Anglia Ruskin University
Interior Design [with Foundation Year] BA (Hons)
Anglia Ruskin University

Key Course Facts

Student Reviews

Below you can see course specific reviews of 60 graduates of Interior Design [with Foundation Year] BA (Hons) and other courses in Design Studies at Anglia Ruskin University for each of the survey questions in comparison to the average for all UK degree courses in Design Studies.

Overall student satisfaction
69 /100
60 total respondents

Primarily based on data from undergraduate degree students.

The NSS is commissioned by the Office for Students

Salary

Salary of Graduates in Design Studies

Important: Salary data below is not course specific, but contains data of all students of Design Studies at the university. Due to data collection methodology, salary data is mainly based on data related to undergraduate students.

  15 months after graduation 3 years after graduation 5 years after graduation
Median salary £20000 £19000 £23500
25-75 percentile range £18000 - £26000 £14500 - £23500 £17000 - £28000


Salary of all UK Graduates of Design Studies

  15 months after graduation 3 years after graduation 5 years after graduation
Median salary £22025 £20113 £23568
25-75 percentile range £19981 - £25071 £15144 - £24676 £17604 - £29974

Course Description

Interior designers work with clients to create attractive, safe and functional rooms and spaces. Study BA (Hons) Interior Design at ARU in Cambridge, and develop your creative vision.

As an interior designer you might work with homeowners, public bodies and businesses. You'll consider the use of furniture, lighting, flooring, artwork and decoration, decor and colour pallettes to create residential or commercial spaces that people enjoy using.

To become a professional interior designer you'll typically need a university degree in interior design or a related subject. Practical experience is also valuable and here at ARU, you'll receive ongoing support to find placements and work experience.

With our small studio groups, your tutors will really get to know you and your work, and help you become a resilient interior designer with a distinctive creative voice.

Our BA (Hons) Interior Design scored 95% for Academic Support and 93% for Teaching on my Course in the National Student Survey 2023.

Exciting and intriguing interior spaces offer experiences that make us want to return again and again. Discover how you can embed stories into your designs – stories that help others to develop social connections and make your designed spaces important to the community.

By studying BA (Hons) Interior Design at ARU, you’ll explore the relationships between design, experience and narrative.

Based in our dedicated interior design studio in Cambridge, you'll learn to create effective design proposals. Your studio work will include:

  • preparing 2D plans and elevations
  • developing fully realised 3D drawings
  • creating built models
  • considering the use of furniture, lighting and materials
  • looking at small- and large-scale interior design projects.

You'll also learn about project management, professional communication, budgeting, and specification skills.

Throughout the course, you’ll be encouraged to propose design questions, such as: How can public spaces cater for multiple activities and users? How much space do we need to live in? How do major brands reinvent themselves to respond to new markets?

We think your ideas and design skills are important. You’ll develop these by working in small teams at different stages of your degree, sometimes alongside students from other creative courses.

There’s the opportunity to get inspired on European field trips, and to study abroad for a semester – with funding available to help cover the cost.

You can also see your designs become reality in live projects briefs with our partner organisations - our students recently worked with Cambridge Library Services to re-design the café interior at Cambridge Central Library - and foster professional relationships through Design Bench, a series of industry networking meetings.

Industry-standard facilities

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

  • 3D workshops for physical media including wood, plastic, metal and clay
  • specialist printmaking workshop
  • dedicated Mac and PC suites with the latest software including Adobe Creative suite
  • Ruskin Gallery, a professional digital art gallery
  • photography and media facilities including darkrooms; studios; film processing; digital printing suite; video editing; and professional equipment loans
  • life drawing studio.

Careers

Our BA (Hons) Interior Design degree will prepare you to work with architects or in spatial design practices on residential, commercial, hospitality, health, lighting, entertainment or furniture design projects, or to set up your own interior design practice after graduation. The creative skills you develop will help you find a career in the visual arts, film, television, event and theatre design, or exhibition and museum design; while the management skills will be useful for project management roles on creative projects.

Jobs & Career Perspectives

15 months after graduation, graduates of this course were asked about what they do and, if they are working, about their current job and their perspectives.

Current jobs

Required skill level of job after 15 months

Jobs of graduates of this course (15 months after graduation)

Example below based on all graduates of Interior Design [with Foundation Year] BA (Hons) at Anglia Ruskin University

30% Media Professionals
10% Managers, directors and senior officials
10% Administrative occupations
10% Welfare and housing associate professionals
10% Elementary occupations
5% Artistic, literary and media occupations
5% Business and public service associate professionals
5% Sales occupations
5% Managers, directors and senior officials
5% Customer service occupations

Our studio projects will allow you to focus on your creative development, while you’ll also demonstrate your process and creative decisions through a combination of portfolio, written and practical studio work.

Entry Requirements / Admissions

UCAS Tariff of Accepted Students for Design Studies

Requirements for international students / English requirements

IELTS academic test score (similar tests may be accepted as well)

    • 4.5
    • Foundation / Pathway Courses
    • 5.5
    • Foundation Law
    • 6.5
    • Graduate Degrees
    • 7.0
    • Graduate Degrees Law
    • 5.5
    • Undergraduate Degrees
Get advice on which foundation courses are best for you to still study Interior Design [with Foundation Year], BA (Hons), if you do not meet the minimum requirements in terms of UCAS score, A levels, or English language requirements.

Costs

Tuition Fees Interior Design [with Foundation Year] BA (Hons)

England UK £9250 year 1
Northern Ireland £9250 year 1
Scotland £9250 year 1
Wales £9250 year 1
Channel Islands £9250 year 1
Ireland £9250 year 1

Additional fee information

**

Average student cost of living in the UK

Rent £518
Water, gas electricity, internet (at home) £50
Supermarket shopping £81
Clothing £35
Eating out £33
Alcohol £27
Takeaways / food deliveries £30
Going out / entertainment (excl.alcohol, food) £24
Holidays and weekend trips £78
Transport within city £17
Self-care / sports £20
Stationary / books £13
Mobile phone / internet £13
Cable TV / streaming £7
Insurance £51
Other £95
  
Average student cost of living £1092

London costs approx 34% more than average, mainly due to rent being 67% higher than average of other cities. For students staying in student halls, costs of water, gas, electricity, wifi are generally included in the rental. Students in smaller cities where accommodation is in walking/biking distance transport costs tend to be significantly smaller.

How to apply

Application deadline:

January 1, 2025

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Possible Entry Points:

  • year 1 (Default entry point)

University Rankings

Positions of Anglia Ruskin University in top UK and global rankings.

Rankings of Anglia Ruskin University in related subject specific rankings.

Architecture, Building & Planning

    • #42 
    • #52 
    Architecture
    CUG The Complete University Guide - By Subject
    [Published 08 June, 2023]
    • #42 
    • #52 
    Architecture
    The Guardian University League Tables by Subject
    [Published 09 September, 2023]

See all 20 university rankings of Anglia Ruskin University

About Anglia Ruskin University

Founded in 1858, Anglia Ruskin University (ARU) is located in Cambridge, England, just a 15-minute walk from the City Centre. This university offers an extensive catalogue of Undergraduate and Postgraduate courses, as well as 8 student housing options at distinct price points. Cambridge is famous for being a student city, and those at ARU can benefit from that by mixing with those students working at the numerous universities throughout the city.

List of 290 Bachelor and Master Courses from Anglia Ruskin University - Course Catalogue

Student composition of Anglia Ruskin University

undergraduates:
23010
postgraduates:
5190
Total:
28200
Number of students enrolled in courses of subject “Interior Design and Architecture”: Academic year - Full-time equivalent student enrollments published by Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) on February 2022
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Where is this programme taught

Cambridge Campus
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