Two students laughing while looking at a tablet and materials in a studio space

BA (Hons) Available in Clearing

Interior Design

Develop your creative vision and learn how to work with clients to create exciting, intriguing and functional interior spaces.

Start date: September 2025
Location: Cambridge
Duration: 3 years
UCAS course code: W250

Start date: September 2025
Location: Cambridge
Duration: 4 years with foundation
UCAS course code: W251

Start date: September 2025
Location: Cambridge
Duration: 4 years with placement
UCAS course code: W252

95%

for Academic Support and 93% for Teaching on my Course.

Source: NSS 2023

Learn how to work with homeowners, public bodies and businesses to create residential or commercial places that people enjoy using and want to return to again and again.

You’ll find out how to use furniture, lighting, flooring, artwork and decoration, décor and colour palettes to tell stories that facilitate important social connections.

Our expert tutors will help you become a resilient interior designer with a distinctive creative voice.

Study at an award-winning university

We were named Times Higher Education University of the Year 2023. We've also been awarded a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework – a reflection of the outstanding education we offer our students.

Careers

Eleanor Penny looking up from an open Macbook at a table

I'm not representative of every person, every end user. So it's always about looking beyond yourself and understanding every person that's going to enter that space.

Eleanor Penny,, BA (Hons) Interior Design graduate and Head of Workplace Design at Layrd Design

Our degree will prepare you to work with architects or in spatial design practices on residential, commercial, hospitality, health, lighting, entertainment or furniture design projects.

You might also put your management skills to use by setting up your own interior design practice, or in project management roles on creative projects.

You could additionally deploy your creative skills in the visual arts, film, television, event and theatre design, or exhibition and museum design.

Graduation doesn’t need to be the end of your time with us, of course. You might choose to continue your studies with one of our full- or part-time Masters degrees. Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship and get 20% off your fees.

What are some of the professional benefits of Interior Design?

Where have other Interior Design students found work experience?

How can ARU help with my employability and career development?

Teaching and modules

You’ll have the opportunity to design new spaces while questioning those that exist using diverse research methods, 3D-making, collaborative practices and more.

Benjamin Mackay, , Course Director

We’ll begin by exploring what it means to be human in a designed environment. We’ll also teach you how to test and communicate your ideas, starting with 2D and 3D hand drawing.

In your second and third years, you’ll continue to develop your knowledge and skills in these areas, so that you’ll be well-equipped to complete the major design and research projects that round off your degree.

Throughout your course, you’ll have your future career in mind, building crucial skills and reflecting on your creative practice and what you’ve learned.

Student work

Our student showcase

Design for 'Library of Materials' by Natalia Toumpari
Carlota Grandara-Lopez
Chiara Melillo
Victoria Netidu
Chloe Thompson
Chloe Thompson
Victor Gomez
Victor Gomez
Torun Eggan Skjerve
Torun Eggan Skjerve
Vanessa Pessato
Vanessa Pessato

What will I study?

Modules are subject to change and availability, and may vary by location. If you have the choice of optional modules, these are indicated with a *.

Year 1

Design Context and Technology
Studio Culture 1
Visual Communication
Into ARU

Year 2

Critical Issues and Debates
Studio Culture 2
Ruskin Module (15 credits)
Design Media
Professional Studies in the Creative Industries

Year 3

Studio Culture 3 Major Project
Human Behaviour Research Project

Module details

To prepare you for university study, you can take a foundation year at the start of this course. Find out more about foundation years.

Year 1

Foundation in Art and Design

Module details

You can choose to take an optional placement year as part of this course. Placements typically happen in Year 3, and your course will take four years overall. Find out more about placement years.

Placement year

Work Placement - Cambridge School of Art

Module details

What happens on a foundation year?

What happens on a placement year?

How is Interior Design assessed?

What equipment will I need?

Who teaches Interior Design at ARU?

Read profiles of teaching and research staff on this course.

Tim Kobin
Senior Lecturer
Benjamin Mackay
Senior Lecturer
Antonis Anagnostidis
Lecturer

Facilities

As well as our dedicated interior design studio, you’ll have use of facilities including:

3D workshops for physical media including wood, plastic, metal and clay
specialist printmaking workshop including etching, screen-printing and lithography
dedicated Mac and PC suites with the latest software
Ruskin Gallery, a professional digital art gallery
comprehensive photography and media facilities
life drawing studio.

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Entry requirements

UK students

Important additional notes

Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements.

Other equivalent qualifications may be accepted for entry to this course; please email [email protected] for further information. Applicants to undergraduate courses can also check our information about undergraduate entry qualifications.

You'll need a computer and reliable internet access to successfully engage with your course.

We don't accept AS level qualifications on their own for entry to our undergraduate degree courses. However for some degree courses a small number of tariff points from AS levels are accepted as long as they're combined with tariff points from A levels or other equivalent level 3 qualifications in other subjects.

Important additional notes

Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements.

You'll need a computer and reliable internet access to successfully engage with your course.

Important additional notes

Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements.

You'll need a computer and reliable internet access to successfully engage with your course.

International students

English language requirements

Portfolio review

Making you an offer

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Fees and funding

UK students

£9,535 UK students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)

If you're a UK student, you don't need the money to pay for university now.

If you accept an offer to study at university, you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to cover your course fees.

Both full-time and part-time students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan. Part-time students should be studying more than a quarter (25% intensity) of a full-time course each year.

You'll start repaying the loan in the April after you graduate.

If you start a course on or after 1 August 2023, you won't repay anything until you earn more than £25,000. This is called repayment Plan 5. At this point, you'll repay 9% on everything you earn over £25,000. After 40 years (from the April after graduation), all remaining debt is wiped.

If you started a course on or before 31 July 2023, you won't repay anything until you earn more than £27,295. This is called repayment Plan 2. At this point, you'll repay 9% on everything you earn over £27,295. After 30 years (from the April after graduation), all remaining debt is wiped.

For example for students who are on repayment Plan 5:

If you earn £25,500, you'll repay £45 a year or £3.75 a month
That's because £25,500 is £500 above the threshold, and 9% of £500 is £45.

What you repay depends on how much you earn after university. The more you earn, the more you pay back.

For more information about student loans, see our undergraduate student finance page.

This information also applies to:

Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland
EU, EEA and Swiss nationals benefiting from citizens’ rights under the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement.

£9,535 UK students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)

If you're a UK student, you don't need the money to pay for university now.

If you accept an offer to study at university, you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to cover your course fees.

Both full-time and part-time students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan. Part-time students should be studying more than a quarter (25% intensity) of a full-time course each year.

You'll start repaying the loan in the April after you graduate.

For example for students who are on repayment Plan 5:

If you earn £25,500, you'll repay £45 a year or £3.75 a month
That's because £25,500 is £500 above the threshold, and 9% of £500 is £45.

What you repay depends on how much you earn after university. The more you earn, the more you pay back.

For more information about student loans, see our undergraduate student finance page.

This information also applies to:

Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland
EU, EEA and Swiss nationals benefiting from citizens’ rights under the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement.

£9,535 UK students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)

If you're a UK student, you don't need the money to pay for university now.

If you accept an offer to study at university, you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to cover your course fees.

Both full-time and part-time students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan. Part-time students should be studying more than a quarter (25% intensity) of a full-time course each year.

You'll start repaying the loan in the April after you graduate.

For example for students who are on repayment Plan 5:

If you earn £25,500, you'll repay £45 a year or £3.75 a month
That's because £25,500 is £500 above the threshold, and 9% of £500 is £45.

What you repay depends on how much you earn after university. The more you earn, the more you pay back.

For more information about student loans, see our undergraduate student finance page.

This information also applies to:

Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland
EU, EEA and Swiss nationals benefiting from citizens’ rights under the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement.

£1,400 Placement year (2024-25)

International students

Placement year fee

Additional course costs

Living costs

Bursaries, sponsorship and working

Apply for Interior Design

Clearing places available

UK students, apply online

Apply through Clearing

UK students

Call our Clearing line

01245 686868

UK students

Apply through UCAS for 2026

Apply through UCAS

International students

Apply direct

Apply online

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Interior Design

BA (Hons)

With foundation year

With placement

Careers

Teaching and modules

Student work

BA (Hons)

With foundation year

With placement

Facilities

Entry requirements

BA (Hons)

Important additional notes

With foundation year

Important additional notes

With placement

Important additional notes

International students

English language requirements

Fees and funding

BA (Hons)

With foundation year

With placement

BA (Hons)

With foundation year

With placement

Apply for Interior Design

Clearing places available

UK students

01245 686868

UK students

International students