MA Interior Architecture and Design

1 Year On Campus Masters Program

University of Lincoln

Program Overview

The MA Interior Architecture & Design at the University of Lincoln is ideal for design-minded graduates who want to push their creativity into deeper, research-driven territory. It’s a course built for thinkers and makers — people who enjoy exploring how interiors can transform experiences, whether through adaptive reuse, experimental spatial strategies, or completely new forms of interior storytelling. Working in a studio environment that feels like a real design consultancy, you’ll investigate ideas, test concepts, and refine your own design identity with strong academic and practical guidance.

Curriculum Structure (Humanized)

This intensive one-year programme blends structured teaching with a high level of independent exploration, allowing you to grow as both a designer and a researcher.

Early Stage
You begin with Interior Design Process 4.1: Preparation, where you dive into built-environment surveys, gather insights, and shape the core questions that will guide your future work. Alongside this, Interior Research Process 4.1: Design-Research Methods introduces you to the theories, ethics, and critical frameworks that help transform your design ideas into grounded, academically supported directions.

Middle Stage
This is where studio culture becomes most dynamic. Through Practice and Collaboration 4.1, you’ll join simulated consultancy teams to work on collaborative briefs — a chance to think commercially, negotiate ideas, and respond to realistic project challenges. In parallel, Interior Design Process 4.2: Definition encourages you to refine your concept, clarify your design intentions, and map out the direction of your interior treatise.

Final Stage
Your last phase is all about bringing your vision to life. In Interior Design Process 4.3: Interior Treatise, you’ll produce a substantial, original body of work that reflects your design philosophy. At the same time, Practice and Collaboration 4.2 helps you present and defend your work in a professional way, supported by a strong system of critique and feedback.

Focus Areas

“Adaptive reuse; imaginal interior strategies; design-research; interior treatise; collaboration; built heritage.”

Learning Outcomes

“You’ll graduate able to create original interior design-research, communicate and defend a clear design treatise, and work with the confidence of a professional design consultant.”

Professional Alignment (Accreditation)

Although this MA doesn’t lead to architectural licensure, it is deeply industry-relevant. You’ll work on consultancy-style briefs, collaborate like a design studio, and build a high-quality research-led portfolio — the kind that positions you strongly for roles across creative practice, heritage, cultural design, or continued academic research.

Reputation (Employability)

The programme benefits from academic support through the University’s Critical Heritage and Place Consumption research group, giving you access to a rich community of experts in heritage, spatial experience, and cultural design. Graduates are well-prepared for careers in design consultancies, cultural and heritage organisations, or for progressing into PhD-level study.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

At Lincoln, learning goes far beyond lectures. On this MA, you’ll gain hands-on experience working in a studio environment that mirrors a real design consultancy, where your ideas are tested, critiqued, and refined. You’ll engage directly with built spaces, conducting surveys and research that inform your creative decisions, while also learning to present and defend your work professionally. The programme blends independent research with collaborative projects, giving you the skills and confidence to handle real-world interior architecture challenges.

Here’s how practical learning unfolds in the course:

Studio as a Consultancy: Work in a professional-style studio, receiving continuous feedback from tutors and peers, simulating real consultancy experiences.
Fieldwork & Site Visits: Visit buildings, survey spaces, and conduct research to inform your design solutions in real-world contexts.
Research-Led Practice: Apply critical thinking and design-research methods to develop and justify your interior concepts.
Collaborative Projects: Participate in teamwork through the Practice & Collaboration modules, tackling design briefs together as a group.
Presentation & Critique: Refine your ability to communicate and defend your work through formal presentations and peer reviews.
Digital & Design Tools: Access software like Adobe Creative Cloud and Autodesk to create professional design documentation and 3D models.
Workshops & Fabrication Facilities: Use dedicated studios, model-making spaces, and fabrication workshops to bring your ideas to life.
Library & Research Resources: Draw on extensive library collections and the University’s Critical Heritage and Place Consumption research group for inspiration and guidance.

Progression & Future Opportunities

Graduates from Lincoln’s MA Interior Architecture & Design leave with the confidence and skills to step straight into creative and research-driven roles. Many find themselves working as interior design consultants, adaptive-reuse specialists, spatial researchers, or in heritage-led design studios. The course’s combination of studio-based practice and research-led learning ensures that your portfolio is professional-ready and highly valued by employers.

Here’s how Lincoln supports your career journey:

Career & Employability Support: Lincoln’s career services help you identify and secure roles in interior consultancies, heritage organisations, and design studios.
Professional Practice Opportunities: The two-year option includes a full year in a design practice, giving you real work experience before you graduate.
Industry-Relevant Projects: Through modules like Practice & Collaboration, you tackle consultancy-style briefs in teams, building practical experience that employers value.
Long-Term Career Value: Whether you follow the Treatise by Practice or Treatise by Research pathway, you’ll develop advanced design-research skills relevant to consultancy, heritage, and academic contexts.
Graduate Destinations: Alumni progress into interior consultancies, cultural heritage organisations, and research-focused design roles, benefiting from the University’s Critical Heritage and Place Consumption research group support.
Employment Stats & Salaries: Lincoln design studies graduates earn around £24,500 on average within 15 months of completing their course.

Further Academic Progression:
For those keen to continue academically, this MA provides a clear pathway to doctoral study. You could pursue a PhD in Interior Architecture, Spatial Design, or Built Heritage, using your treatise or research project as a springboard into advanced study and teaching.