Our course will give you the educational and creative framework – and the necessary contacts – to launch you on your path to becoming an interior designer.

From the outset, you’ll set about amassing a huge range of skills, including drawing, photography, model-making, measuring and documenting spaces and buildings.

You’ll study design in all its forms – architectural, commercial and retail, residential, furniture, set and exhibition designs. Much of the work will be done on your feet as you visit local sites and examine their features.

You’ll enjoy frequent visits to the rich cultural array of galleries, shops and museums on our doorstep in London.

Download our yearbook to view examples of our students' work.

We have excellent links with the local community, and our students spend a lot of time developing design ideas for specific projects such as restoring historical sites in the East End, or designing a new café.

Our emphasis on project work will give you the chance to develop creative solutions to design briefs, enhancing and developing your creative talent and design skills.

We’ll also teach you the specialist skills you’ll need as an interior design professional, such as observational and spatial drawing, computer drawing, model-making and material investigations.

Our close connections to UEL's architecture and design departments will give you the chance to work collaboratively, and our excellent London location will mean you can use local commercial, cultural and historical sites for design ideas, projects and inspiration.

On recent visits we’ve organised, students have explored sculptures by Richard Serra in the Gagosian Gallery and drawings by Wangechi Mutu at the Victoria Miro Gallery, as well as Victoria Beckham’s new boutique in Mayfair, with interiors by celebrated US architect Farshid Moussavi.

As you progress through the course, your developing individuality and attitude towards interior design will be reflected in your projects and in your personal academic portfolio.

We teach design in small groups in studios, along with supporting studies that include representation, computing, design history and theory.

We place a strong emphasis on completing ‘live’ group and competition projects, as these will enable you to develop interpersonal skills and the ability to negotiate and work collaboratively. For some of these tasks, you’ll study the spaces and interiors around London in minute detail. It’s amazing what you see when you really study something.

Through the involvement of design mentors and regular talks from visiting designers, we’ll give you enviable access to and connection with the design industry.

In your first year we’ll help you to develop the practical skills you’ll need, such as drawing, model-making and computer-aided design. You’ll be assigned a personal design tutor whom you’ll meet at least once a week.

We create a strong studio culture on this course which allows our students and academic team to support each other through a common design projects.

Together you’ll make creative decisions, developing skills in time management and become more critical and reflective about your own project work.

On our Interior Design course, you’ll be working alongside students and staff from our Architecture and Product Design courses, and you’ll benefit from observing, sharing and engaging with them.

• Guided independent study
We are investing in key areas beyond your studies including our career services, library and well-being, to be available both face-to-face on campus and online with many of these available 24/7. We have new, modern library facilities on both campuses offering inspirational environments for study and research. Libraries contain resources in print and digital formats, a range of study spaces and dedicated librarian who can assist with your learning.

• Academic support
Students are supported with any academic or subject related queries by an Academic Advisor, module leaders, former and current UEL students.
If you need a bit of extra help with certain skills such as academic writing, maths or IT, our Skillzone and English for Academic Purposes we offer workshops, drop-in sessions and one-to-one appointments to help our students achieve their potential. You can receive advice and guidance on all aspects of the IT systems provided by the university from our IT Service Desks located on all three campuses. Our Student Support hubs in Docklands and Stratford feature centralised helpdesks to cater for your every need. UEL provides also support and advice for disabled students and those with specific learning difficulties (SPDs).

• Workload
Each year you will spend around 300 hours of timetabled learning and teaching activities. These may be lectures, workshops, seminars and individual and group tutorials. Contact hours may vary depending on each module.
The approximate percentages for this course are:
Year 1: scheduled teaching – 300 hours; guided independent study – 900 hours.
Year 2: scheduled teaching – 300 hours; guided independent study – 900 hours.
Year 3: scheduled teaching – 300 hours; guided independent study – 900 hours.

The size of classes can vary depending on the nature of the course, module and activity. This can range from large groups in a lecture theatre setting, to smaller groups taking part in seminars and collaborative work. You will receive your personalised timetable at the beginning of the academic year dependent on your course.

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Who will teach on this course

Keith Winter

The teaching team includes qualified academics, practitioners and industry experts as guest speakers. Full details of the academics will be provided in the student handbook and module guides.

When you graduate from this course, a wealth of opportunities within the broad area of interior design will be open to you.

You may choose to go into residential design or the commercial and retail field, or to look at architectural and design conservation. You could move into designing exhibitions or TV and stage sets.

Alternatively, you may decide to study further and take an architectural or spatial design course at master's level.

Our graduates have excellent transferable skills, displaying resourcefulness and entrepreneurial qualities.

At a time when there is increasing demand for visual communicators, rapid developments in technology and expanding public interest in interior design, employment opportunities are growing constantly.

As a design graduate you’ll be able to exhibit your work at UEL and at Free Range, an annual exhibition in London’s Brick Lane for interior, architecture and design students which is increasingly popular with potential employers.

Professional studies modules will also prepare you for the world of work by giving you an understanding of how the industry works, covering areas such as on-line and published design magazines, making and publishing CVs. You’ll also put together you own portfolio to showcase your work to potential employers.