Why study this course?
Our Interior Design (with preparatory semester) BA (Hons) is an exhilarating practice-based course responding to the rapid pace of the interiors industry. You’ll be able to experience working on a wide range of projects spanning everything from commercial and workspace projects to museums and educational spaces. This course will equip you with knowledge of the latest research in interior design and related fields, while introducing you to industry professionals who will enrich your learning experience with their knowledge and expertise.
This course is ideal if you know you want to study interior design but need some introductory study before starting an undergraduate degree. On graduation you’ll receive the same title and award as students who study our standard interior design course.
You will complete this degree in three years, starting in September. Following the preparatory semester you’ll join students starting on the standard course in January. This means that Year 1 will consist of three semesters and you’ll be required to study at the University during some of the summer between Year 1 and 2. During the subsequent two years of your studies you’ll follow the same schedule and study the same content as students on the Interior Design BA (Hons) course.
While you may make a considerable saving in time and fees by choosing this route over a four-year degree with a foundation year, do be aware that you’ll have to budget for the additional semester in your first year.
Our interior design courses received a 95% overall student satisfaction score in the National Student Survey 2022. Additionally, our design studies courses are second in London for overall student satisfaction according to the National Student Survey 2022.
Also, our interior design courses are ranked third in the UK in the Guardian University Guide 2023. We’re also second in the UK for teaching quality and fourth for course satisfaction.
You can find out more about what to expect on the course in this video presentation from our Head of Interiors.
More about this course
You will complete our Interior Design (with preparatory semester) degree in three years, starting in September. Following this preparatory semester you’ll join students studying the standard three-year course in January.
The preparatory semester will ensure you are fully prepared for the degree course, equip you with the fundamental skills in drawing, modelling, IT platforms and visual communication that you will need to make the most of the degree.
You’ll study at our Aldgate campus, which is at the heart of London’s creative district and nearby to important design centres such as Clerkenwell, Shoreditch and the West End. This will be the perfect opportunity to explore a number of interior design projects in the city and provide inspiration for your academic work.
The course is very practice-orientated and you’ll get an opportunity to undertake a work placement at a London-based design practice. On the work placement you’ll be able to develop skills and gain contacts you’ll need to begin a successful career in interior design.
To learn more about the course content beyond the preparatory semester please visit our Interior Design BA (Hons) course page.
Follow @ldnmet_interiors for the latest student work and news from the course!
Assessment
You’ll be assessed via a variety of methods, which range from formative, summative diagnostic and peer assessments, to studio based work, workshops and digital projects.
Fees and key information
Apply nowEntry requirements
In addition to the University's standard entry requirements, you should have:
- a minimum grade of CC in two A levels in (or a minimum of 64 UCAS points from an equivalent Level 3 qualification, eg BTEC National, OCR Diploma or Advanced Diploma)
- English Language GCSE at grade C/grade 4 or above (or equivalent)
You will need to attend an interview with your portfolio of creative work. We encourage applications from international/EU students with equivalent qualifications. We also accept mature students with diverse backgrounds and experiences.
Accreditation of Prior Learning
Any university-level qualifications or relevant experience you gain prior to starting university could count towards your course at London Met. Find out more about applying for Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL).
English language requirements
To study a degree at London Met, you must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. If you require a Student visa you may need to provide the results of a Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as Academic IELTS. This course requires you to meet our standard requirements
If you need (or wish) to improve your English before starting your degree, the University offers a Pre-sessional Academic English course to help you build your confidence and reach the level of English you require.
Modular structure
The modules listed below are for the academic year 2022/23 and represent the course modules at this time. Modules and module details (including, but not limited to, location and time) are subject to change over time.
Year 1 modules include:
- This module currently runs:
- all year (September start) - Tuesday afternoon
Critical and Contextual Studies (CCS) Level 4 aims to orient and critically engage students in the history and theory of their discipline, its extent and conventions, and its broader social and material context in culture and contemporary practice.
The module helps students to reflect on what they see, and to read connections between different ideas that have shaped their discipline. In particular the module investigates how thinking and articulating ideas about practice in their field might be framed – for example in relation to history, the economy, society and the environment, or through theory and practice.
The module introduces students to a range of academic skills needed to produce a graduate-level study in their final year. It helps students to develop their own interests, and to reflect on and take responsibility for the development of their own learning. This includes surveys in the history of their discipline, research and writing workshops, seminars, library sessions, visits and tours in addition to guided independent learning.
- This module currently runs:
- all year (September start) - Monday afternoon
- all year (September start) - Monday morning
Successful design outcomes are reliant on sound design principles. These design principles inform and create opportunities for students to apply their creativity to the conception, development and eventual realisation of effective design solutions.
Design is intent on bringing about change, impacting on human experience. This module introduces a range of contemporary and traditional discipline-related design approaches and processes, some of which will be tested in design exercises and some of which may be realised in studios and projects carried across other modules. Students will be introduced to systems and methods of research, observation and analysis, ranging from human behaviour, experience and cultural context to site, building and materials. The module will develop an understanding of spatial awareness linked to design and the organisation of space, interventions and added elements.
Design concepts will be tested through the application of exercises, workshop and studio methods through a range of drawing techniques, modelling and making. Materials, processes and technologies are introduced, developing creative outcomes relevant to the possibilities and constraints of the context, the needs of the client and users, and industry conventions and regulations.
Students are encouraged to develop a critically informed and personal approach to the process of design. Studio practice and projects encourage the development of strategies, idea generation in practice and the testing of concepts in the context of a rapidly changing contemporary culture with ever-developing needs and problems. In this way, by engaging with materials, media and, processes, interior designers become agents of change through their design practice.
- This module currently runs:
- autumn semester - Wednesday afternoon
- autumn semester - Wednesday morning
This module introduces a range of historical, cultural and industry contextual knowledge and practice. It enables students to carry out their creative practice in associated modules with a secure understanding of basic historic and cultural contexts, and interior design industry practice and expectations.
The module aims to motivate students to be enquiring and to engage critically in the practice and culture of interior design: students will be encouraged to ask questions and shown how to conduct information gathering and basic research in order to construct their answers. They will begin to acquire discipline-specific skills in designing and visual recording and communication, using industry standard techniques. In this way, the module will help students begin to shape their future direction of study as well as providing useful insights into their individual potential and abilities.
- This module currently runs:
- all year (September start) - Tuesday morning
- all year (January start) - Thursday morning
By progressing from the scale of the building to that of interior components and materials, this module provides an introduction to technologies, materials and the communication and making practices of designers working with the interior. Students will be asked to investigate historic and contemporary uses and design within a given interior.
It specifically establishes an understanding of key building technology by introducing typical building construction of historic and contemporary buildings. The principles of building services and environmental design in the design of interior spaces will also be introduced. Materials, their properties, selection and application will be considered and tested.
Additionally, students will develop communication techniques appropriate to the diversity of information designers use and audiences targeted. These will include the use of different orthogonal drawing conventions, diagrams and sketches, and a range of model making types and making processes.
The module will use different methods to establish this knowledge; site visits and surveys, case studies, making and drawing workshops, as well as lectures, seminars and the utilisation of a wide variety of published sources.
- This module currently runs:
- autumn semester - Friday morning
- autumn semester - Thursday afternoon
- autumn semester - Thursday morning
- autumn semester - Friday afternoon
This module introduces Level 3 students to discipline-specific ways of working in the research, design development, realisation and delivery of interior design projects.
Students will respond to briefs, generating and developing ideas through basic research methods for interior designers, undertaking evaluation followed by conceptual and material design and development processes. Students will be expected to respond flexibly to related issues that may be discovered through the research undertaken. Students will produce 2D and 3D outcomes that will communicate the concept development and outcomes using standard industry conventions and techniques. The project proposals will be evaluated in relation to the briefs set and the context as revealed by the research and development process.
The module is supported by the accompanying module DN3001 Interior Design: Industry and Context which will deliver the specific techniques and contextual understanding that professional practice requires.
Students will be expected to accept and demonstrate responsibility in relation to their ideas, their management of the project process and to reflect on and evaluate their progress. They will begin to understand their interests and abilities in the field, so that their progression to Level 4 modules after semester 1 is accompanied by confidence and self-direction.
- This module currently runs:
- all year (September start) - Thursday afternoon
- all year (September start) - Thursday morning
- all year (January start) - Friday afternoon
- all year (January start) - Friday morning
This module introduces students to the ‘spatial journey’, a critical term used throughout the subject field of interior design.
This module encourages students to explore and manipulate the spatial qualities of interiors by applying design principles relating to, for example, the rhythm, pattern and differentiation of architectural and environmental features in their contexts, which are often termed the spatial journey throughout the interiors industry.
It considers human responses, both ergonomic and anthropometric, to commercial and community spaces and environments, and the specific impact of these spaces on people. Students will observe the physical and emotional values of space and learn how to relate space to its purpose. Examples of real spatial environments will be surveyed and documented, using industry standard recording and publishing techniques and tools.
Students will develop and present proposals relating to a spatial journey, exploring ways to manipulate spatial choices and realising ideas visually through drawings, models and visualisation techniques. They will be introduced to sector-specific traditional and digital design modelling techniques, and the visualisation and presentation skills necessary for the practising designer. The module will be delivered through the design studio, normally including a range of exercises within teams and as individuals and through an approach that supports the generation and development of design proposals, the module will facilitate the realisation of concepts and projects generated in other modules.
Year 2 modules include:
- This module currently runs:
- all year (September start) - Thursday morning
Critical and Contextual Studies 2 continues to orient and critically engage students in the history and theory of their discipline, its extent and conventions, and its broader social and material context in culture and contemporary practice. It builds on studies undertaken in Level 4 and prepares students as independent thinkers, capable of selecting an appropriate topic and producing a sustained piece of independent study in the form of a dissertation in Level 6.
The module continues to situate the student within the process of constructing knowledge about their discipline, its history, context, and its professional and ethical dimension. It rehearses the analytical and discursive skills students need to become knowledgeable about the authorities, objects and methods in their field; to understand the roles, locations and responsibilities of important players whilst examining the broader ethical questions relevant to their discipline; and to become conversant with current debates across the subject area. This process may be approached from the point of view of the producer or consumer, the critic or the professional, the academic or the practitioner.
Students are encouraged to think creatively and to take responsibility for the development of their own learning. The module recognises that the student is also an active contributor in the process: what students bring to the construction of knowledge counts – and how effectively they construct this knowledge depends on how well they understand the field of their discipline.
- This module currently runs:
- all year (September start) - Friday morning
Materiality (form, colour, surface and texture) affects meaning and value in all design. This module requires your critical evaluation of subtle and implicit design details, reflecting ethical and environmental design proposals expressed through materials and construction, considering how material selection and manipulation endows the artefact and/or interior with qualities and values.
Students will explore and experiment with both physical and virtual material representation, drawing on concepts and ideas originally generated within the studio. Outcomes will be developed through material and/ or constructional experimentation including scaled interventions or working models. Students will realise relevant design solutions for studio briefs, in response to specific end-users and/or sites.
Through in-depth practice-led research, students will consider the sustainable, social, functional and environmental impacts of material choices and the performance of these upon designed-spaces or objects.
Students will work towards a professional standard of presentation, developing a logical and creative approach to design problem solving, appropriate to the needs of users and clients.
- This module currently runs:
- all year (September start) - Wednesday afternoon
- all year (September start) - Wednesday morning
As humans, we live in a continuous and ongoing relationship with the made world, where the former and the latter each inform the other. This module aims to show how understanding of the human body (its scale, proportions and movement) and awareness of sociological and physiological human behaviour are key aspects of successful design. This module will examine how humans live and work together and how the body is a site for debate, performance and politics through contemporary and historical civilizations.
Close observation of the interaction between the body and its immediate environment will be at the core of this area of study. It will show how analysis of the human being, at a range of scales, is vital to relevant, safe and ethical, innovative design that responds to physical and sensory needs. Environmental observation and reflection will be documented through a range of media, analysed to support the generation of concepts and design ideas.
Informed selection and application of material processes are an intrinsic part of the design and production of both objects and the made environment. Workshop activities will explore and test ideas, resolving design issues through modelling in traditional and digital materials and technologies. Material experimentation and knowledge will enhance both the concept and its communication.
You will normally select from a range of studio projects, working with contemporary ideas and practicing designers, mentored by professional practices as appropriate to the project.
- This module currently runs:
- all year (September start) - Thursday afternoon
This module develops and applies the knowledge and skills established in DN4008 Interior Materials and Technologies, and in preparation for DN6029, Integrated Design Practice, at Level 6. The module will develop students’ understanding and confidence in approaching the production of interior spaces through strategic and detailed design processes.
The module focuses in detail, through analytical and reflective site analysis projects, on how different aspects of context and history, and of material, construction, services and environmental design, interact in the context of large or complex interiors and buildings. The module will provide a progressively more detailed knowledge of the interior from structure through interior organisation, to details of fixings, fittings and surfaces.
The module introduces methods, terms and techniques that can be used to evaluate and describe the range of different relationships that appear under the heading of technology. In particular, the module investigates interiors that may involve multiple clients, for example, retail, hotels or public buildings. It examines how and why standards are developed and reinforces understanding of architectural and design industry conventions and communication.
The development and production of a range of drawn (manual and CAD) and written information is used to establish an understanding of professional standards in design communication and the individual’s scope to represent ideas and decisions precisely.
The module features a work placement adding practical, relevant, insightful experience to the curriculum where a strategic and informed approach to the workplace can start to develop, this is embedded and developed through CV and portfolio development techniques.
Year 3 modules include:
- This module currently runs:
- all year (September start) - Wednesday afternoon
- all year (September start) - Wednesday morning
Critical and Contextual Studies (CCS) Level 6 results in an independent dissertation. It builds on two years of undergraduate study that critically engages students in the history and theory of their discipline, its extent and conventions, and its broader social and material context in culture and contemporary practice.
Students undertake an enquiry into a topic of their own choice and, based on this enquiry, develop a sustained critical study in support of their practice, building on techniques and knowledge developed in previous years. This study demonstrates the student’s ability to thoroughly research a topic, use appropriate methods of investigation, and work in a methodical and organised way to develop a coherent argument. It affords a sophisticated instrument for interrogating, testing and presenting ideas, and encourages the student to deploy and develop a variety of skills to show how well they can conduct and present a critical investigation.
The module rewards criticality and innovation, and provides a platform for ambitious independent work. To this end, it offers individual supervision designed to support the student’s learning. The subject matter of the dissertation can be theoretical, technical, or historical. In terms of format, the dissertation may be envisaged in different ways and can include visual, technical or other non-written material which may form the subject of the enquiry and comprise an integral part of the whole.
The dissertation may be practice-based and include field-work and primary research in its methodology; or it might be academic and theoretical in its outlook and draw predominantly on secondary sources. Its form and approach can reflect a broad range of discipline-specific approaches based on discussion and agreement with the supervisor and/or course leader.
- This module currently runs:
- all year (September start) - Friday morning
The module provides a link between the completion of their undergraduate studies and interior design practice. It establishes a student’s ability to integrate the key areas of their interior design knowledge within the context of their major design project and through this, their readiness for professional practice.
The coursework records and responds to the process of design development and, using a range of specialist contributions, introduces a range of issues, interests and perspectives. The process is recorded, evaluated, presented and reviewed in relation to the comprehensive design project.
At the end of their undergraduate studies the module aims to provide students with the means to demonstrate, through and in relation to their own design work, the extent of their understanding and evaluation of key areas of professional interior design knowledge informing a design project.
This module aims to enable students to demonstrate that within their comprehensive design project they have a knowledge, understanding of and ability to evaluate the following five areas of study and that this is effectively and appropriately communicated:A. cultural context
B. professional and regulatory requirements
C. environmental and sustainability
D. construction, materials and specification
E. communication - This module currently runs:
- all year (September start) - Friday afternoon
This Major Project module enables Interior Design students to prepare for independent practice in the workplace or to progress onto higher studies. It is the opportunity to synthesise their specialist knowledge and skills and effectively communicate these. In this module, they will carry out the project conceived and developed in the parallel Project Design and Development module, fully realising it in appropriate form by the end of the module.
Students will exercise and display their abilities in selecting, analysing and applying knowledge, skills and understanding to a negotiated and fully researched project in order to properly understand strengths, interests and position in the field, and the potential for future professional development.
Students will show that they understand the complex and changing nature of problems in the professional sector of Interior Design and can devise and apply realistic strategies for constructing, applying and managing a process designed to provide solutions.
A professional standard of realisation, contextualisation and presentation will be expected, providing the elements for a portfolio of practice with which they may enter the field of employment or self-employment or further studies.
- This module currently runs:
- all year (September start) - Tuesday afternoon
- all year (September start) - Tuesday morning
Together with their Major Project Realisation module, this module is intended to prepare interiors students for independent practice, entry into the professional workplace, or for higher study.
Through synthesis of knowledge of processes and principles, using an appropriate range of intellectual, creative and practical skills, students will research, analyse, design and develop a self-directed project. This will naturally require in-depth investigation of a site, its cultural context, human inhabitation, activity and enterprise through a well-constructed design process involving practical and digital 2D and 3D methods of exploration and communication as a significant body of creative work for public exhibition.
A negotiated and approved proposal will confirm the individual project. Using creative exploration and experimentation, students will undertake research, selection, concept development, material investigation, modelling/ prototyping and visualisation. The final outcome will be produced in the course - specific Major Project Realisation modules, and will be distinctive to the course in approach, scale, communication and visualisation or making and modelling.
This module will ensure that students critique and reflect upon their own work and position in the creative sector. The module emphasises self-direction and personal focus whilst acknowledging external and professional expectations and constraints.
What our students say
"I felt inspired and confident to take part whilst being on my placement mainly because of the things I have learnt so far in uni. The [School of Art, Architecture and Design] has a very good reputation, I only really noticed this as [my employer] spoke highly of [the School]. I wanted to thank you all so much for preparing me for the industry I really appreciate you all and I now understand much better the context of the course in relation to the industry." Chantelle Oluchi, Interior Design BA (Hons) graduate, 2020
Where this course can take you
This course will prepare you to work with confidence as a specialist in a design or architectural practice. On entering the workplace you will find your role requires a range of skills and experience beyond the purely creative. The collaborative nature of the projects you’ll complete whilst studying are ideal for preparing you for interacting with other professionals and performing construction industry processes.
Recent graduates have been employed by design companies including Gensler, BDP, Turner Bates, Black Sheep, Fitch, AI Architects, Woods Bagot, Foster and Partners, Seen Displays, Areen, My Beautiful City and Avante Garde.
We also have graduates who have chosen to work for set designers, interior design magazines and in museum and gallery curation.
Others have chosen to continue onto postgraduate study. Graduates of this course are well-suited to pursuing further studies in interior design, sustainable design, architecture and environmental design and strategic brand management at postgraduate level. We have a variety of suitable courses at London Met, such as:
- Interior Design MA
- Environmental, Sustainable and Regeneration Design MA
- Architectural History, Research and Writing MA
- Public Art and Performance MA
Every student who studies on one of our three interiors courses has the opportunity of a work placement at a leading London design practice. We place our students in the top 150 interior and architectural practices in London including Penson, Gensler, turnerbates, Fitch and WeAreYourStudio.
Important information about this course
We're committed to continuously improving our degree courses to ensure our students receive the best possible learning experience. Many of the courses in our School of Art, Architecture and Design are currently under review for 2023-24 entry. We encourage you to apply as outlined in the how to apply section of this page and if there are any changes to your course we will contact you. All universities review their courses regularly and this year we are strengthening our art, architecture and design courses to better reflect the needs of employers and ensure you're well-equipped for your future career.
Additional costs
Please note, in addition to the tuition fee there may be additional costs for things like equipment, materials, printing, textbooks, trips or professional body fees.
Additionally, there may be other activities that are not formally part of your course and not required to complete your course, but which you may find helpful (for example, optional field trips). The costs of these are additional to your tuition fee and the fees set out above and will be notified when the activity is being arranged.
Discover Uni – key statistics about this course
Discover Uni is an official source of information about university and college courses across the UK. The widget below draws data from the corresponding course on the Discover Uni website, which is compiled from national surveys and data collected from universities and colleges. If a course is taught both full-time and part-time, information for each mode of study will be displayed here.
How to apply
If you're a UK applicant wanting to study full-time starting in September, you must apply via UCAS unless otherwise specified. If you're an international applicant wanting to study full-time, you can choose to apply via UCAS or directly to the University.
If you're applying for part-time study, you should apply directly to the University. If you require a Student visa, please be aware that you will not be able to study as a part-time student at undergraduate level.
When to apply
The University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) accepts applications for full-time courses starting in September from one year before the start of the course. Our UCAS institution code is L68.
If you will be applying direct to the University you are advised to apply as early as possible as we will only be able to consider your application if there are places available on the course.
To find out when teaching for this degree will begin, as well as welcome week and any induction activities, view our academic term dates.
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