Interior Design BA Hons | University of Chester

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Course Summary

The course offers a broad range of opportunities to develop your skills and knowledge within the progressive discipline of interior design. Alongside gaining a comprehensive understanding of design principles and concepts within the context of interior spaces, you will also develop your expertise and proficiency in discipline-specific skills, including digital drawing techniques using industry-standard software.

You will be taught by experienced academics, industry professionals and technical support staff. This ensures that the course actively reflects the demands of contemporary interior design practice. Whilst the course is delivered over three years as a full-time student, you can elect to undertake a year in industry between the second and third year of your studies, further embedding relevant employability skills into your degree. All students are allocated a Personal Academic Tutor (PAT), who will provide academic and pastoral support throughout your time at University.

The Kingsway Creative Campus has well-resourced spaces, including a dedicated interior design studio, specialist workshops, learning resource centre and café, fostering a creative and collaborative environment in which to study.

Why you'll Love it

Industry Engagement and Practice-based Opportunities

Dedicated Course Facilities

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Supportive Learning Environment

What you'll Study

The BA (Hons) Interior Design course contains a blend of specialist and interdisciplinary modules at each level of study.

At Level 4, students are introduced to fundamental principles of design where they will gain an introductory understanding of the historical and contemporary context within which Interior Design sits as a discipline. To support the communication of design, students gain specialist 2D and 3D digital drawing skills.

Level 5 builds upon this foundation with more complex learning to develop a deeper understanding of spatial design and material considerations, alongside further enhancing their professional and technical skills. Additionally, there is an opportunity to work collaboratively whilst an experiential learning module prepares students for the workplace. 

At Level 6, students have the opportunity to undertake an independent major project which applies the knowledge and skills acquired throughout their studies. This is complemented by a module that focuses on portfolio development and prepares students for future employment. 

The information listed in this section is an overview of the academic content of the course that will take the form of either core or option modules and should be used as a guide. We review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects. If during a review process, course content is significantly changed, we will contact you to notify you of these changes if you receive an offer from us.

This course is delivered in three terms of ten weeks each. In each term, students study 40 credits comprised of either one or two modules. Scheduled contact hours are, on average, between 6 to 12 hours per week depending upon Level of study and the complexity of the material being taught.

The course is predominantly studio-based and is mostly delivered through in-person learning as a result. Online learning is only offered on occasion when this is more appropriate for content, delivery, or accessibility. Students can expect to take part in studio sessions, lectures, workshops, and CAD-based learning sessions.

Students should expect to spend an average of 30-34 hours per week on independent study which might include following asynchronous learning material on the University’s VLE, tutorial time with staff, using the University’s library, working with peers and preparing work for assessment.

Teaching will be delivered by experienced academics and practitioners in the subject. This will be supplemented by occasional guest lecturers and speakers.

The course is assessed through ongoing coursework and there are no written exams. There will be a broad range of assessment methods so that students are exposed to the different types of tasks they might encounter in the workplace. These will include:

coursework in the form of portfolios of design work
development of sketchbooks
written pieces (both long and short form)
presentations.

We continuously review the assessment methods used in order that they adequately prepare students for graduate-level employment.

We try to keep costs low for students, however, there may be some minimal costs attached to the purchase of some basic equipment and materials throughout the degree. Whilst there is appropriate computer provision at the University for all students to use, some students will purchase a laptop or desktop capable of running the specialist software used in the course.

We do have yearly national and/or international field trips which, whilst subsidised, are paid for by the student. This cost will depend on the location and length of the trip. Note that the trips are optional, and students are not required to participate in order to successfully complete the course.

All teaching is delivered by experienced academics and practitioners, with the fundamental principles of the Chester Future Skills Curriculum at its core - building your subject competence, confidence, and key transferable skills to shape you into a world-ready Chester graduate.

Study a Common First Year

This course shares a common 'design and innovation' first year with students on fashion, graphic, interior and product design courses.

This means that you’ll learn alongside students studying a similar discipline, helping to broaden your knowledge and exposure to other concepts, perspectives and professions in the first year of your degree.

As you learn and collaborate with students from other courses, you'll not only widen your social and professional network but also learn new skills that will set you up for success in your industry.

In your second and third years, you will progress to studying more specialist modules within interior design, developing your skills to become a World Ready graduate.

Entry requirements

112UCAS points

UCAS Tariff	112 points
GCE A Level	Typical offer – BCC-BBC
BTEC	BTEC Extended Diploma: DMM
International Baccalaureate	26 points
Irish / Scottish Highers	Irish Highers - H3 H3 H3 H3 H4 Scottish Highers - BBBB
Access requirements	Access to HE Diploma, to include 45 credits at level 3, of which 30 must be at Merit or above
T Level	Merit
OCR Cambridge Technicals	OCR Extended Diplima: DMM
Extra Information	Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced and A level General Studies will be recognised in our offer. We will also consider a combination of A Levels and BTECs/OCRs.

Students from countries outside the UK are expected to have entry qualifications roughly equivalent to UK A Level for undergraduate study and British Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) for postgraduate study. To help you to interpret these equivalents, please click on your country of residence to see the corresponding entry qualifications, along with information about your local representatives, events, information and contacts.

We accept a wide range of qualifications and consider all applications individually on merit. We may also consider appropriate work experience.

English Language Requirements

IELTS Academic: Undergraduate: 6.0 (minimum 5.5 in each band)
Postgraduate: 6.5 (minimum 5.5 in each band)

For more information on our entry requirements, please visit International Entry Requirements.

72UCAS points

UCAS Tariff	72 points
GCE A level	72 points overall, including grade D in A level
BTEC	BTEC Extended Diploma: MMP
International Baccalaureate	24 points
Irish / Scottish Highers	Irish Highers: H4 H4 H4 H4 H4 Scottish Highers: CCDD
Access requirements	Access to HE Diploma – Pass overall
T Level	T Level: Pass (D or E on the core)
OCR Cambridge Technicals	OCR Extended Diploma: MMP
Extra Information	Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced and A level General Studies will be recognised in our offer. We will also consider a combination of A Levels and BTECs/OCRs. If you are a mature student (21 or over) and have been out of education for a while or do not have experience or qualifications at Level 3 (equivalent to A Levels), then our Foundation Year courses will help you to develop the skills and knowledge you will need to succeed in your chosen degree.

Fees and funding

£9,250per year for a full-time course (2025/26)

Our full-time undergraduate tuition fees for Home students entering University in 2025/26 are £9,250 a year, or £1,540 per 20-credit module for part-time study.

The University may increase these fees at the start of each subsequent year of your course in line with inflation at that time, as measured by the Retail Price Index. These fee levels and increases are subject to any necessary government, and other regulatory, approvals.

Students from the UK, Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey and the Republic of Ireland are treated as Home students for tuition fee purposes.

Students from countries in the European Economic Area and the EU will pay International Tuition Fees.

Students who have been granted Settled Status may be eligible for Home Fee Status and if eligible will be able to apply for Tuition Fee Loans and Maintenance Loans.

Students who have been granted Pre-settled Status may be eligible for Home Fee Status and if eligible will be able to apply for Tuition Fee Loans.

The tuition fees for international students studying Undergraduate programmes in 2025/26 are £13,950.

This fee is set for each year of study. All undergraduate students are eligible for international and merit-based scholarships which are applicable to each year of study.

For more information, go to our International Fees, Scholarship and Finance section.

Irish Nationals living in the UK or ROI are treated as Home students for Tuition Fee Purposes.

Your course will involve additional costs not covered by your tuition fees. This may include books, printing, photocopying, educational stationery and related materials, specialist clothing, travel to placements, optional field trips and software. Compulsory field trips are covered by your tuition fees.

If you are living away from home during your time at university, you will need to cover costs such as accommodation, food, travel and bills.

The University of Chester supports fair access for students who may need additional support through a range of bursaries and scholarships.

Full details, as well as terms and conditions for all bursaries and scholarships can be found on the Fees and Finance section of our website.

Where you'll Study Creative Campus, Kingsway, Chester

Join our Creative Community

Connect with Experts

Specialist Studio and Workshop Spaces

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Music Rehearsal and Recording Facilities

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Contemporary Art Space Chester (CASC)

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Equipment Loan Provision

Your Future Career

Job Prospects

Graduates of Politics at Chester will see their skill-set and knowledge highly applicable to a range of opportunities such as careers in politics, the civil service, campaign organisations, NGOs, as well as careers in business.

Careers service

The University has an award-winning Careers and Employability service which provides a variety of employability-enhancing experiences; through the curriculum, through employer contact, tailored group sessions, individual information, advice and guidance.

Careers and Employability aims to deliver a service which is inclusive, impartial, welcoming, informed and tailored to your personal goals and aspirations, to enable you to develop as an individual and contribute to the business and community in which you will live and work.

We are here to help you plan your future, make the most of your time at University and to enhance your employability. We provide access to part-time jobs, extra-curricular employability-enhancing workshops and offer practical one-to-one help with career planning, including help with CVs, applications and mock interviews. We also deliver group sessions on career planning within each course and we have a wide range of extensive information covering graduate jobs and postgraduate study.

Interior Design BA (Hons)

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Course Summary

Why you'll Love it