program, I landed a job at Foster and Partners, one of the world's leading architecture and design firms.

The course, the university, and the city of Coventry – I loved every aspect of my experience there!
Oladiran Olakunle, Interior Design MA (2023)

What you'll study

This MA course will support you in developing an advanced knowledge of the principles, application and practices of professional interior architecture and design – encouraging you to come up with original, creative solutions to challenging design problems.

Modules

Collaboration in Practice - 30 credits

This module explores the nature and definitions of research in art, architecture and design-based disciplines. We aim to offer you opportunities to work with students across the postgraduate disciplines within the School of Art and Design and internationally, to enable you to develop a broader understanding of the context for your practice, encouraging you to dynamically engage with external collaborators and apply your ideas in ‘real world contexts'².

Compulsory

Interior Design Specialism 1 - 30 credits

This module allows you to refresh your investigative and specialist skills and techniques for interior spatial design solutions, and to further define strategies for stakeholder engagement and presentation. Emulating professional practice, you will collaboratively produce a body of design work in relation to a given interior design brief, through the acquisition of enhanced technical knowledge and a sound understanding of design enquiry.

Compulsory

Creative Futures and Social Change - 10 credits

This module explores the changing world of work which Arts and Humanities students enter after study. New technology and the changing global economy mean that jobs and skills are changing and evolving quickly and will continue to do so. This is an exciting and new world, and this module is designed to empower you to realise your potential in it.

This module provides tools for you to develop into changemakers, thrive in a changing world of work and participate in creating a better future for society. You’ll be guided through a process of reflection that explores four possible futures for the world of work and how to situate your own professional identity as the future of work changes through your careers. This module is designed in collaboration with The RSA (Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce), and upon successful completion students will receive RSA digital badging.

Compulsory

Professional Context - 20 credits

This module asks you to consider the professional contexts of your discipline. It explores the ways in which creativity, innovation, problem-solving and entrepreneurship intersect in creative practice. It employs real-world examples to enable you to think about your professional practice, employability, portfolio development and approaches to communication.

Compulsory

Interior Design Specialism 2 - 30 credits

Within this specialist module, you will look at interior design problems and opportunities from a user perspective and with consideration for global interior design contexts. Real-world design scenarios or challenges will be explored and creatively responded to. You will be expected to define and defend research-inspired design briefs and apply design methods and techniques to explore factors such as user requirements, stakeholder requirements, brands, and contexts. You will also be able to work on an individual design project from brief to design solution and produce a portfolio of work showing the design process and outcomes. The project will be centred around developing or building upon prior specialist skills, knowledge and experience in the field of interior design as well as demonstrating your ability to creatively apply existing and emerging materials, technologies and trends within design proposals.

Compulsory

Interior Design Specialist Investigation - 30 credits

This module requires the management and implementation of an appropriate critical investigation. It will be based upon a project plan developed over semesters 1 and 2. This module will help you gain specialist insight or a new knowledge base to support your Final Specialist Project.

Compulsory

Interior Design Final Project - 30 credits

The Final Project will comprise a major interior design project that is agreed upon during the Final Project Plan module. The project requires you to apply research conclusions drawn in the Interior Design Specialist Investigation module and the resultant research-informed interior design brief and specified context to create innovative, novel and desirable spatial design responses that are appropriate to user audiences.

Compulsory

With professional experience option

The professional experience opportunity² enables you to apply for an optional professional experience in semester 1. If your application is successful, it will extend the duration of your master’s to either 16, 20 or 24 months. The professional experience provides an opportunity for you to develop expertise and experience in your chosen field with the aim of enhancing your employability.

Please note that the optional professional experience modules incur an additional tuition fee³, which for one semester of professional experience is £1,333.33, for two semesters of professional experience is £2,666.67, and for three semesters of professional experience is £4,000.

Professional experience may also be subject to additional costs, visa requirements being met, subject to availability and/or competitive application. Professional experience opportunities are not guaranteed but you will benefit from the support of our Talent Team in trying to find and secure an opportunity. Find out more about the professional experience option.

We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.

How you'll learn

A typical teaching week includes a combination of:

medium group teaching: workshops, seminars and lectures
group teaching: seminars, critiques and tutorials
studio practice and bookable workshop access⁴

The contact hours may be made up of a combination of face-to-face teaching, individual and group tutorials, and online activities.

The School of Art and Design often provides opportunities² to engage in external or collaborative activities such as competition/Industry briefs and speakers beyond your course studies (subject to availability). We strongly encourage you to take advantage of these opportunities to support your learning journey.

This course can be offered on a part-time basis. While we would like to give you all the information about our part-time offering here, it is tailored for each course each year depending on the number of part-time applicants. Therefore, the part-time teaching arrangements vary. Request further information about part-time study.

Teaching contact hours

The number of full-time contact hours may vary from semester to semester, however, on average, it is likely to be around 10 contact hours per week in the first and second semesters dropping to around four contact hours per week in the third and final semester as you become a more independent learner.

Additionally, you will be expected to undertake significant self-directed study of approximately 32 hours each week, depending on the demands of individual modules.

Part of university life is undertaking self-directed learning (SDL). Across the course of the week you will have non ‘taught’ time that allows you to work independently to apply the skills you have learnt in taught or facilitated sessions to your projects or assignment briefs. This is particularly important in the school of art and design as it allows you to engage and develop your practice.

This self-directed learning allows you to monitor and self-evaluate your development and how to manage this time to best impact your creative work. SDL is key to designing and making as it is a process that takes discipline and repetition. This mode of learning underpins an art and design community of practice approach.

Approximately a third of your time will be taken up with scheduled taught sessions whether that is individual, seminar, or group and in the remaining hours, you will be applying that learning to your ongoing assignments. Every learner is different and will manage their learning journey to their strengths and aspirations.

The contact hours may be made up of a combination of face-to-face teaching, individual and group tutorials, and online classes and tutorials.

As an innovative and enterprising institution, the university may seek to utilise emerging technologies within the student experience. For all courses (whether on-campus, blended, or distance learning), the university may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via online technologies and methods.

Since COVID-19, we have delivered our courses in a variety of forms, in line with public authority guidance, decisions, or orders and we will continue to adapt our delivery as appropriate. Whether on campus or online, our key priority is staff and student safety.

Assessment

This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which will vary depending upon the module.

Assessment methods include:

Group work
Presentations
Reports
Projects
Coursework
Individual assignments

The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.

International experience opportunities

We currently have strong connections with industry and other universities in Europe and Asia. Collaborative learning may include exchange lectures by Coventry faculty and visiting course leaders and tutors from our link universities on site in the UK and abroad. Many of our courses run Collaborative Online International Learning projects allowing you to develop cultural connections with students from other universities around the world².

Entry requirements

BA (Hons), MDes degree in Interior Design or Architecture.

We recognise a breadth of qualifications, speak to one of our advisers today to find out how we can help you.

Portfolio

Your portfolio should feature a maximum of approximately 10-15 examples of work or three to four projects undertaken within the past two years, these should be major, substantial, in-depth projects which demonstrate the ability to conceptualise solutions to creative problems, and to assimilate and combine written language or content with the visual. This will clearly demonstrate the level of creative, craft and production skills achieved, either in a previous course of study or in a professional design studio, as a freelance designer or during an internship.

Projects should ideally be accompanied by a brief summary of the work or projects, notes on the software used, and dated.

Select your region to find detailed information about entry requirements:

You can view our full list of country specific entry requirements on our Entry requirements page.

Alternatively, visit our International hub for further advice and guidance on finding in-country agents and representatives, joining our in-country events and how to apply.

Typical entry requirements

BA (Hons), MDes degree in Interior Design or Architecture.

Portfolio

Projects should ideally be accompanied by a brief summary of the work or projects, notes on the software used, and dated.

English language requirements

IELTS: 6.5 overall (with at least 5.5 in each component area)

If you don't meet the English language requirements, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.

For more information on our approved English language tests visit our English language requirements page.

Fees and funding

2024/25 tuition fees.

Student	Full-time	Part-time
UK, Ireland*, Channel Islands or Isle of Man	£11,200 \| £15,200 (with prof. experience)	Request fee information
EU	£11,200 \| £15,200 (with prof. experience) per year with EU Support Bursary £18,600 \| £22,600 (with prof. experience) per year without EU Support Bursary	Not available
International	£18,600 \| £22,600 (with prof. experience)	Not available

For advice and guidance on tuition fees³ and student loans visit our Postgraduate Finance page.

We offer a range of international scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.

Tuition fees³ cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as accommodation and living costs, recommended reading books, stationery, printing and re-assessments should you need them.

The following are additional costs not included in the tuition fees:

Any optional overseas ﬁeld trips or visits: £400+ per trip.
Any costs associated with securing, attending or completing a placement (whether in the UK or abroad).

*Irish student fees

The rights of Irish residents to study in the UK are preserved under the Common Travel Area arrangement. If you are an Irish student and meet the residency criteria, you can study in England, pay the same level of tuition fees as English students and utilise the Tuition Fee Loan.

**EU Support Bursary

Following the UK's exit from the European Union, we are offering financial support to all eligible EU students who wish to study an undergraduate or a postgraduate degree with us full-time. This bursary will be used to offset the cost of your tuition fees to bring them in line with that of UK students. Students studying a degree with a foundation year with us are not eligible for the bursary.

How do you know if you need to pay UK or international tuition fees?

We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Your fee status determines your tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available to you. The rules about who pays UK (home) or international (overseas) fees for higher education courses in England are set by the Department for Education. The regulations identify all the different categories of student who can insist on paying the home rate. The regulations can be difficult to understand, so the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) has provided fee status guidance to help you identify whether you are eligible to pay the home or overseas rate.

If you meet all the criteria required by any one category, including any residence requirements, your institution must charge you the home rate. You only need to find one category that you fit into.

Facilities

Our aim is to offer you sector-leading facilities in a dedicated environment⁴.

The Delia Derbyshire complex includes a hyper studio designed for cross-disciplinary projects and immersive studios with cutting-edge virtual reality and mixed-reality technologies.

Student using the facilities in the digital design workshop

Design workshops

Our digital and printing workshops bring your ideas to life through different media⁴. You’ll find a high-powered laser cutter, 3D printers, scanners and traditional print-making and making workshops for etching, silk-screen printing, relief printing and woodwork, as well as a generously stocked letterpress room.

PC and Mac suites

Maximise your learning in our cutting-edge computer suites⁴. You'll have access to PCs and Macs running the latest industry-standard software needed for your course, including graphic design packages such as Adobe Creative Suite.

Studio-centric working environment

In the School of Art and Design, we shape our teaching and assessment methods to replicate the creative industry’s ways of working. This includes working in a studio-centric working environment.

Careers and opportunities

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

undertake research and evaluative reflection in order to synthesise and articulate an advanced knowledge of the theoretical and thematic concerns within your chosen area of interior design practice
deploy skills, techniques and technologies with originality and imagination in relation to interior design for continued practice at an advanced level
realise complex and ambitious artefacts/projects for identified and diverse audiences and contexts
contribute to the shaping of a global contemporary discourse by engaging with innovative, experimental, hybrid and creative approaches to interior design practice
demonstrate advanced personal skills, judgement and critical awareness enabling problem-solving and innovation applicable to a wide range of creative, professional, social and collaborative contexts
engage interior design insights and experience to creatively manage interior design activity and effective stakeholder/professional engagement.

The practical nature of the course has been designed specifically for the development of professional careers within the Interior Design field. This creative, enquiring and critical approach to the spatial design taught through a studio-centric approach, enables our graduates to confidently navigate the employment world of interior design.

Through working to a set of projects and learning outcomes you should gain a range of graduate attributes highly sought after by future employers, including team working, working independently, critical thinking, report writing, project management, ideas generation, presentation and finance.

Where our graduates work

Recent graduates have gone on to work as designers in London and the West Midlands in companies such as Imagination and GES in Beijing, Shanghai and Dubai.

How to apply

UK students

To apply to study for a postgraduate course at Coventry University, you can apply online.

Full-time applications

Part-time applications

For further support or more information about your course get in touch with us today.

+44 (0)24 7765 2222

ukadmissions@coventry.ac.uk

Complete our contact form.

International students

Full-time international students should apply directly to the university. Read our application pages to find out your next steps to apply.

How to apply

For further support for international applicants applying for postgraduate degree view our International hub.

You can also download our International guide which contains lots of useful information about our courses, accommodation and tips for travel.

Get in touch with us today for further advice and guidance.

+44 (0)24 7765 2152

applications.io@coventry.ac.uk

Complete our contact form.

Disclaimers

Coventry University together with Coventry University London, Coventry University Wrocław, CU Coventry, CU London, CU Scarborough, and Coventry University Online come together to form part of the Coventry University Group (the University) with all degrees awarded by Coventry University.

¹Accreditations

The majority of our courses have been formally recognised by professional bodies, which means the courses have been reviewed and tested to ensure they reach a set standard. In some instances, studying on an accredited course can give you additional benefits such as exemptions from professional exams (subject to availability, fees may apply). Accreditations, partnerships, exemptions and memberships shall be renewed in accordance with the relevant bodies’ standard review process and subject to the university maintaining the same high standards of course delivery.

²UK and international opportunities

Please note that we are unable to guarantee any UK or international opportunities (whether required or optional) such as internships, work experience, field trips, conferences, placements or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be unpaid and/or subject to additional costs (which could include, but is not limited to, equipment, materials, bench fees, studio or facilities hire, travel, accommodation and visas), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable travel, public authority guidance, decisions or orders and visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand any visa requirements, please contact the International Office.

³Tuition fees

The University will charge the tuition fees that are stated in the above table for the first Academic Year of study. The University will review tuition fees each year. For UK (home) students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, the University may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation.

For international students, we may increase fees each year, but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation. If you defer your course start date or have to extend your studies beyond the normal duration of the course (e.g. to repeat a year or resit examinations) the University reserves the right to charge you fees at a higher rate and/or in accordance with any legislative changes during the additional period of study.

⁴Facilities

Facilities are subject to availability. Access to some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) may vary from those advertised and/or may have reduced availability or restrictions where the university is following public authority guidance, decisions or orders.

Student Contract

By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the university. A copy of the current 2024/2025 contract is available on the website. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the university will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the university.