Angelique Wisse
Senior Lecturer in Interior Design
UCAS Code
BA: W250
BA with Foundation: W252
Duration
Full Time: 3 years
Full Time Foundation: 4 years
Part Time: 5 - 6 years
BBC at A-Level or,
DMM at BTEC
Full Time: £9,790
Part Time: £1,630 per 20 credit module
Integrated Foundation Year: £9,790
study@northampton.ac.uk
0300 303 2772
Updated 19/10/2026
The University of Northampton’s Interior Architecture & Spatial Design (IASD) BA (Hons) is a challenging but rewarding experience that supports your personal development and vocational aspirations. Combining visual communication, spatial design awareness and professional practice skills, our comprehensive degree is the perfect introduction to this diverse, creative field.
Our curriculum addresses local, regional and global issues, as well as the spatial, sustainable and technical solutions needed to resolve them. You will gain an appreciation for and an understanding of architecture and learn how to work with light, material and surface qualities to propose places that have distinctive atmospheres.
The structure of our IASD BA (Hons) degree enables you to develop challenging design solutions that benefit society as well as broaden your understanding of interior architectural design as a professional pathway.
For Teaching Excellence in the Daily Mail University Guide.
For satisfied with teaching in the Guardian University Guide 2026
Guardian Data from the 2026 Graphic Design Subject table. Interior Architecture and Spatial Design is part of the Graphic Design subject grouping. Daily Mail University Guide 2027.
A typical offer for our interior architecture degree would be:
A Foundation Diploma in Art and Design will also be accepted. We also consider students with wide variety of industry skills; please contact the admissions office for more information on this.
Students with a relevant Higher National Diploma (HND) or Foundation Degree with a suitable profile of achievement may be admitted on to Year Two or Three.
We welcome applications from students with a mix of A levels and BTEC/Cambridge Technical qualifications.
For details on the application process, visit our How to Apply page. If you’re applying as an international student, you can find additional guidance.
Admission to this interior architecture course is normally:
However, we would also like to hear from you if you have professional or industry experience, a range of other qualifications, or self-developed subject knowledge related to the degree you wish to study.
All international and EU students applying for a course with the University of Northampton must meet the following minimum English language requirements:
For information regarding English language requirements at the university, please see our IELTS page.
Our Interior Architecture & Spatial Design BA (Hons) degree aims to develop both creative and professional skills. There is a high demand for this expertise in the design industry, with the regional expansion scheme, including public and private building plans, so you are in the perfect place to study this evolving discipline.
By joining the interior architecture degree course, you will become part of a unique learning environment with very close and guided support from tutors and technical staff. Our lecturers are experts in industry, many of whom run their own design practices and hold extensive links to the industry.
You will work with contemporary technologies and develop your own visual language, giving you the knowledge and confidence to design for a range of applications. Our design studio and technical workshops provide the environment for you to be innovative in your production of two and three-dimensional work. You will focus on aspects of design technology that can be applied to designing commercial, domestic and public living spaces, linking practical 3D projects to the theory you will learn.
This module enables students to research and apply established working practises, concepts and principles through a variety of design tasks. Interior architecture and spatial design projects will include all aspects of the design process, and aim to develop critical and practical skills with an understanding of contextual and technical considerations.
This module provides an introduction to the skills and knowledge required to use appropriate computer software as an aid to design. Students will appreciate the difference in approach between manual and computer aided design (CAD) and acquire the skills to produce both two-dimensional ‘lay-out’ drawings and to generate three-dimensional models.
Developing an understanding of construction detailing at human scale is a key principle when considering the design of 3-Dimensional environments. Through drawing, modelling and design projects students are introduced to design skills and processes that inform and support idea generation, development and refinement, and communicate outcomes to different audiences.
Designing for the built environment requires knowledge and understanding of historic, environmental, social, and economic factors. Investigating, combining, and applying knowledge effects the design process. This introduction explores contemporary design practice based on historical precedence and focuses on understanding of the role of the design professional in wider real-world context.
Please note the modules shown here relate to the academic year 26/27. The modules relating to the academic year 27/28 will be available from June 2027.
At the University of Northampton, everything we do, from funded trips to paid internships, is designed to give you everything you need to make a difference when you leave.
If you join this full-time Interior Architecture & Spatial Design BA degree at Northampton, you will receive a laptop when your course begins*. The laptops are built to a bespoke custom specification ideal for use in the seminar room, collaborative group work or studying at home.
Whatever your ambitions, we’re here to help you to achieve them. We’ll support you to identify the skills you’re learning during your course, find your strengths and secure practical experience so that when it comes to applying for jobs or further study in interior and spatial design you’ll feel confident in standing out from the crowd.
We’ve created the Northampton Employability Promise because we are so confident that if you focus on your studies and complete one of our awards, you will be highly employable by the time you graduate. This will put you in a great position to secure employment or continue your studies.
To check out the full list of perks, visit our Student Perks page or dedicated International Perks page.
*UK fee payers only (see Terms and Conditions for further details).
The Integrated Foundation Year (IFY) offers a new and exciting route into studying for an interior architecture and spatial design degree. It is for ambitious and driven students who are willing to learn and advance.
If you have non-standard qualifications or do not quite meet our admissions requirements, you can instead study a four-year programme which includes an Integrated Foundation Year. It will help you develop the theoretical/practical and academic skills you need to successfully progress to the full award.
Our four-year programme will enable you to successfully follow the degree pathway of your choice while gaining essential study skills. The foundation year of your chosen degree will be studied on a full-time basis and is aimed at supporting the transition to higher education. Years two, three and four are then studied as a standard degree programme.
You will be taught through a combination of lectures, seminars and/or workshop-based sessions.
How will I be assessed on the Interior Architecture & Spatial Design BA (Hons) degree?You will be assessed through a mixture of studio-based design critiques and written assessments. Through your final year of your interior architecture course, you will be assessed continually, culminating in a major exhibition of your design work.
Does the University of Northampton offer any specialist interior architecture and spatial design facilities?You will have access to the following specialist facilities:
The University of Northampton’s annual Student Futures Week is a unique chance to network with high profile industry professionals and an excellent opportunity for you to explore the potential of your course and understand where your university experience can lead after graduation.
What software and tools do I need to work in interior architecture and spatial design?If you want to work in interior architecture and spatial design, you’ll need to be familiar with different software and technologies at each stage of the design process, including concept design, technical drawing, 3D visualisation and project management.
Through our interior architecture course, you’ll spend time in design studios and technical workshops, experimenting with contemporary technologies and creating two- and three-dimensional projects. As you develop your own visual language, you’ll learn how to apply design technology to commercial, domestic and public spaces too.
What's the difference between an architect and an interior architect?The main difference between an architect and an interior architect is the area they focus on. An architect designs the building as a whole, focusing on the building envelope, accessibility and safety, building regulations, and coordination with engineers and other specialists.
An interior architect designs the spaces within a building and how people experience and use them. Their role goes beyond decoration and may involve changing interior layouts or structures to make spaces more functional, comfortable and suitable for their intended purpose.
Is an interior architecture degree mandatory to enter the industry?While some professionals are self-taught, organisations such as the British Institute of Interior Design (BIID), the UK’s only professional institute for interior designers, highly recommend a formal qualification. An interior architecture degree provides structured learning in areas such as building technology, safety, structural considerations and complex legislation — knowledge that can be difficult to develop through independent study.
Our interior architecture degree brings these areas together with visual communication, spatial design and professional practice. By graduation, you’ll have skills that can be applied across exhibition, residential, workplace, and leisure and hospitality design, as well as conservation, graphic design and concept visualisation.
UON will adjust fees annually for UK (Home) Students up to the maximum allowable fee cap set by the Secretary of State for Education.
When assessing an applicant’s eligibility to pay home fees, we use the guidance provided by the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) which sets out the regulations that have been decided by the UK Government Department of Education.
Tuition fees quoted for International Students apply only to the 2026/27 academic year. These fees may increase in future years in line with Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation to reflect rising delivery costs. Any annual increase will be capped at a maximum of 5% of the previous year’s tuition fee. Updated tuition fees will be published on the UON website at least three months before the start of the next academic year.
Materials for graphic and 3D workshops, competition entry fees associated with your modules and those visits that are necessary for your Interior Architecture & Spatial Design course are subsidised by the University.
We recommend that you budget approximately £400 per academic year for essential materials and study trips. Please note that this is not a precise estimation and will depend on personal choices and external factors. Students are encouraged to participate in the organisation of study trips, previously our students have visited Amsterdam, Milan, Rotterdam and Madrid.
We also suggest that interior architecture degree students allow approximately £300 for the Graduate Exhibition, for items such as printing, travel, publicity, and general expenses.
For information on the scholarships available to you, please see our scholarships page.
For more information about possible funding options, please visit our Fees and Funding pages.
Fees quoted for the interior architecture and spatial design course relate to study in the Academic Year 25/26 only and may be subject to inflationary increases in future years.
Our Interior Architecture & Spatial Design BA (Hons) opens a vast range of career opportunities, including but not limited to:
Our master’s courses are a great way to enhance the skills you have already learnt. Benefit from our 20% alumni discount on master’s fees to give yourself a CV that will catch the eye of employers.
Specialist Facilities on the interior architecture and spatial design BA include: