Interior architects create the atmosphere and identity of spaces with live, work, rest and play. You will have the opportunity to understand three-dimensional potential, re-modelling existing spaces fit for purposes which could see you working in ambitious ideas in locations across the globe. This course will give you the complete package of skills, knowledge and experience to develop your career as an interior architect.
On this Chartered Society of Designers (CSD) accredited course you will have the opportunity to:
- Undertake exciting work placement opportunities
- Benefit from the strong collaborative links with professional practices
- 97% of graduating placement students from 2015 are in work or further study six months after graduation (DLHE survey 2014/15)
- Participate in international study visit in your second year (included in your fees)
- Work in professional-standard facilities and studios alongside a dedicated model making studio
- Hear from guest speakers in industry
- Switch between full-time and sandwich options to suit your own requirements
- NTU is currently third for the number of undergraduate students studying architecture, building and planning (HESA 2014/15)
- Unique opportunities available through NTU's HIVE
We will enable you to discover, develop and define yourself and the space around you. In our studio-based learning environment you'll explore space, light and structure whilst developing hand drawing skills, presentation techniques and a thorough research project.
You will discover the design principles of space, form and order through model making, sketching and the historical movements in interior architecture. You will go on to develop this work through studio-based project work and briefs set by industry before defining briefs and strategies through your own personal design ethos.
Careers and employability
97% of graduating placement students from 2015 are in work or further study six months after graduation (DLHE survey 2014/15)
This course will prepare you to succeed in the interior architecture industry through:
- work placements
- working on real projects from industry
- field work
- input from industry professionals
- regularly updated course content.
You will be equipped with core design skills, knowledge and attributes for the rest of your professional career.
Where do Interior Architecture and Design graduates from NTU work?
NTU has a strong architecture alumni community with many graduates working in senior positions in leading national and international companies.
Recent graduate destinations have included:
- Foster + Partners
- Dalziel + Pow
- Waterbridge Designs
- Morphos Architects
- RDYC, New York
- Hirsh Bedner Associates
- FITCH
- Fromental
Employability Team
NTU's Employability Team provides a fantastic service. You can benefit from this at any time during your studies and up to three years after completing your course.
You will have the opportunity to apply for a year-long work placement as part of this course. This will give you real, hands-on experience within the industry. Your placement will also open up exciting opportunities for your future employment.
Where can I work?
Students typically gain placements in interior design agencies across the UK and abroad, including Italy and New York.
Our recent placement students have worked at the following global companies:
- Dalziel + Pow
- Sawaya and Moroni, Italy
- FITCH
- Atelier, New York
- Bisset Adams
- Found Associates
- Hirsh Bedner Associates
- Johnson Naylor.
You will find diverse jobs available within the industry and our students have covered the spectrum, including:
- Interior Designer
- Design Intern
- Design Assistant
- Student Placement Designer.
How are you assessed?
You are required to complete a:
- minimum of 36 weeks on placement
- 2,500 word placement report and log book alongside a presentation. (These will be assessed when you return in Year Four.)
How will I be supported?
The School has a dedicated placement office with a specialist Architecture administrator who will assist you in securing a placement. They will also guide you along the way providing everything you need to know before, during and afterwards.
Gain an extra professional qualification
You will gain a Diploma in Professional Practice upon your successful completion of a 36-week placement. This will help to enhance your CV and boost your career prospects.
Facilities
The majority of your lectures and seminars will take place in the Newton building, which has recently undergone a major renovation making it a great environment to study in.
Heliodon
This fantastic kit accurately demonstrates the motion of the sun, aiding the design of solar responsive architecture and spaces.
Model making studio
You will also benefit from model making studios in the Maudslay building. This will enable you to develop your skills in a dedicated studio space with technical supervision on-hand.
Dedicated resource centre
This centre is based in the Maudslay building. You will be able to undertake private study in a facility equipped with:
- computers
- large format plotters
- desk space together with the latest, and archived, journals and publications.
This study centre is open from 8 am until 8 pm.
IT resources
Our IT resource rooms and PC clusters are distributed across the City site, with PCs providing access to:
- Microsoft Office
- email
- web browsing
- networked file storage
- high-speed online printing services (with a free printing allowance for each student).
Resource rooms are available 24 hours a day.
Books and library resources
You will have access to an extensive range of books and periodicals that focus on specialist areas within Architecture. The library's OneSearch system also provides access to our:
- electronic resources
- journals
- books.
Within the library there is a liaison librarian who has specialist Architectural subject knowledge and can offer detailed help in finding and using print and electronic resources and also support on things such as Harvard referencing and research skills.
How you're taught
How will I learn?
You will learn through a mix of formal lectures, supported by smaller group sessions including:
- seminars
- tutorials
- workshops.
The study group tutorials are structured to replicate team meetings often found in design practices. You will also be involved in self-directed project work.
Your class contact time is approximately ten hours per week. The self-directed independent study taken outside of timetabled sessions is spent:
- preparing for lectures
- undertaking research
- completing coursework
- developing your portfolio and undertaking directed reading to expand your knowledge.
Trips and study visits
Our fieldwork and site visits are popular aspects of this course. Recent trips have included visits to Yorkshire Sculpture Park and international visits to Barcelona and Berlin. These will help you understand and apply what you've learnt in a real world context.
How will I be assessed?
You will be assessed through a mix of coursework and practical methods. The coursework will make up the majority of your assessment and will consist of:
- individual projects
- reports
- presentations
- essays
- a portfolio.
